PONDOS AND Zulus are fighting a war with no win­ners in Natal. Scorched earth is all that’s left of the Umbogintwini squatter camp on the edge of KwaZulu. The tap that was shared by 40 000 people may still be there, but 100 people are dead, and 10 000 houses burnt down. And while the Pondos have fled, the land hunger, overcrowd­ing and unemployment these ‘foreigners’ were blamed for has not gone away.Before the faction fights, Pondos

living in M alakasi and U m bogintwini N o 5 w ere putting down roots. Some had bough t land 'from C hief N gw enya, and many were loyal m em bers o f Inkatha who helped “to resto re o rd e r” in U m lazi last A ugust.

They had been prom ised Kwazulu citizenship, and hoped this w ould end their influx contro l problem s.

But as rural poverty forced m ore and m ore people th e re , tensions arose. People com peted for land close to transport rou tes, for access to w ater and for jobs.But until D ecem ber last year, ten ­

sions betw een the established resi­dents and the new arrivals had not taken a tribal form.

The fighting started with a small incident in N ovem ber. A Pondo man molested a Z ulu w om an in

M alakasi squa tte r settlem ent. H e was stabbed by Z ulu men in tion , and then fighting b r o k ^ ^ betw een Pondos and Z ulus.T he Pondos lost the battle , and

w ere forced to leave their land and flee M alakasi, seeking refuge in nearby U m bogintw ini No 5. ’’Pondos are angry because m ost o f

them are m em bers o f Inkatha , and support B uthelezi, bu t this did not stop Z ulus w ho are also in Inkatha from burning their houses,” said a youth activist.

A Z ulu residen t o f U m bogintw ini N o 5 described to SA SPU N ational how events unfolded:

"A fte r the Pondos w ere chased from M alakasi, th ere w ere rum ours tha t the Z ulus w ere com ing to attack them at U m bogintw ini N o 5. T he Z ulus at N o 5 w eren’t sure w ho to side w ith.T hen the councillor got a le tte r

from the M alakasi Z ulus saying they w ould be com ing to attack the Pondos there . T he councillor show ed the le tte r to the Pondos liv­ing on his land.

”O n 24 D ecem ber, 500 Zulus advanced on N o 5, forcing Z ulu residents to jo in them . B ut they w ere ou tnum bered by Pondos, who they d idn ’t expect to be so well arm ed. They w ere driven back,

This w om an’s husband w as burnt to death

leaving seven dead mostly Zulus. T he police then arrived. ”O n C hristm as day the Pondos in N o 5 attacked the Z ulus living there , because they had jo ined the Z ulu attack the day before.

’’O ver 50 people d ied tha t day. T he police only arrived a t lunchtim e. Z ulu hom es w ere loo ted and burn t dow n, and we fled to the next door sq u a tte r settlem en t o f Kwa M akhuta.

’’T he reason why Pondos in N o 5 w ere p repared to fight so hard was to retain their land. T he Pondos in M alakasi had lost everything and they d idn’t w ant that to happen to th em ,’’the U m bogintw ini resident said.T hen C hief M akhanya announced

tha t all Pondos w ere there illegally and m ust leave. T his increased the Pondo ’s fear and anger because their land and security was now clearly at stake. B ut the Z ulus w ere equally afraid of losing the ir land and hom es."A n eye for an eye” becam e a m at­

te r o f honou r, and the ripple effect

was felt fa r beyond these squatter cam ps. A Pondo m an was killed at Isipingo S tation and bu rn t; a Z ulu m an from M gabheni was killed in re ta lia tion ; this sparked fighting th ere and Pondos w ere driven ou t. T he police charged Z ulus a t Kwa

M akhuta R10 to escort them to N o 5 to get th e ir belongings, bu t m ost hom es had been loo ted .”T he Z ulus felt insulted a t being

forced to flee by the Pondos, who they saw as foreigners in the a rea , and began arm ing them selves for a coun ter a ttack on N o 5.’’But Pondos got in first, and on the

23 January , they attacked Kwa M akhuta. 45 people w ere killed. M r M bongw e, M P from the Kwazulu Legislative A ssem bly, had his house attacked .”A t Kwa M akhu ta , w om en got

involved in the fighting for the first tim e.T hey drove the Pondo w om en o u t, and killed and b u rn t one w om an. T he Kwa M akhu ta Z ulus then decided to drive all Pondos right ou t of the a re a , and set o ff for

