BY FLORENCIA BELVEDERE
JOHANNESBURG — After having participated in march upon march to protest against evictions and electricity and water cut-offs, more than 1000 Soweto residents decided at an April 5 public meeting that Johannesburg's African National Congress (ANC) mayor Amos Masondo and his corrupt councillors must go.
A peaceful protest was held outside Masondo's home, in Kensington in Johannesburg's formerly white suburbs, on April 6. The protest was organised by the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC), one of the affiliates of the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF).
As activists were attempting to push a list of their demands under the mayor's door, Lucas Makhubela, Masondo's bodyguard, wildly fired eight shots into the crowd from the roof of the house, injuring two people. The angry crowd defended themselves with stones, damaging the house. Police then arrested 87 protesters, 37 of whom were elderly pensioners. A five-year-old child was also detained.
Among those arrested were well-known activist and expelled ANC councillor Trevor Ngwane and South African Municipal Workers Union organiser Robert Rees. SAMWU has condemned the arrests.
Ngwane told the April 7 Johannesburg Sunday Independent that police arrested the protesters on the instigation of ANC officials. An APF member was later arrested at the police station on the instructions of an ANC official, even though she was not present at the protest.
While those arrested were held in jail to face charges of "public violence" and "malicious damage to property", Masondo's hired gunman went free even though his two victims had filed charges of attempted murder against him.
On April 7, the arrested comrades had to take part in an ID parade, where one witness, presumably the shooter, was asked to identify those involved in property damage. Police refused to allow a bail hearing, using the excuse that they had run out of forms to formally charge everyone.
The 87 protesters were held for two days at Jeppe police station before a bail hearing was held on April 8. The senior prosecutor for the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council, acting on instructions from the national level, opposed bail and was adamant that police needed to visit each detainee's individual address to check if they lived there, rather than simply phone families or employers.
The court ordered that 50 comrades must remain in custody until April 16, however 37 pensioners and juveniles were released on bail.
The 50 SECC comrades — the Kensington 50 — have been moved to the notoriously violent Diepkloof Prison.
Lawyers are outraged that the police were granted seven days to check 50 addresses. Clearly, this technicality is being used by the ANC government to intimidate the developing movement.
As the comrades in jail themselves have argued, they are political prisoners, not criminals! While the government seems to be wanting to teach our comrades a "lesson", the arrests have given SECC comrades added strength and confidence to continue the fight against electricity and water cut-offs, as well as evictions.
The ANC government has, over the past few years, cut the water and electricity supplies of thousands of families living in Soweto. Thousands more have been evicted from their homes. Recently about 1000 residents of Mandelaville, Soweto, were forcibly removed and dumped at an isolated mining hostel with no water, electricity and no access to schools or jobs.
Throughout South Africa, the ANC government's capitalist policies are attacking the poor and robbing them of their right to a quality life. Privatisation has meant rampant unemployment and a rise in the cost of water and electricity.
Is it a crime to fight against evictions and water and electricity cut-offs? Is it a crime to protest peacefully? Is it a crime for voters to demand answers from their mayor? The real criminals are Masondo and his councillors, who betrayed their voters. The real criminal is President Thabo Mbeki and his neo-liberal economic policies. The real criminals are the rich who only want profit at the expense of billions of people worldwide.
The SECC, APF and the people of Soweto are demanding the unconditional and immediate release of the Kensington 50. We demand the dropping of all charges against our comrades. We demand free basic services for all. We demand an end to cut-offs and evictions.
Green Left Weekly readers are asked to send messages demanding the release and dropping of charges against the Kensington 50 to Mayor Amos Masondo at <sandyp@gjtmc.org.za> and to the ANC at <dcumberledge@anc.org.za>. For latest developments visit <http:www//southafrica.indymedia.org/>.
[Florencia Belvedere is treasurer of the Johannesburg Anti-Privatisation Forum.]
From Green Left Weekly, April 24, 2002.
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