In this Edition – KC journal NO 21 May 2009May 31, 2009

Organising and Organisation

Welcome to the first edition of the khanya Journal for activists for 2009. The 10th annual Khanya College Winter School 2008 was held from 29 June to 5 July at the Magaliesberg Conference Centre in Broederstroom. The theme of Winter School 2008 was organising and organisation.

One of the primary aims of this school was to further the debates and discussions on the need for the conscious theorising of struggle to develop our organising concepts. An organising concept for this period provides us with the necessary framework for organising. This framework allows us to develop the understanding that the way we organise – the strategies and tactics we use – is determined by who we organise, which, in turn, is determined by the effects of capitalism.

The effect of neoliberal globalisation has had far reaching consequences for the working class and the poor globally. Neoliberalism has fundamentally reorganized the world, and fragmented the working class. In the workplace, the extension of the working day, increased mechanisation, unemployment, multi- tasking, casualisation and the general feminization of labour have cut across all industrial centres. With this, the room for dividing workers has expanded: permanent workers alongside the casuals who are employed on a daily basis, or employed by a labour broker, contract workers employed for a defined time, an increase in undocumented workers, and the feminisation of these jobs pitting men against women, both in terms of employment and wages. Against this backdrop there is also the rural unemployed and the informal economy.

In South Africa, beyond the workplace, the country is still facing huge social and economic challenges. South Africa has the largest – and growing – inequality gaps in the world between the rich and the poor. Forty percent of the black majority population lives on less than US$2 a day. The unemployment rate is at 40%. The gap between the highest incomes earners and the lowest income earners is widening. The poor, particularly women, continue to be affected and infected with HIV/AIDS. The housing crisis continues, land distribution is a tribulation, and education for the poor is in tatters. And the year 2006 represented what is probably a unique phenomenon in modern times: a budget surplus in the midst of hunger, the collapse of public health service, a virtually non- existent public transport system, and other social and economic inequalities and injustices.

These are some of the issues that clarify who we are organising in this period, and determines how we organise. Winter School 2008 took up these debates and discussions, while also examining and analysing the various strategies and tactics used in organisation. In the first article, Nerisha Baldevu gives an overview of the school, and touches on the issues discussed in the school.

Emerging organisations have, in the last several years, confronted the questions of internal democracy, leadership, accountability and conflict resolution. These questions have posed challenges to organisations, and have, in several instances, led to splits in organisations. In his article, Mondli Hlatshwayo, looks at some of key of the principles that determine the operation of democratic working class organisations, and argues that adhering to these principles is vital for the survival of organisations.

As already indicated, the changing nature of the working class as engendered by neoliberalism impacts on our understanding of organising. It determines who, where, why and how we organise. Several organisations present at the school are consciously grappling with this issue. Sikula Sonke, a farm-worker union based in the Western Cape, and organising around labour and a range of social issues, is one such organisation. Maria van Driel speaks to Wendy Pekeur, the General Secretary of Sikhula Sonke, about her own development as an activist, the formation of Sikhula Sonke, the union’s approach to organising and leadership, and the challenges facing the union. In a similar vein, Edson Ntsibande shares the organising experiences and challenges facing the General Industrial Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA), an independent, largely Gauteng-based union, and Taryn MacKay the challenges facing cultural activists.

The issue of the strategies of organising, and the need for strong organisation are dealt with in some detail in the articles by Bheki Xaba, Silumko Radebe, and Kenneth Tafira. Both Xaba and Tafira deal with the issue of xenophobia. Xaba speaks to the experience of the Kathelong Concerned Residents (KCR) in mobilising and organising against xenophobic attacks, while Tafira expands on the discussions on xenophobia that took place at the school and looks at the various responses of organisations to the xenophobic attacks. Radebe’s article deals with the organising strategies and processes adopted in taking up the issue of the pre-paid water meters in Phiri. All three articles highlight the need for the strong implantation of organisations within the communities where they are organising in order to be effective, the need for widespread consultation and partnerships, and share with us the different strategies possible in these instances.

In the last article in this section, Molefe Pilane examines the use of study groups as tool with which to build organisation and leadership.

Open Mic

This section of this edition continues the debates raised in the Reproductive Rights edition of the Khanya Journal for Activists on spaces for organising. Oupa Lehulere looks at the issue of the recall of (ex-president) Thabo Mbeki by the ANC and their claims that this was democracy in action, and highlights some lessons for movements out of this. Lebo Manganeng and SCLC provide reports on the United Front meetings in the Southern and Eastern Cape, which highlight the plight of farmworkers in South Africa, and continues the debates on clarifying long-term approaches and attitudes to parliamentary elections. Wrapping up the Open Mic section, and in keeping with the rest of this edition, Ighsaan Schroeder provides a personal account of the second Sikhula Sonke congress as evidence of strong, democratic and creative organising in the current context.

Nehanda Insert

The Nehanda insert runs the second of the 3-part reprint of the historical overview (abridged) paper by Helen Bradford on 150 years of abortion in South Africa: “Penetrating Her Womb With This Instrument (1910 – 1960)”. The first part was published in the educational supplement of Reproductive Rights edition of the Khanya Journal (No. 20 – November 2008), entitled “Swallowing Something” which focussed on the history on the practises and history of abortion in South Africa 1840 – 1910. The final part on ‘Birth Control in a Non-compliant Population (1960-1990)’ will be included in the next edition of the journal.

Documents

Our documents section contain: The Elections Front Platform which came out of the first elections front meeting held in November 2008 in Johannesburg; The Jubilee National Conference Platform, which came out of the Jubilee National meeting held in September 2008, and the African Sex worker conference press release and resolution, which came out of the African Sex Worker Conference held in February 2009 in Johannesburg.

Notice:

Winter school 2009: crisis and resistance The annual Khanya College Winter School is 11 years old this year. Over the last 10 years, the school has been an important point of convergence for organisations as a platform for debate, discussion, political theory, practical skills, networking and solidarity building. While mindful of the achievements of the school over this period, Khanya has noted that the format of the school limits both wider participation and the nature of the content. For this reason, the College has redesigned and rescheduled the school. The school will now take place from 29 July to 9 August in the form of an education festival. The notification at the end of this edition provides additional details. We look forward to seeing you there. We trust that our readers and study groups will find this edition informative and engaging.