“ But before they got th e re , the police a rrested 533 Pondos on

charges o f public violence. T his left th e Pondo w om en o f No 5 w ithout p ro tection . T hey fled, and the w hole settlem en t was set a ligh t.” / B oth sides w ere b itte r abou t the lack o f police p ro tection . A youth activist w orking w ith th e local M agabheni Y outh O rganisation explained: ”T h e P on do’s believe the police are siding w ith the Z ulus— m ost are from th e Kwazulu D epartm en t o f Police.” /H e related th e even ts th a t followed: ’’T hat evening the Z ulus invaded G .J. C rooks, the local hosp ital, and kil­led tw o Pondo w orkers. Scores of patien ts w ere in ju red , and som e fled from th e hospital. / " A nurse, M rs M nam be, was raped before being killed by a m ob o f Zulus. T hey la te r b u rn t h e r house. N urses a t the nurses hom e have since left the a rea in fear o f th e ir lives. /’’T he next day Z ulu w orkers a t SA IC - C O R , the local chem ical factory, killed a Pondo w orker. T h e Pon­dos have fled. U m bogintw ini N o 5 is deserted , and Isipingo has becom e a no-go a rea for Pondos. M any have been forced to leave th e ir jobs.

Apartheid manipulates and entrenches tribal divisionmi# kofwMin ftio turn CTrrkiinc • f a r tm n fiotltc nil th e mil

The pattern or faction fighting at Umbogintwini Ls not new. Faction fights often happen w here there is social tension, where people are suf­fering and are com peting for limited resources.In this situation, it is easy to see

another group that also needs land, w ater, o r a job , as the “enem y” , rather than looking a t why there are not jobs for all, why 80% of the people are crowded onto 13% of the land, and why conditions a re so bad.The history of conflict over resources goes back some centuries, where wars were fought over land,

pow er and contro l. Hostility bet­ween groups lives on long a fter the battles a re over, and loses a direct relationship to the ir historical roots. They become p a rt o f racist and tribalistic attitudes.But aparthe id m ust take the blam e

for en trenching triba l division and racism . T ribal a ttitudes still m ake sense to people because apartheid entrenches a link between ethnicity and access to land , to jobs, to su rv i­val.

B antustan authorities rely on ethnic consciousness to legitimise the ir ’’independance” , and to b lu rr

issues of inequality and pow er. W hen faction fighting broke out

between villagers in the N orthern T ransvaal last year, the roots of the conflict clearly lay in the land ques­tion. B antustan authorities were m anipulating triba l ideology.At a m eeting, it was said th a t Shan-

gaan people were illegally occupying Pedi land , and villagers were encouraged to break down the fence erected by SA between Lebowa and G a/.ankulu.W hen the SA governm ent changed

the boundary I ''* " "“n the villages to the a d v a n ta tr <>t Lebowa, w ar

broke ou t between the two groups ■ the one desperate to relieve the over­crow ding in their a rea , the o ther desperate to defend their land. W hen A fricans w ere forced off

the ir land and into reserves by the colonial au thorities, they were allo­cated new land on an ethnic basis. M any chiefs accepted a salary based on how many followers they had , and crow ded m ore and m ore people onto the ir land to get a h igher sal­ary .In the M singa area in N atal, th is led

to huge overcrow ding, and conflict over boundaries and access to the Xi’" ”1" r’>ver.

Faction fights on the mines show how effectively apartheid still gener­ates tribalism in the schools and ban tustans. But they also show a conflict o f in terests on the mines that m ine m anagem ent has struc tu red along ethnic lines.O n som e m ines, all indunas a re

Zulus. They have power over the w orkers, who a re forced to live in tribally-segregated com pounds. A nger a t the induna m ay lead to w orkers defining Z ulu’s as the p rob ­lem , instead of the lack of dem oc­racy on the m ines, and the ir lack of control over w here they live, o r their conditions.

Pondos on the march - identified by white head- bands.

