The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign was a non-racialManyi and Manuel – Why Apartheid Didn't Die, Leonard Gentle, All Africa, March 2011 popular movementThe flames of Phaphamani, Pedro Tabensky, Leadership Magazine, 7 March 2011 made up of poor and oppressed communities in Cape Town, South Africa.Anti-eviction in South Africa, WarOnWantFighting Foreclosure in South Africa , by the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, The Nation Magazine It was formed in November 2000Building unity in diversity: Social movement activism in the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign , Sophie Oldfield & Kristian Stokke, 2004, p.13 with the aim of fighting evictions, water cut-offs and poor health services, obtaining free electricity, securing decent housing, and opposing police brutality.Re-launch of the Western Cape AEC focuses on a renewed coordinated fight against evictions, water cutoffs, electricity cutoffs and for decent housing for all!, Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, 6 December 2010What's the Deal With the Toyi-Toyi?, Lisa Nevitt, Cape Town Magazine, September 2010On the Other Side of the Mountain, Niren Tolsi, Mail & Guardian, 23 December 2010Housing battles in post-Apartheid South Africa: The Case of Mandela Park, Khayelitsha , by Martin Legassick, South African Labour Bulletin, 2003
The movement was the first of the first generation of so-called 'new social movements' to spring up after the end of apartheid and was known for its direct action style militancy, its refusal of all forms of vanguardism, including NGO (Non-Governmental Organisations) authoritarianism.South African Grassroots Movements Rebel Against NGO Authoritarianism, Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, Indymedia, 9 December 2007Rethinking Public Participation from Below , by Richard Pithouse, Critical Dialogue, 2006South Africa: A Revolution in Progress, Ceasefire, 9 January 2009 The movement sought to retain its autonomy from NGOsBuilding unity in diversity: Social movement activism in the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign , Sophie Oldfield & Kristian Stokke, 2004 and publicly refused to work with some local NGOsSouth African Grassroots Movements Rebel Against NGO Authoritarianism and insisted that the middle class left respect the autonomy of grassroots movements.
The AEC was a founding member of the Poor People's Alliance and, along with the other members of the alliance, refused all electoral politics and encouraged the development of popular power rather than voting for political parties.See the article 'Anti Eviction Campaign urges poor to boycott elections' by Aziz Hartley, Cape Times, 5 January 2009 Grassroots movements plan to boycott South African poll Ekklesia, 29 April 2009The DA's battle to buddy up to the everyman, Osiame Molefe, The Daily Maverick, 2 July 2012
The AEC mobilised against the 2008 xenophobic attacks in the areas where it was strong.Deal aims to stop xenophobia, VOCFM, 19 August 2009AEC and stakeholders in recent anti-xenophobia negotiations head to parliament today, Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, 24 August 2009Xenophobia still smoulders in Cape townships, Mandisi Majavu, Mail & Guardian, 19 June 2009
The AEC opposed evictions related to the FIFA 2010 World Cup.South Africans fight eviction for World Cup car park, Mohammed Allie. BBC News. 2 June 2010
Communities The AEC is currently an umbrella body for over 10 community organisations,About Us: Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign crisis committees, and concerned residents movements who have come together to organise and demand their rights to basic services.Anti-eviction in South Africa The organisations that make up the AEC include but are not limited to:
Tafelsig Mitchell's Plain Blikkiesdorp Informal Committee (Delft)Cape Town Administration Violates the Rights of the Poor, Carmen Ludwig, All Africa, 27 October 2011 The Crossroads Anti-Eviction Campaign (Nyanga) The Delft Integrated Network (Delft) The Eastridge Anti-Eviction Campaign (Mitchell's Plain) The Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign (Gugulethu) The Hanover Park Anti-Eviction Campaign (Hanover Park) The Mandela Park Backyarders (Khayelitsha) Newfields Village Community Representative Committee (Hanover Park) Nyanga East Anti-Eviction Campaign (Nyanga) The Symphony Way Anti-Eviction Campaign (Delft) The Woodridge Anti-Eviction Campaign (Mitchell's Plain) Zille-Raine Heights (Parkwood)
Affiliated movements and committees in the Western Cape: QQ Section Concerned Residents (Khayelitsha) Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape Sikhula Sonke Women Farmworkers Union Joe Slovo Liberative Residents (Langa) Hangberg Solution Seekers Association (Hout Bay) KTC Concerned Residents Movement (Nyanga) Mitchell’s Plain Concerned Hawkers and Traders Association (Mitchell's Plain) Gugulethu Informal Traders (Gugulethu) Gatesville Informal Traders Association (Athlone)
Coordinators
The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign had an umbrella structure with an executive committee of a chairperson, a vice chairperson, a secretary, a vice secretary, a treasurer, and five regional coordinators.Re-launch of the Western Cape AEC focuses on a renewed coordinated fight against evictions, water cutoffs, electricity cutoffs and for decent housing for all!, Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, 6 December 2010 Contact List, Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
Activities The AEC opposes evictions and water and electricity cut-offs on many different levels. Activities range from legal actions that challenge the constitutionality of evictions, to mass mobilisation and popular education initiatives, to organisation and capacity building programs. The movement has also confronted local gangs and in July 2012 one of its leading activists, Soraya Nordien, was murdered following threats from gang members.Helen Zille's Hopeless Handling of Cape Gang Violence, Anna Majavu, SACSIS, 13 July 2012
Campaigns Since its inception, the Anti-Eviction Campaign (AEC) has called for an end to all evictions and cut-offs of basic services in the Western Cape. In 2001, the AEC achieved a 6-month moratorium on all evictions in the Cape Town Unicity.Subjectivity, Politics and Neoliberalism in Post-apartheid Cape Town Even though the DA had declared the moratorium, illegal evictions continued.
