the paper will deal with the -...
TRANSCRIPT
Dpj. ~1 -rxDI%1L ~X%FXC 1DdP1EP1r DLx'dpeD ~1 LJD ~TIDIL ..3EP.1E~~L COP'1Q~EB ~ - i. ro ~w ii~~cw x~~i
I ~T~DDIJC1 I DI1
The unbanning of popular politicaI movements and thepossibility of a politicaI solution to the problems createdby decades of racist rule have thrust the civic movement in
rica into a position of great significance . TheSouth Af~entative moves towards rebuilding civic organisation in1987/G, after its decimation by Lhe atates of emergency,inreased in momentum after the struggles of our peopleforced the government to createrelatively less oppressive than before . The period oftransition to a democratic, non-racial,non-sexist and
S .Africa is a crucial period for the civic movementunitaryit affords the movement an opportunity to grow andconsolidate . However, it also exposes the movement tonumerous dangers .
This paper will attempt to examine some of these challengesand dangers and also to sugge~t a way forward for the civicmovement . The paper is meant to form a basis forconstrLctive debate and di~cussion during commissions atthis congress
The paper will deal with the following :
: Role of UDF in building the civic movement .* Role of civic movement in transition period and in a
post-apartheid period .Organisational structure and composition of civics .ChaIlen~es facingWay forward .Conclusion~
~Q*_._ ~~ LJD ~ I mo ~LJ I ID I f4 ~ T4 ~ C I %? I C P1Ow~M~NT
Delegates at this congress are aware that most civicassociations in the country have been affiliates of the UDFSince its ~ormation . However, the UDF had not been directlyinvoIved in the building of the civic movement~ Theunbanning of the ANC on 2 February 1990 put the ANC in itsrightful place as the political centre in S .Africa~ The UDFsimuItaneously identified its major role, in the light ofthe unbanning of the ANC~ to be that of facilitating thebuilding, consolidation and co-ordination of the civicmovement . The NEC mandated the employment of a NationalCivic Co-Ordinator and meetings of civics were initiated inthe different regionssbegun as far back
and we trust it
will enrich such interaction .
c ~ Vi
Z n
strengthened such initiatives .
c movement .
a political climate that
some regions, such meetings hadas 1987 and the decision by the UDF
is
Since
j_ n
each:onference
such a
n~svisi :ed •l lstruc :ures,regionaI
Eastern CapeBorderSouthern
aooointmentt the
In
the regionswith a view
OFS
within the civicconditions at that
history . However
Ma~ionaland had
* Southern and Western Transvaal* Northern TransvaaI*~*
Civmeetings wi
~o-Ordina~or has+- h
A regional structure will be launched inTransvaal on the 8/10 March and interimthe Western Cape and Nortehern Cape . Structuresbe formed in Transkei and Natal~ The Natal regionpresented particularly serious problems with di
the southern part and the midlands . This is
zv~cto faciIitating the launch of
structures . This process has resulted in regstructures being launched in the following regions :
the Easterncommittees
must stillhas- -~~er~ng views
furthercomplicated by the existence of more than one^interimregional structure and the problems around violence
A meeting of civic representatives from al l the regions wasconvened by the UDF in November last year to discuss localgovernment ini~iatives in the regions . This meeting mandatedthe UDF to convene a planning committee of one person from
region to work towards a National Consultative
~ona~
exist in
.
.
April this year . This planning commiLtee metand mandated an interim committee, as wel l as a core groupto plan the conference . It is envisaged that a launch ofNational Civ1c body could take place in July/August thisyear .
As regional structures are launched , such structures havebecome independent of the UDF and are accountable to thelocal civic associations affiliated to the regional
structure~ The proposed national body will thus beindependent of the UDF .
~~O' C I 'd mC
I 14 T*ri I r z 0P4 ~~I D ~P1D 2 NmrI-4~mum
I 00.
We must, before looking at the role of the civic movementsuggest our understanding of the nature of a civicmovement .The history of the civic movement in S .Africa hasbeen closely .alligned to that of the ANC . The banning of theANC left our people without a central political organisationinternally . Civic associations, with their grass-rootsstructures, ~ere
ideally suited to taking up the cudgels ofpolitical campaigns and thus became politicsed . Since the
`
a
major poIi±ical players were congress activi3ts , the civicmovement developed a congreas leaning . This development
movement was a result of objectivetime and the movement must
, the nature of a civishould be that of .a broad-based grass-roots
be proud ofmovement
"
.
movement within
which
Civic
ALL res~dents can
associations are,political organisat~ons .
The unbanning of the ANC has created the space andconditions for civic associations to begin to play theirrightful role ; that of organising and representing residentsaround civic issues and improving the quality of life of ourpeople .