The build-up to the battles over Moutse began years ag1979. The Comm ission for C o-operation and Development

ZSSSEt r MoUtSe be takcn rrom Leb° wa and added toK w aN uibele. G overnm ent officials, Lebowa and Moutse chiefs m eet frequently . M outse people flatly reject incorpora-

oses a K w a N r i i ' T * ’ eb° Wa when Sovernm ent p rop ­oses a KwaNdebele hom eland, and placed under central = „ i)C ontro , Ra, im

th a ? a K iea,N H X ? h!,fLViSitS M ° U‘Se- A hostile crow d w ar" s A nril l Q ^ t N,J* le ' ° Ver w,n cause bloodshed.F eb ruary 1983^ r g ra "',ed ‘self g °verni" g ’ -^atus.

tn in ^ .H l i G° vf rnm en* to increase KwaNdebeleEkangafa WhiCh inC,Ude Ekundus‘ria and

*’ 83: Lebowa delegation meets K oornhof to discuss M outse. No agreem ent is reached.M ay, 1983:3 000 people, including local chiefs and headm en

m eet to reject M outse s rem oval. ’Ju ly , 1983: K oornhof says the M outse proposals will be

finalised. Lebowa C hief M inister Phatudi takes leeal action

talks. T ransfer of M outse delayed againNovember 1983: PW Botha and Phatud i visit M outse. W hen

L I! S I *' J,SpUle should be se,,led ^ tw e e n Lebowa and KwaNdebele, M outse people dem and a referendumD ecember 1983 - May 1984: T alks continue.O ctober 1984: G overnm ent announces tha t M outse will be

transferred to KwaNdebele.August 1985: Lebowa and M outse officials speak to PW

pX '.7 K»aS i are nna,istd: M'm'“ “ ■» b*“ ™

unan im ously 're jec t"in tw ^raU tm .6 3 mee‘' n8 in M ° UtSe

ssTiisar m"""ss b',”"n H™”b’ ««">“N ovem ber 11, 1985: H eunis asks fo r cooperation. Again

MOUTSE

KwaNdebele promised Pretoria it would be a ’well behaved bantus- tan\ So the SA govern­ment gave it Moutse as a reward. But their plans awakened flames of resistance that could threaten Apartheid con­trol to its very roots.T H E IN C O R P O R A T IO N of M outse into K w aN debele is backfiring on the SA governm ent.

‘By forcing the incorporation , the governm ent is m aking M outse ungovernable’, M outse activists told SA SPU N A T IO N A L .

‘The governm ent w hines about agita tors and instigators, but it is creating the trouble itself.

People said , if the governm ent wants peace, let it d rop the incorpo­ration. W hen it refused , people cam e to the conclusion the govern ­m ent is not com m itted to p eace .’

The incorporation has led to spon­taneous ou tbursts o f anger from M outse residen ts, especially the m ore m ilitant y o u th .

The SA governm ent is responsi­ble for the killings and the violence. They are forcing people to vent their anger in the only language the governm ent know s — violence’, say youth leaders.

M outse resistance to incorpora­tion is being spearheaded by two main groups.

O ne group is the governnjent- appointed tribal au thorities, chiefs, and ex-Lebow a M P’s. B efore 198o[ Lebow a ’governed’ M outse.T he o th e r is the mass based , p rog­

ressive organisations — village com m ittees and youth organisa­tions like the D ennilton and 1 'itvhigh Y outh Congresses. Dcvco and Uiyco.

Youth leaders say resistance to incorporation has politicised people and swelled the ranks of their organisations.Deyco leaders said when their

organisation was launched a t the beginning o f 1985, they d idn ’t see it as a political organisation . ‘But w hen incorporation cam e, when the police d isrup ted our m eetings and people w ere bea ten , killed and deta ined , we cou ldn ’t rem ain silent , said a D eyco m em ber. Since then D eyco has been actively cam ­paigning against the incorporation .

A s one M outse youth leader put it the ban tustans are m odern con­

cen tration cam ps crea ted by the SA governm ent.

T he progressive youth in M outse see their task as building popular organisations and peop le ’s pow er.They support the F reedom C harte r and are w orking tow ards a non- racial dem ocratic SA w here the people govern.

‘W hat is needed now is dem ocratic mass based organisations w here all the people p artic ip a te ’, they say.

A s a progressive organisation we are against a system o f being ruled by chiefs and tribal au thorities, K w aN debele o r L ebow a. W e d o n ’t

SASPU NATIONAL

Moutse incorporatioi

A meeting W * * „ „ uls. . and replae«a „ y popn„r „ g, „ is. tion,

recognise apartheid created institu tions’, says D eyco.

