SOUTH AFRICA: S26 solidarity demo attacked

JOHANNESBURG — As part of the global protests to coincide with the September 26 (S26) protests in Prague against the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, more than 300 activists from numerous South African political and community organisations and trade unions held a rally and march in Johannesburg.

The rally took place in the heart of the city from late morning. Hundreds of participants and observers witnessed a colourful and lively anti-capitalist "festival" that included much toyi-toying, poetry, music and several speeches by activists, including representatives of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, South African Communist Party, the Socialist Party of Azania, Workers' Organisation for Socialist Action, the Campaign Against Neo-Liberalism in South Africa, Earthlife Africa, Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee, Keep Left, the Pan Africanist Congress, the Anti-Privatisation Forum and many others from South Africa's left.

After the rally, hundreds marched through downtown Johannesburg, accompanied by street puppets, a maze of political banners and colourful placards decrying the oppression and injustice of the IMF and World Bank. The rallying call of the participants was to "shut down" both imperialist institutions, to cancel the apartheid debt and for the South African government to abandon its neo-liberal GEAR economic policy that is slowly strangling the workers and poor of South Africa.

The march stopped at various government buildings, such as the departments of health and local government, where protesters did the famous toyi-toyi and handed over memorandums outlining their demands. The last stop on the peaceful and festive march was the headquarters of South Africa's largest capitalist conglomerate, Anglo-American.

When the marchers attempted to enter the foyer of the building to deliver a memorandum, Anglo-American security guards attacked them with tear gas and truncheons. The attack by the guards created a very volatile situation. Most of the protesters inside at the time were overcome by the tear gas and in the pandemonium that followed one protester was slightly injured and a glass door smashed. Some protesters made it clear to the security guards that if the unwarranted behaviour continued, they would fight back.

After a tense standoff, Anglo-American management arrived and were lambasted by the protesters who then left peacefully. It came as no surprise that South Africa's national print and electronic media reported widely on the protest the following day, however, they offered a sensationalised version of the protest, focusing on the "violence" at Anglo-American.

In Cape Town, 200 protesters mobilised against the IMF and the World Bank at the US consulate. Watched by a large number of police, the demonstrators, many from the Western Cape Jubilee 2000 branch, chanted "Away with the IMF", "World Bank corrupt" and "Scrap all Third World debt". The US consulate refused to receive a memorandum from the protesters "for security reasons".

BY DALE T. MCKINLEY

From GLW issue 424