The role of the civic movement is the subject of debate
find a home,poIi~icaI affilia~ion or lack of pol
irresoective oiticaI affiIiat
in this way, different from
~ion .
within our structures . There are two main streamsthought :
.* that civic associations must build themselves
of
asindependent structures representing all residents
~ that civic structures must collapse and the ANC shouldtake over the task of addressing the civic issues andproblems of our people
The majority of regions appear to be crystaIising theirdebate around the first alternative and are thus alsodebating the role of the civic movement in a post-apartheidS .Africa . There appears to be general concensus that thecivic movement must continue to exist in a democratic, non-racial S .Africa . In all likelihood, local government wiII beelected on a party-political basis and civic associationswould still be able to represent residents across thepolitical spectrum . It is also highly unlikely that anyfuture government will be able to deliver ALL the needs othe people, particularly when one considers the legacy ofapartheid, and civic associations could represent residentin interaction with local government . The civic movementwould thus be a "watchdog" on local government to ensuredemocracy, representivity and accountability .
or'1 I ~~T I QPw~L
TIJCVLJ
~CDP1~D ~I -T mmmP4 OP C I"wmC~
The essential characteristic of a civic association is itsbroad mass base . This necessitates strong grass-rootsstructures that enable the participation of residents . Suchstructures must be close to where residents stay . Thus,street committees, flat committees and other such structuresare an essential feature of civic organisation . Stronggrass-roots structures and broad representivity have becomevery crucial in the present political contextS Theopposition of the civic movement to "puppet " structuresestablished by government is being challenged by questionsrelating to representivity of civic associations . It is thusof paramount importance that we are strong on the ground .This form of structure also facilitates the development ofleadership ; something that is crucial in building a newS .Africa . Regional structures could be federal in nature, ascould be the n~tionaI structure . Such con3oIidation and cc-ordination must, howe~er, ensure that struggle is not
s
emovedmus :
civic
it=+c
. o
C 1 vI c
Such
ommunity .
;n ore
put
be .
to 3d0ress
from h K~
The composition ofearlier in this paperr
Iocal
c_ ``'
on the part of civIc leader~hioroanisations to include ALL
o~ oolitical affiliation ..difficult process, g~ven
movement . HoweverThe broadening of the mass baseus a real potential to unify
unity is crucial in Ouriberation for all
it must not be missed,
may also be possible for civic associations to developructured relationships with other organisatIons in the
These could be burial societies,bodies, student structures and ~o on . There couldrepresentation from 3uch bc:die~thus enabling the civic tocommunity .
c-~~L_Er4eEB
I PO C IS.' mm: mO~EIlEPr .
The prospect of a polit~cal solution to the apartheid andoppression problem have
forcing ~he s~ate to
There aooears
our people and the opportunity to achie
reated new conditions forThe initiative of the ANC in beginning taIks with the
associ~tions
r~p
w
~
Thi . wilI
the
incorporate
government and the proposed Mul±i-Party Conference couldlead to the beginning of negotiationsparties . It ~s debatable as to whethertransition ; but there can be no doubtthe liberation of our people than at any time in the horof the struggles of the oppres3ed~ The vi5ion of the newS .Africa presents the civic movement with exciting anddifficult challenges .
The first challenge is that of making theprimarily "protest/boycott" tacticsand a development andaccent perhaps on thethe effectiveneE s of
reconstructlat :er
destroy apartheid . We now have toapartheid has destroyed .
to
or
1 onNo booy
~I v
to
story ofan ideal
broaden theresidentsobvious
sys~ems, propose formulae for determinin~forward viable solutions to ~he housing
s~ro~oes~ struct'~re
has been referredbe a ;jenuine attempt
,
development of ±hk2we must
oppressed in our
bet weenwe ar2
that we
perspec±ive °can : e Ln doubt
begin rebuilding
equatable health systems, study alternat
the crLsis in education . These are
mass base oirrespective
a slow and
rive fo'ructures offere
country .on~;oing struggle to w .
s±okvels,be
onto the civic associationI sectors of a
shift from
w±
n GENUINE
strug I~e .
var . ous
spor~s
in a period ofare closer ±o
a mix between this
abou~mass struggle and its crucial role nthe table . It must also be emphasised
that mass struggle must continue ° and be intensfed untilapartheid is totally abolished and a climate conducive tonegotiat~ons is created~ However, it is no longer enough to
wnatThis means the civic mo'iement has
formulate alternative forms of local qovernmenc,
"~fzve transportfordabiIity",risis and
. ome
T
r ropose
`
beginkey
is~ues that civics mus~more . 4e have ±o addres3 these In a manner
The second chal
associations
that we do not take
because a future democratic
are
Ien~e
oeg~n to
:ommunity participation ~lI tne
apartheid, while concentrating on improvingconditions of our people . It ~s crucial for the civicmovement to begin addressing these development
crises . Addressing them now will thus reducefuture peoples' government .
is that of empoweringmovement to wage the struggle on different
increasingly
them daily .