We are not fighting for M outse to go back to Lebowa.

‘Phatudi (Lebow a C hief M inister) and Skhosana (K w aN debele C hief M inister) a re P re to ria ’s servants. W e d o n ’t w ant P retoria to rule via its p iekaniens and boys in the ban- tu stans’.

D eyco feels Phatudi is trying to hijack resistance to the incorpora­tion to win support for the Lebowa bantustan .

Now D eyco is calling on two form er M outse m em bers o f the Lebow a Legislative A ssem bly, C heou and M atheb |« rfp renounce the ir links w ith X ? bowa and becom e part o f the f t l e ’s o rgani­sations.

Since the 1950 s, traditional rulers like chiefs and headm en were turned into cm p lo y eu ip f the ap ar­theid governm ent.’The chief has all tlfes<ower, there

is no dem ocracy. H e decides every­thing and chooses own council­lors. H e has a m onopoly over lan d ’, said a U iyco leader.

’T he chief says he needs ’fee t’. So m oney is collected from the people for him to buy a luxurious car.

People saw the chiefs w ere incom ­peten t to fight against the incorpo­ration . T he chief had been d em and­ing m oney from people. B ut they w ere getting noth ing for i t .’

’People w ere scared o f the chief till the em ergence o f peop le ’s com m it­tees and the youth congresses. A lot o f m yths abou t the chiefs and the tribal au thorities w ere blown in action , through mass village m eet­ings o r village congresses, a ttended by every person in the village’.A nd in U itvlugh, chiefs and tribal

au thorities have been replaced by popu lar village organisations. ’O ne chief threw his support behind the people and jo ined o u r m eetings’, says U iyco. A n o th e r im portan t developm ent has been the high p a r­ticipation of w om en. ’W hen the tr i­bal au thorities ru led , only men w ere allow ed to partic ipa te’.

T he youth organisations say one of the ir special tasks is still to do away

nueueie vicum or Moutse incorporation

with tribalism and the govern­m ent s divide and rule strategies, which they see as the cause o f the recent Pedi- N debele conflict.

’I t’s no t a m a tte r o f the N debele’s fighting the S o tho ’s’, said a M outse youth leader.

T he N othern Sothos (Pedis) have been in the M outse a rea for about 200 years. In the 1920’s some N debeles m oved in to the area. T oday m ost M outse residents are N orthern Sotho speaking.

when the

Som e M outse people w ere angry with the N debeles, saying ’we hosted the N debeles, and now they are turn ing into bosses’.T ensions becam e worse

K w aN debele vigilantes __Im bokodo - brutally a ttacked and k idnapped hundreds of M outse vil­lagers. T he villagers defended them selves and som e o f the vig­ilantes w ere killed. N debeles living in M outse w ere also attacked and som e left the area.

Y outh organisations called on the

people of M outse and the Ndebele people not to fight each o ther. T he enem y is not the N debele people or the Pedi people , the enem y is the apartheid system and the govern­m en t’. They said both groups were landless, denied political power and w ere oppressed and exploited by this system and should unite against it.

A nd at a recent funeral in the N tw ane section of M outse, an N debele chief, recognised by local N debele people as the traditional leader, spoke out against the incor­poration o f M outse into KwaN- debele.

H e said the people o f M outse gave the N debeles a place to stay many years ago, so how would not betray them now.Skhosana and the Im bokodo deal

viciously with any opposition , but there are still pockets o f progressive youth inside K waN debele.

Pam phlets w ere distributed in the K w aN debele ’capital’ Siyabuswa, condem ning Skhosana and saying he had no m andate from the N debele people to go for indepen­dence.

Som e N debele women protested against Skhosana in the streets, dem anding their husbands and fathers back from the Im bokodo.T he w om en said their men were

forcefully takcn from their homes and m ade to get drunk to go and fight people w ho did nothing wronn to them .

Y outh organisers claim some of these w om en w ere beaten up and the houses o f those opposed to Skhosana’s rule w ere stoned.

K w aN debele repression is w hat m any o f the M outse people hate m ost. T hey say the Im bokodo and the ir leaders are accountable to no- one.

