Working Class Co-ordinating Committee

Experiences of Organising and Mobilising

Simthembile Zatu writes about the Vaal-based WCCC which attempts to tackle community problems in accessing basic services and free quality education.

Our organisation is called the Working Class Co-ordinating Committee (WCCC), based in the Vaal. The organisation was formed to tackle issues of community access to basic services such as water, electricity, free decent housing, free quality education for all and access to appropriate health services. We also try to link community-based concerns with those of workers and distribute information on government tenders and contracts to the majority of the unemployed members of our community.

Part of the difficulties we were faced with as an organisation was the realisation that the majority of our adult community members are barely literate. This made it difficult for us to spread and share ideas through conventional means such as pamphlets. We therefore had to be creative in our methods of educating and informing our members about their rights. Learning from sister organisations such as Bophelong Community Services Forum, we adapted our methods to include theatre. This led to the formation of Masiza theatre group in March 2004. The group performed at the Bophelong stadium as part of a cultural festival, and received a merit certificate for good performance. We try and highlight issues facing our community through the themes we use in our performance scripts.

More importantly, since 2003 our organisation has launched an Adult Basic Education Training (ABET) programme with support from Tsebo Centre. The aims are to provide adult literacy classes to members of our community and to equip them with life skills training. The effort is plagued by difficulties such as lack of access to suitable training facilities as there are no schools in Masiza.

The only options we have are run-down community halls which are in severe disrepair. This has not tainted our resolve, hence our classes continue. We have been eagerly awaiting a break through from the education department, but so far nothing has been forthcoming.

When it comes to building solidarity with workers, our organisation has built solid relationships with workers at the ISCOR plant in the Vaal who are facing potential retrenchments. We enlisted the support of progressive non- governmental organisations such as Khanya College and hosted a workers’ history project with the aim of informing workers of the historical role ISCOR played in the exploitation of black labour and how this links with experiences of workers across the globe. Our view is that we are the creators of a better life and we will struggle to the end to achieve it.

FORWARD WITH THE STRUGGLE FOR GOOD QUALITY LIFE FOR ALL!

Simthembile Zatu is a member of WCCC in the Vaal and an active comrade in the APF