The movement strongly supported the struggle for the Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers to resist forced removal to the notorious Blikkiesdorp transit camp and to demand access to decent housing.
No Land! No House! No Vote! is the name of a campaign by autonomous grassroots movements to boycott elections and reject party politics and vote banking in South Africa. In 2009, the Poor People's Alliance voted to boycott the national elections under the No Land! No House! No Vote! Banner.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was connected to a large number of evictions in South Africa which many claimed were meant to 'beautify the city'.South Africa's poor complain of evictions as country prepares to host World Cup , Sudarsan Raghavan, The Washington Post, 20 June 2010Le Monde Diplomatique The WC-AEC campaigned against all evictions caused by the event. The campaign's hotspots included the anti-gentrification issues in Gympie Street and other parts of Woodstock, the national N2 Gateway housing project and its evictions in Joe Slovo and Delft, Sea Point evictions, and evictions in Q-Town next to Athlone Stadium.
The movement is committed to opposing xenophobia and has been particularly active in this regard in Gugulethu'Xenophobia Still Smouldering' by Mandisi Majavu, IPS, 19 June 2009 where it has set up a forumGugulethu, traders to hold follow-up meeting, Cape Times, 7 July 2009 for these issues to be discussed. According to both the media'Xenophobic tensions in Gugulethu calm down', Anna Majavu, The Sowetan, 5 June 2009 and the local policeIndependent Online, 'You could see the anger in their eyes', Caryn Dolley, 15 June 2009 the forum has had considerable success in reducing xenophobic hostility. However the movement's anti-xenophobic work has cost it some popular support and resulted in an arson attack on one of the movement's leaders.Chance, K. (2010) The Work of violence:a timeline of armed attacks at Kennedy Road. School of Development Studies Research Report, 83, July 2010.
The movement produces its own media.Social Movement Media in Post-Apartheid South Africa, by Wendy Willems,Encyclopaedia of Social Movement Media (Ed. John D. H. Downing, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 2011)
Poor People's Alliance In September 2008 the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, together with Abahlali baseMjondolo, the Landless People's Movement and the Rural Network (Abahlali baseplasini) formed the Poor People's Alliance.The Struggle for Land & Housing in Post-Apartheid South Africa by Toussaint Losier, Left Turn, January 2009'Participatory Society: Urban Space & Freedom', by Chris Spannos, Z-Net, 29 May 2009 The poor people's alliance refused electoral politics under the banner 'No Land! No House! No Vote!'.The alliance, and its position on electoral politics, is mentioned in the speech by S'bu Zikode at http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415682.html It has been reported that "Nearly 75% of South Africans aged 20-29 did not vote in the 2011 [local government] elections" and that "South Africans in that age group were more likely to have taken part in (sic) violent street protests against the local ANC than to have voted for the ruling party".Deep Read: 'Born free' voters may not choose ANC, JON HERSKOVITZ, Mail & Guardian, 29 January 2013
Influence
Take Back the LandTake Back the Land in South Africa in Miami and the Chicago Anti-Eviction CampaignChicago Anti-Eviction CampaignFear and loathing in Obamaland, Niren Tolsi,Mail & Guardian, 23 December 2010February "Rent Party" Fundraiser for Freedom, Chicago Anti-Eviction CampaignThe Death and Life of Chicago By BEN AUSTEN, The New York Times, 29 May 2013 have both stated that their work is inspired by that of the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign. The Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign has used the slogan 'No House No Vote'.Chicago Communities Demand Eviction Moratorium , by MILES KAMPF-LASSIN, In these Times, 10 August 2012
See also Abahlali baseMjondolo in South Africa Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee in India EZLN in Mexico Fanmi Lavalas in Haiti Homeless Workers' Movement in Brazil Movement for Justice en el Barrio in the United States of America (USA) Narmada Bachao Andolan in India Take Back the Land in the USA
Notes
Films and Books Kleider, Alexander (Director) and Michel, Daniela (Director). (2009). When the Mountain Meets its Shadow [Documentary]. Germany: DOK-WERK film cooperative. No Land! No House! No Vote! Voices from Symphony Way, by the Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers (2011) Tin Town – Documentary
External links Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Twitter page Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Facebook Page Khayelitsha Struggles Oukloof forced removals in the Western Cape of South Africa – A community web site documenting the known history of the forced removal of the residents of Oukloof in the 1960s