’Independence’ for K waN debele la te r this year is on the cards. It prom ises to be as repressive as o th er bantustans. A nd if KwaN­debele can ’t cope , SA police and soldiers will be there . The people o f M outse have declared their determ ination to continue fighting the incorporation till the b itte r end The governm ent has left them with little choice.

Vk̂ _ ? I . the inCOfP°ration - move<* from Moutse after the KwaNdebele vigilante attack.

but still the government refused to heed warnings of bloodshed.

MOUTSE SASPU NATIONAL 17

Victim* ol the KwaNdebele Imbokodo. On New Year’s Day the Imbokodo attacked two Moutse villages and alledgedly kidnapped, tortured and assaulted hundreds of Moutse people.

Youth organise against KwandebelefH E YOUTH in the Nutficld area Moul sc have played a key role in mobilising villagers.The Uitvlught village youth

organised themselves and had an IYY meeting in early D ecem ber. A %cncs of mass village m eetings fol- kmed People strongly re jec ted the MCOfporation of M outse, saying Ihcy will suffer more under KwaN- debcleT he community was surprised .

They had never been told abou t these things before, and w ere happy to hear from the you th ’, an Uitvlugh Youth Congress leaders widBy the time the Youth Congress

"Nbeen

Mand paren ts’ com m ittees h- set up, ’the tribal authoriti clear they were being replac^ popu lar peop le ’s organisations’, he said.A t a rally for all the villages before

C hristm as, over 5000 people re jec ted the transfer to aN- debele with one voice.They resolved to form y o u tM r d

parents organisations in o ther vil­lages, and boycott anything con­nected to K w aN debele - docu­m ents, passes, pensions, schools and shops. These resolutions were also adop ted at o th e r rallies in diffe­ren t villages.In K eerom village, near U itvlugh,

clashes with police clim axed a t New Year.’It was a situation of hit and run,

and running battles betw een the police and the peop le’, said one youth organiser.Fighting continued the w hole day.

O ne policem an was beaten and dis­arm ed and a police van was burnt. Police w ithdrew all light vehicles from the area.The next day there w ere protest

m eetings in K eerom and K lopper. Villages set up a roadblock at

K eerom . They stopped a police van and chased the two policem en in it. A t the next village, K lopper, they

m et p eo p ’ burning from a m eet­ing. W o m t .^ * e d ‘Sebatakgom o!’

they saw the police shooting a t people

(a w ar cry) running and behind them .The two policem en w ere disarm ed

and killed villager died from bullet w i and two wereinjured.

M any villagers now ran into the bushes to h ide, expecting a backlash.

Security forces m oved in the next m orning with hippos, and placed the two villages under seige. A ccording to sta tem ents m ade by villagers, police raided house to

Conditions are killing the villagersMOUTSE V ILLA G ER S A R E FIGHTING more than incorpora­tion. In Uitvlugh village, poverty and starvation, terrible working and living conditions are som e of their worst enemies.People arc dying because w ater is

scarce- two water pum ps for about 3000 people. And one is usually broken.There are no sewerage services, no

maintenance of roads o r houses, no refuse removal and no local health services.Life expectancy is short and infants

arc dying.

U nem ploym ent is high. M ost w orkers in th e village are farm w orkers o r com m uters w orking in P retoria. These w orkers have to get up at 2.30 am to catch the bus. They re tu rn hom e at 10 a t night. A fter high busfares there is little left o f their low wages.T he farm w orkers are mostly

w om en and children. They earn R2 o r R1.50 for w orking from sunrise to sunset. They only get paid after six m onths. So they have to buy on credit from the expensive farm shops ow ned by their bosses. By the tim e they get paid there is little left

o f their wages.They are fetched in open trucks.

T he Y outh C ongress is dem anding tha t the farm w orkers be trans­ported in buses.O n som e farm s the w orkers live in

converted garages, stables o r even pig stys on the farms.W orkers get only one m eal a day -

pap served on the ground o r on m anure plastics, and black tea. T here are no washing o r toilet facilities for the w orkers. W orkers com e hom e after dark , only to face the problem of no w ater.f w orkers get hurt o r killed there is

no com pensation . T he farm er says he is no t responsible, they are no t registered.

C lassroom s are overcrow ded, w ith one unqualified teacher to 60 o r m ore studen ts in a class. M any children can ’t go to school because they can’t afford the school fees.

