This week has opened with furious defensive statements from the ANC Youth League against the weekend’s media reports about the lavish lifestyle of its president and the millions he has made from tenders awarded to companies he has interests in. Our response to this news cannot just be of disgust at the self-enrichment of those individuals in positions of political influence. Neither can our response be plaintive calls for public officials to account for the vanishing funds. Instead, we can only resist the underdevelopment of poor communities that this culture of greed is causing. These are called protests against the lack of service delivery. But more than that, these are protests against the corruption of development projects opened by privatisation and pursued by the tenderpreneur class. The tendering system to deliver services is only empowering a few at the expense of community upliftment.
THERE IS NO PEACE WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT
More than 1500 residents organised by the Orange Farm Water Crisis Committee took to the streets in the early hours of Monday morning, 12 May 2008, to blockade traffic on the Golden Highway. Police opened fire with rubber bullets injuring at least seven demonstrators
PRESS RELEASE (FRIDAY 6TH AUGUST 2004)
TO BE HELD AT THE ITOSENG WOMEN’S PROJECT CENTRE (4602 DRIEZEK Ext.1, ORANGE FARM) FROM 9H00 - 14H30 ON MONDAY 9TH AUGUST
PRESS RELEASE (MONDAY 5th JULY 2004)
THREE FAMILY MEMBERS DEAD AND ONE CRITICALLY INJURED IN ORANGE FARM FIRE AS A DIRECT RESULT OF 4-DAY ELECTRICTY AND WATER SHUT DOWN
ESKOM AND JOHANNESBURG WATER SHOW CALLOUS DISREGARD FOR THE LIVES OF THE POOR - THEY MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE!
FUNERAL TO BE HELD TOMORROW (TUESDAY) AT THE MWANGA FAMILY’S BURNT-OUT HOME (HOUSE NO.7781 - EXT.3)
PRESS STATEMENT, FRIDAY JANUARY 21, 2004
ILLEGAL AND INHUMANE ESKOM CUT-OFFS IN ORANGE FARM SPUR COMMUNITY PROTEST
ESKOM SUBCONTRACTORS SOLICITING BRIBES FOR THE ’FAVOUR’ OF SPARING HOMES FROM CUT-OFFS
MARCH TO TAKE PLACE THIS MORNING TO ESKOM OFFICES (IN PALM SPRINGS) TO DEMAND RIGHT TO ELECTRICITY THROUGH ACCOUNTABLE, PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY
"It is not easy to stand up for your rights today." Philemon Tjeba, Orange Farm Water Crisis Committee (OWCC). This is something that activists in townships in South Africa are learning quickly as another active member of the OWCC has been the target of an orchestrated shooting. On 20 October 2003, at 8 in the evening, Alice Ngubane and her family heard shots being fired as they sat quietly in the darkness of their shack - their electricity had been cut off. They assumed that the shots were coming from outside and moved towards the windows to try to see what was happening. The shots were being fired through the windows by 3 young men. A few seconds later Alice felt a sharp pain in her breast - she had been shot, the bullet had entered and exited her body. Her grandson too had been shot. Her husband, daughter and second grandchild were unharmed.
en APF affilitates Orange Farm Water Crisis Committee - OWCC ?
Site created with SPIP 2.0.9 + AHUNTSIC