south africa: UPDATE ON WATER STRUGGLES IN SOWETO
The community in Phiri, after a mass meeting held on the 13th September, decided to organise a march to the Soweto offices of the Johannesburg Metro. During the week 13-19 September community members alongside activists from the APF, SECC and several other APF affiliates conducted a door-to-door campaign in Phiri to mobilise support for the struggle against the pre-paid meters. This campaign was buttressed by an APF-initiated meeting of several progressive organisations and movements (during the same week) in order to form a broad coalition against water privatisation.
South African and International comrades,
Greetings, once again, from the Anti-Privatisation Forum. Below is an update on the struggle against pre-paid water meters in the community of Phiri, Soweto that is being waged by the community with the active support of the APF and its affiliate, the SECC.
The community in Phiri, after a mass meeting held on the 13th September, decided to organise a march to the Soweto offices of the Johannesburg Metro. During the week (13-19th Sept.) community members alongside activists from the APF, SECC and several other APF affiliates conducted a door-to-door campaign in Phiri to mobilise support for the struggle against the pre-paid meters. This campaign was buttressed by an APF-initiated meeting of several progressive organisations and movements (during the same week) in order to form a broad coalition against water privatisation. We have already sent out a message detailing the proposed work of the coalition and an accompanying declaration for other organisations and movements to endorse (if you have not received these, please let us know and we will forward immediately).
The march (that took place this last Saturday), was officially banned by the police - to no avail. It attracted over 1000 people and succeeded in creating intensified awareness and support for the continuing struggle against Johannesburg Water's Operation Gcin'amanzi and the overall fight against privatisation of basic needs/services as well as support for the comrades who had been arrested (and jailed) for carrying out acts of resistance. Today, those comrades appeared in court and despite the outrageous attempts of the public prosecutor to deny bail to those who had been kept in jail for the last two weeks on the grounds that the water warriors are a direct threat to 'public security and order', our legal defence team succeeded in getting bail for all the comrades.
In an indication of the state's zealousness in trying to contain the struggle, the bail amounts were all over R1000 each and the bail conditions include a ban on coming within 500m of the Council offices and the operations of Johannesburg Water as well as a ban on attending/ addressing any meeting having to do with Operation Gcin'amanzi. All the comrades are due to appear in court again on 7th October.
Over the last week, the emergent coalition against water privatisation has been working hard in providing mobilising support for the struggles in Phiri and in laying the groundwork for legal challenges to the Johannesburg Water interdict as well as to the installation of pre-paid meters in South Africa. By the end of this week, legal papers will be filed to challenge the interdict and plans are well under way, with the active assistance of the Freedom of Expression Institute, for a longer-term legal challenge to the constitutionality of pre-paid meters. In addition, the foundations of a legal defence fund for South African social movements are being prepared.
The APF would like to thank all those South African and international organisations/movements that have already pledged their solidarity and active support. We have also begun to receive financial support in response to our appeal for legal defence funds and we hope that this will continue (please contact us if you need further information on how to provide financial support).
We want to emphasise that the ongoing struggles in Phiri are but part of a much larger struggle that is taking place across South Africa against the neo-liberal policies of the ANC government - over land, education, healthcare, water, electricity and housing. The repression and arrogance being meted out by the ANC government and Johannesburg Water have not, and will not, halt the struggle for basic human dignity and rights of the poor in Phiri and indeed, in innumerable poor communities across the breadth of South Africa. The collective resistance of the poor is not ephemeral - it is both necessary and never-ending for as long as the barbarism of capitalism exists.
A LUTA CONTINUA!
Dale T. McKinley
On behalf of the APF and the Coalition Against Water Privatisation