Principals and school com m ittees are accused o f swindling school fees and o th er m oney. T here is still co r­poral punishm ent, sexual harass­m ent o f fem ale studen ts and unfair expulsions. T he Y outh Congress is dem anding an end to these things.

house, and allegedly assaulted every person they cam e across.

Police took local cars so they w ould no t be identified. E veryone fled, som e running as much as 50km into the bushes. For three days they w ere trapped there w ithout food. B ut la te r the youth m anaged to smuggled som e in.Police roadblocks w ere set up all

over. O n the Sunday police came with a helicopter and ground force and raided the bushes. Some people w ere arrested , but most w ere still deep in the bushes.Now the police announced tha t the

C hief said people must com e ou t, and no-one would be hurt, arrested o r charged. Some believed this, and over a 100 w ere arrested when they cam e ou t. Now 16 people have been charged w ith m urdering the tw o policem en.

Y outh congress m em bers face con­stan t harassm ent. O ne leader’s house was shot at and burn t down. U itvlugh Y outh re turn ing from

M alebitsa in four buses w ere stop­ped by police in hippos and vans, and allegedly assaulted. M any were in jured and had to go to hospital. But the youth congress is de te r­

m ined to continue organising and urging youth in o th er villages to form youth and paren t structures. The local youth structures all over M outse hope to link up under the M outse Y outh C ongress

MouUe people reject incorporation.

November 24, 1985: Moutse vouth meet a t Chief M athebe’s kraal

.November 2K, 14X5: Teachers and principals in M outse told to vign forms transferring them to the KwaNdebele education departm ent, or lose Iheir jobs. They protest.

November 30, 1985: Report back on meeting with Heunis banned In Moutse 2. Meeting in Moutse 3 dispersed by police. After legal action, permission granted on condition tha t llrun is ' message is reported without discussion or questions.

December 5, 1985: Heunis says those who don’t want to be Incorporated ran move ‘voluntarily’ to Im m erpan and Salies- loot in l.ebowa.

December 15, 1985: Police d isrup t rally of more than 2000 people in Moutse 3. Police and youth clash. Residents threaten to take their children out of school if incorporation goes ahead.

December 22, 1985: O ver 5000 at a rally reject incorpora­tion. M pho M onageng shot dead , allegedly by police.

Decem ber 23 -29,1985: P rotest meetings in different villages resolve to boycott anything connected with KwaNdebele.

Decem ber 31, 1985: Youth and police clash in Keerom vil­lage. O ne policeman d isarm ed.

Jan u ary 1, 1986: A rm ed KwaNdebele vigilantes attack Moutse villagers in a daw n ra id . Seven vigilantes, two police­men and one villager are killed. Vigilantes k idnap , assault and to r tu re about 300 villagers. Affidavits la ter say KwaN-debele C hief M inister Skhosana and In terio r M inister Ntuli were involved. M any people flee to nearby hills. Two people die, m ore than 100 hospitalised.

Protest meetings in Keerom and K lopper. Two policemen are killed.

Jan u ary 2, 1986: Keerom and Klopp and SADF siege.

os under p ;jv»-

Jan u ary 3, 1986: Police fire teargas a t funeral o f M pho M onageng, attended by 7000 m ourners.A Dennilton m an is killed when police fire b irdshot and

tearsm oke to break up a meeting. 16 people arrested after pet­rol bomb throw n a t police vehicle.January 5 , 1986: Seige ends. 89 a rrested . 16 charged with the

m u rd er of two policemen.

Jan u ary 6, 1986: Police fire a t people stoning vehicle. O ne m an killed, two w ounded. Official death toll now 11, unoffi­cial, 22.

Jan u ary 9, 1986: M outse teachers refuse transfer to K w an­debele.

Jan u a ry 13, 1986: S tudents in m any a reas boycott classes. Heavy police presence continues. Villagers in M outse district continue their general boycott o f Kwandebele.

F ebruary C lashes with police and resistance to incor­poration inleiisifies. M any M outse youth on public violencecharges.

On Bantustan Education

This conference notes:1.the imminent forced incorporation into the KwaNdebele bantustan of thousands of South Africans in the Moutse district against their will.2. the fact that Moutse teachers are being forced to sign contracts with the KwaNdebele education authorities upon pain of dismissal or transfer from their schools.Therefore:1.condemn this forced incorporation and the victimisation of teachers in Moutse who oppose it.2.resolve to struggle against bantustan education departments and to support teachers in tbeir struggle against these agentsof apartheid.