The fifth challengeon the ground ~n changedown to improve the lives of the ma~orit''
and
address ;
t~me . We aIsoresponsibility for the problems of
the
theterrains . Civic
have
government will inherit thesethe
becoming involved innegotiations with local and regional government
Cs
skills and training ; but also a misconceipotential dangers . Many civic structures
~
~re many
.,
living
I ssues
l
Such
or a
negotiations offer us the opportunity to make substantialgains for our people, particularly
ensure
around ±ssues that affectHowever, this terra~n of struggleaIso exposes
the civic movement to dangers . The state is verysophisticated in negotiation tactihave also been successful in adapting toparticularly at regional level . Most o~ our civics have notadapted at aIl . The reasons for this are
and e:pert~se . Theythe new conditions"
primarily a lack ofved reaction to thebelieve e should
refrain from local or regional negotiationa because ~f thedangers ; instead of addressing our organisational strategiesto enable us to minimise the dangers while using thisterrain of struggle to make substantial gains . We need tocareful that the state does not get too far ahead of usbefore we address this misconception .
The third challenge facing the civic movement is theeducation, training and empowerment of our people . Theremoval of apartheid from the statute books ~ill mean verylittle if the present power relationships remain . Such powerrelationships will remain if we do not empower our people toplay a central role in governing a new S .Africa . Thisinvolves empowmrment in a wide range of . areas ; includinglocal government, health, transport, public administrationhousing and development and so on .
The fourth challenge facing the civic movement is toestablish its independence from political organls .ations andgovernment . This entails opening its doors to ALL residentsand actively encouraging membership .
is to ensure the participato ensure thai
be
ton of peoplechanqe fiIters-
Our
.
countr7 .
Other challenges include developing innovative ways tooncourage community involvement in deveIopment
these is the Community Trust Fund in the SPD agreementExampIes
and
--
t~~ "~D~I.4~PD
How do we
We offer the following suggestions for debate :
*
,
w
: :. ~mu` ..~=
this paper?
be
_•i ijc .`~`ra~strategies
Fhis entails the
Such
communi~ies toincluda issues~-~gram~esnew czuntry .
T~e~=_
prepa_~~ _
D n
.
de~- te%_ ec' s •i ve
itseIf
rs
the :ivic
C 1: her
,~~/ 'oint-v~nture wi L h PUTC~-surr
begin
lycontrol
promotes the. We must
disciplined and
res~gnation
iciency is aIso an ~mportant chal1enqea
mee~
through A{
some of the c)aIlenges referred to
,
.
.
.
.
.
.in . .,~eaoersnLp musr beg
~o concex ~ua~~se~~se the Currentconjuncture and develop
civ1c movement . JointcruciaI if we are.± IocaI Ievel .We must continuearound specific
new tactics andto ensure that the interests of our
central to any change that takes place.urgent empowerment of
able to take charge of different terr~ins ofempowerment can be through workshops, conferences,
courses and actual involvement in negotiations .The planning with service organisations, ofto enable civic associat1onS to empower people
±o enable
development oficuI .rlv wL+:hin~I neet1nqs and neqotiations
no,
peopIe
a culture of pIeadership st
to participate ac±ivel
I anning
c1vzc
z~ures^'+ L. ~ . .~
people
leaderahip
p r o g r a mmestn our
begin to cnange their perspeCte toof -econstruction . This must also enta
/
. We oft~~
:omposition, as weIl as its future . Howevershould not be indefinite . We must begin to act
to ensure that we direct initiatives and begin~he pace of change .
move
are
struggle
~ Iin a
ang ~repara~zon
. nust facilitate debate around 1ts rolethe
.
,
* The most crucial tssk for the civic movement is to looky . The days of rhetoric only are gone and
we now have to prove our support . The civic movement isvery weak in many areas and we tend to gloss over suchweaknesses . We must intensify our organisation at grass-root level and build street committees, flat committeesand other structures on the ground . This requires hardwork and we need to put our shoulders to the wheel toachieve this . In the process of intenszfy~ng efforts tobuild strong grass-root atructures, we must ensure that
movement adheres to democratic traditions and
crit icall
leadership ofhasten our efforts
to
i- o
intensify mass struggleareas . Such mass strugg1e must
must strengthenThe cam paign
productive andterrains of strugg1ee
residenta .of consolidating
atrateqies and COtake the high ground n the struggle
of BLA's and MANCOMMSS must
cordt henation are
be totallour
i- or ~neontinue and
hand
we
.
.
.
y
need to intensify the land occupation campaign .
* The civic movement must begin a process to ensure debateamong residents of crucial politicaI issues that willaffect their lives . These include the talks,government, constituent assembly, the economy,
caiici_.ita x ori
This paper has attempted to cover some of the keyconfronting the civic movement today . The paper doesdeem to be exhaustive and many issues have not been raised .
The objective of the input is to provide delegates with abroad overview of the civic movement in order to enrichdiscussion in commissions .
°We would suggest that the civic movement is one of the mostcrucial sectors within the democratic community and thiscongress must give vital guidance to thee sector .
We conclude by suggesting the following key aspects fordiscussion and debate :
* Role of the civic movement in development .* Role of civic movement in post-apartheid S .Africa .* Response of civic movement to local initi at ives of the
government .* How to strengthen the civic movement at grass-roots and
to broaden* Should the
*
its mass base to include
organisations and government?What are the educational priorities for themovement and how should these he achieve~c
ALL
interimetc .
- : ~L
residents .
not
civic movement be independent of :oli~icz.