South Africa
Evictions and resistance in Western Cape Town
1600 residents of Delft, Cape Town gathered on Monday in a mass meeting to organise resistance against the eviction of 2000 of Cape Town's poorest families.
Organised with Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, the residents have been occupying the homes, demanding a right to adequate housing, and have vowed to peacefully resist any attempts at being evicted. If the eviction is successful, 8,000 residents with no alternative accommodation will be thrown onto the streets.
South Africa: Miners hold one-day strike
The National Union of Mineworkers called out its 270,000 members on Tuesday in protest at the poor level of safety in South African mines.
The NUM launched the one-day strike to put pressure on mining companies, who they say aren't doing enough to guarantee the safety of miners. The strike, which also included a massive demonstration of 40,000 miners in Johannesburg, brought production to a complete halt, with no gold being extracted at all on Tuesday.
South Africa: death at housing demonstration
A protester was accidentally killed during clashes between police and Soweto residents demanding improved housing conditions.
Almost twenty years after the end of Apartheid and thirteen years after the election of the ANC residents of the township of Soweto feel they have been left behind. Promises of wealth sharing have proved hollow, with any redistribution of assets seeming to end up in the hands of the emergent black middle class.
Anarchism in South Africa - An interview with Michael Schmidt of the ZACF, 2007
The ZACF is one of the most active libertarian formations in the southern part of the African continent. In order to better understand its history, its intervention in southern African society and the fights which it impels and supports, AL interviewed one of its militants, Michael Schmidt.
Anarchism in South Africa
An interview with Michael Schmidt of the ZACF
by Alternative Libertaire
Alternative Libertaire: Could you tell briefly in which conditions/context and how Zabalaza, and then the ZACF, were built?
South Africa: diamond miners strike
Miners in South Africa voted on Friday to launch an unlimited strike.
Members of the National Union of Mineworkers were ballotted for strike action after the De Beers group refused their salary demands. A representative of the NUM announced that some 11000 mine-workers would join the strike.
South Africa: 260,000 workers on strike
Striking workers in the metal and engineering industries said yesterday it was time they got a slice of the profits that they worked so hard to create.
More than 9000 metal and engineering companies were affected by industrial action as 260000 workers took to the streets yesterday demanding a 10% increase for lower grade workers and 9percent for higher grade workers. Employers are offering between 7.3% and 7.8%.
South African unions call off massive strike
Unions have agreed to a government pay offer just 0.5% above inflation, describing it as "fantastic."
Nearly four weeks ago, with inflation running at around 7% and following several years of declining real wages, an indefinite strike began across the South African public sector involving hundreds of thousands of workers (libcom.org coverage 1 [url=http://libcom.org/news/south-africa-zacf-statement-support-publ
Strike Across The Empire, 1925 - Baruch Hirson and Lorraine Vivian
A fascinating and detailed account of a little known international seamens' strike in 1925, lasting over 100 days and spreading from Britain to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The strikers confronted the shared hostility of governments, employers and union leaders alike. The text also deals with how the racism prevalent in the labour movement affected the conduct and outcome of the strike.
"THIS IS A STRIKE that has vanished from history. In August 1925, the seamen of Britain, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand walked off their ships in protest against a ten per cent wage cut. It was one of the few genuinely international strikes, directed against a powerful international cartel. One would have expected it to be widely debated. Yet, newspaper coverage apart, history has largely been silent.
South Africa: ZACF statement of support for public sector strike
Statement of support by the Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation (southern Africa) for the public sector strikes which are currently sweeping South Africa.
ZACF Statement of Support for the Public Sector Strike
South Africa: ‘Massive’ strike spreads on 13th day
A nationwide public sector strike by hundreds of thousands of workers has shut down schools, courts and hospitals in a bitter dispute over pay that has seen the army deployed against pickets.
Today thousands of workers have joined one of the largest strikes in South African history. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) – which is a partner in the ANC government – has called for a one-day solidarity strike today from public and private sector workers as the ongoing pay dispute enters its 13th day.