On Statuatory School CommitteesThis conference notes:

that statuatory parents’ committees at schools are agents of the state and carry out the work of the oppressive, apar­theid education system throughout South Africa.Therefore resolves that:1.Parents should not be members of statuatory parents committees at schools.2. Progressive parent-teacher-student structures be formed at all schools so thata)parents, teachers and students can come to understand each other’s demands and problems.b)interaction can take place between different schools to develop the educa­tion struggle to higher levels.

On the Role of Teachers

This conference resolves that:1. teachers should work actively with students towards the formation of democratically elected SRCs.2. teachers should work closely wtih stu­dents and parents in dealing with the current education crisis.3.teachers should become involved in community struggles and help set up PTA’s in all schools.4.education programmes for teachers

w h ich b r in g o u t th e Tiistory o f p ro g re s ­sive tc a c h e r 's s tru g g le s , th e ro le o f te a c h e rs in th e c o m m u ijB ^ a n d th e ro le of te a c h e rs should be c^ocfcS ted .5.teachers should w<j{^ unify all teachers in a s in g * progressive teachers body.6.meetings of teachers should be called in all areas to give student and parent organisations an opportunity to address them on the education crisis.

On DetentionsWe call for the immediate and uncondi­

tional release of all students, parents and teachers detained in their struggle for people’s education in our land.

On school FeesThis conference notes:1 .that there is increasing retrenchment of workers, who are in turn the parents of our students.2.that the oppressed people of our land bear the brunt of the economic crisis3.that national resources should be geared towards the education of our people instead of towards the SADF occupying our townships.Therefore resolves that:

parents should refuse to pay school fees in 1986.

On TextbooksThis conference demands:

the provision of free text books and other educational materials for our stu­dents in all schools.

On Student Organisation

This conference notes:1.that the banning of Cosas is an attack by the state on student organisation, unity and mobilisation.2.that the struggle for a unitary, non- racial, democratic education is an integ­ral part of the struggle for a unitary, non- racial and democratic society, free of oppression and exploitation.3.that the struggle for democratic SRC’s is an essential part of the democratic struggle within the schools.Therefore resolves:l.to intensify the campaign to unban Cosas. __

2 .to im p le m e n t d e m o c ra tic a lly e le c te dS R C 's in all sch o o ls a n d te r t ia ry in s titu ­tio n s .3.to forge close links between student, worker and community organisations and to co-ordinate action in these diffe­rent areas.4.to strive to establish regional and national co-ordination in the student struggle.5.to strive to co-ordinate campaigns to publicise the legitimate, democratic demands of students.6.to efideavour to take the struggle for a non-racial, democratic South Africa into every school and hcnce into every home.7.to seek consciously to break down artificially created racial barriers.8.to encourage the different student organisations to unite in action.

On the Formation of National Parents Crisis Committee

This conference notes:1.the good work done by the SPCC and in particular the calling of this consulta­tive conference.Therefore resolves that:

three members of the SPCC together with one regional representative from each of the following areas: Natal, OFS, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Border, Transvaal, constitute themselves into an ad-hoc Committee to form a National Parents Crisis Commit­tee that will liase and work with local and regional organisations in the implementation of the decisions of this conference.

On People’s Education 1

This conference notes that Apartheid educationl.is totally unacceptable to the oppres­sed people2.divides people into classes and ethnic groups3.is essentially a means of control to produce subservient, docile people 4.indoctrinates and domesticates 5.is entended to entrench Apartheid and CapitalismTherefore we resolve to actively strive

for people’s education as the new form of education for all sections of our people, declaring that people’s educa­

t io n is e d u c a tio n th a t:1 .en a b le s th e o p p re s se d to u n d e rs ta n d th e ev ils o f th e A p a r th e id sy stem an d p r e j j ^ e ^ th e m fo r p a rtic ip a tio n in a n f ^ ~ •', d e m o c ra tic s y s te m .2.4Mk. .es capitalist norms of compet­ition, individualism and stunted intel­lectual development and one that encourages collective input and active participation by all, as well as stimulat­ing critical thinking and analysis.3.eliminates illiteracy, ignorance and exploitation of any person by another4.equips and trains all sectors of our people to participate actively and crea­tively in the struggle to attain people’s power in order to establish a non-racial democratic South Africa.5.allows students, parents, teachcrs and workers to be mobilised into approp­riate organisational structures which enable them to enhance the struggle for people’s power and to participate actively in the initiation and manage­ment of people’s education in all its forms.6.enables workers to resist exploitation and oppression at their work place.

