Progressive NGOs must learn to engage our movements as equals

8 May 2012

There are a number of progressive NGOs that have excellent relations with grassroots movements based on honesty, respectful and democratic forms of engagement and real partnerships. But some NGOs that claim to be progressive treat us like children, use their money to buy support from individuals while undermining democratic movement structures and think that it is their right to take decisions for us. In fact some NGOs just want us to bring in our members to legitimate their projects and their leadership. We are supposed to listen, sing some songs during the breaks but never to shape the agenda. Some NGOs have tried by all means to destroy movements that they cannot control and have even gone so far as to call activists 'criminals' in public. Their behaviour has been no different to that of the ruling party which also calls activists 'criminals' when they challenge its authority.

For many years the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) had a very high reputation amongst all the grassroots movements. It gave real support to movements, especially when they were facing repression. But in recent years this NGO has been very distant from the struggles on the ground. In March this year we had a very bad experience with this NGO. We prepared a statement, which is below. However we did not send out that statement as the NGO indicated to us that they were willing to discuss our concerns. We welcomed this. But that discussion never happened and last week we received another invitation to one of their workshops. We discussed the matter with our allied organisations and movements in the province and we all agreed that we cannot attend the FXI workshop as there has been no discussion of our concerns. We are now issuing the press statement that we compiled in March.

We want to make it clear that we want to have good working relationship with all progressive or potentially progressive forces. However this does not mean that we can accept being oppressed within our own struggle. If the FXI is willing to meet us with and to discuss our concerns seriously we are willing to reconsider our position. But until that happens we will not be working with the FXI and we will encourage all allied organisations and movements in the province and nationally to take the same position.

UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT PRESS STATEMENT

9 March 2012

GRASSROOTS ACTIVISTS WALK OUT OF NGO WORKSHOP

The UPM, together with a number of other grassroots political organisations, as well as representatives of the SAPS, was invited to attend a workshop on the Regulation of Gatherings Act in East London on the 1st and 2nd of March 2012. The workshop was hosted by the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), an NGO that used to have a very high respect amongst grassroots political activists. We welcomed the invitation due to the respect that the FXI used to enjoy and because the police and the municipalities systematically ignore the Gatherings Act and illegally ban or over-regulate our protests and we thought that a discussion about this would be useful.

On the first day of the workshop we were discussing the Regulation of Gatherings Act and comrades were narrating their experiences and asking questions about repression. However the facilitator, Welekazi Stofile, who was introduced to us as an expert, was highly intolerant. She did not provide room for comrades to share their experiences or to be critical of the law and the way the police and municipalities are always violating the law.

One very vocal comrade was Anele Mbi. Anele is a committed activist who is highly respected on the ground. He was formerly with the Right to Work, the Right to Know Campaign and the Democratic Left Front. He was censored at the workshop following which he said that if he had not the right to speak freely in a workshop hosted by an organisation dedicated to freedom of expression he might as well leave. The facilitator shocked us all when she said that he should go.

Anele responded by saying that he thought that activists had been invited to the workshop to discuss and not only to listen. The facilitator shocked us even more when she responded by saying that he was uneducated and that she was an expert and that he must listen to her. She then went on to say that “even your appearance tells me that you are uneducated.” Anele then walked out.

Ayanda Kota then passed a note to the facilitator saying that he needed to speak to Anele so that the situation could be resolved. She responded by screaming and yelling at him in front of all the participants. During the lunch break Ayanda spoke to Mbali Cele, the FXI legal expert but she defended Welekazi. The issue of class and power was just there. It was made very clear that grassroots activists must know their place and that their place is to be perpetual pupils even in their own struggle.

When it was clear that neither of the FXI experts were willing to begin a discussion aimed at resolving the situation the UPM decided to walk out of the workshop. We walked out in solidarity with Anele and in protest at the contempt with which grassroots activists were being treated in the workshop. We were joined in the walk-out by the President of Izwe Lamafama, Mbulelo Tokwa, and other well-known activists like Yonela Mahebe who is the Provincial Chairperson of the PAC Youth League.

FXI did not respond to the walkout by engaging us in a discussion. They responded by telling the driver that if she leaves with us we would have to pay for the transport and that the FXI would not pay. It seems that for the FXI we must walk back to Grahamastown from East London because we are the lumpen proletariat and our job is just to obey and to keep on obeying until the end of time even when we are treated with contempt in the name of our own struggle! They were just using their control over the resources to intimidate us.

At this point all the other activists in the workshop worked out in solidarity with Anele and UPM. The provincial co-ordinator of the FXI joined the walkout. The FXI facilitators were left with the police only. This means that the FXI no longer has any activist network in this province. We call upon all other grassroots activist and poor people’s organizations and movements too disassociate from the FXI until they have:

• Met with all those who walked out of the workshop.
• Apologised for their behaviour.
• Negotiated a way to work with grassroots activists in the future that is democratic and respectful.
•
This is not the first time that grassroots activists have had to walk out of an NGO workshop organized by an NGO that says that it is on the side of the poor. In fact there have been many walkouts from NGO workshops and projects over the years and many protests against the NGOs and serious complaints made against the NGOs. The NGOs have often responded by saying that grassroots activists are criminals, that we are being used and so on. We do not see a difference between their behaviour and the behaviour of the state. We all remember how the NGOs tried to evict the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign from their accommodation after they walked out of the Social Movements Indaba in 2006 in legitimate protest at how the NGOs had seized total control of an organization that was supposed to represent social movements. We also remember how some NGOs called the movements that walked out of the Social Movements Indaba as 'criminals' and so forth.

The conduct of the FXI has left us thinking that we need to seriously reconsider out participation in the Right2Know Campaign. We fully support the campaign’s objectives but we cannot accept that we should be oppressed within our struggle. We are also concerned that in Durban the Right2Know Campaign is planning to move its office to the same NGO that Abahlali baseMjondolo and the Western Cape Anti-Eviction have refused to work with for many years. UPM also supports the boycott of this NGO and it is clear to us that the decision by the Right2Know Campaign shows a real disrespect to the grassroots organisations.

The UPM has very good relations with many progressive NGOs and we are pleased to work with any organisation that shares our goals and which is willing to engage us as equals. However we will never accept that we must be perpetual pupils even within our own struggles. All we are asking for us is respect, equality and democracy within the struggle for a better society.

Contact people:

Yonela Mahebe: 073 406 4120
Gladys Mpepho: 072 807 8298
Ayanda Kota: 078 625 6462

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