On People’s Education 2

This conference notes that the implementation of programmes to pro­mote people’s education is an urgent matter.Believing that:1.all student-teacher-parent and com­munity based organisations must work vigorously and energetically to promote people’s education2.all programmes must enhance the organisation of all sections of our people wherever they may be3.the programmes must encourage criti­cal and creative thinking and working methods4.the programmes must promote the correct values of democracy, non­racialism, collective work and active participation.Hereby resolves:

1 .that the recommendations of the com­mission on people’s education be refer­red to the incoming committee for use as a guideline for the formulation of prog­rammes to promote people’s education at all levels.2.that all local, regional and national structures mobilise the necessary human and material resources in the first instance from within the com­munities and regions and then from other sources.

SPCC

\

^ SASPU NATIONAL 18

On School Attendance in 86

This national consultative conference, having considered in detail the question of whether students of the oppressed and exploited people of South Africa should return to school and if so, under what conditions.

1.commends the students and their organisations for the principled and courageous manner in which they have conducted the struggle against racist, inferior and ethnic education.2.salutes the heroic sacrifices made by our students throughout the country3.acknowledges that the boycott cam­paign has resulted in fundamental polit­ical, organisational and educational gains in spite of many problems experi­enced by students, and that it has also helped to raise the level of conscious­ness and organisation of other sectors of the oppressed and exploited people. Therefore resolves1.to call on all students to return to school on the 28 January 1986 (through­out the country)2.that unless the following demands are met before the end of March 1986, another conference shall be convened to consider what action to take:a.the erection of school buildings

where such buildings have been partly or completely damagedb.the postponement of all examina­

tions until March 1986c.the release of all students and

teachers in detentiond.the reinstatement of all dismissed,

forcibly transferred or suspended teacherse.the withdrawal of the SADF and SAP

from our townships and soldiers from our schoolsf.the unbanning of Cosasg.the recognition of democratically

elected SRC’sh.the lifting of the State of Emergency

in all parts of the country.3.to call on all relevant student, teacher and parent organisations to continue the struggle fora.the immediate abolition of corporal

punishment in all schoolsb.controls to prevent the sexual harass­

ment of female studentsc.the abolition of all forms of racist

educationd.the implementation of people’s edu­

cation in our schools4.to recommend to all democratic organisations to exhort students to return to the above conditions.

‘PEOPLE’S EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE S POWER*

LOUD ANDCLEAR....The Resolutions from the National Consultative Conference o

SASPU NATIONAL 19

The breakdown of ideological .ontrol in the schools is a key part of the education crisis.

Blit the education system has also ailed to adapt to the changing

needs of the econom y. It is not p ro ­ducing enough school- leavers who can read, write and do basic m aths, let alone enough skilled m atricul­ants to meet the changing needs of industry.

This is a disaster for many sectors of capital.O ver the last decade, workers lave increasingly been replaced nth machines, to increase produc- ivity. M anagem ent hopes to make iorc profits by producing more i h h I s , while retrenching more

Ciliiant unskilled w orkers at the me time.Hut profits depend on the goods cing sold, and this is one o f South African capitalism 's big headaches, dost South Africans can only ford to buy basic necessities, hile internationally, SA goods en ’t selling well either. Com- nies in o ther third world coun- es are producing the sam e goods ire cheaply.

Education is a weapon of liberationE ducation is a weapon to fight oppression and a tool to build libera­tion. But it is also a weapon and tool o f control and dom ination.

W hich interests it serves depends on w hat forces in society hold power- and on the struggles waged in the schools and lecture halls. As an SPCC m otion said: “The schools are a battlefield. Let us re tu rn there and fight.”

But w hatever interests it serves, education is expected to play a cer­tain role in society:

“ Each society organises its system of education to pass on its experi­ence and knowledge to new genera­tions: to m aintain and develop its economic and social s truc tu res , its values and cu ltu re ..T he way in which production is organised in a

society, the relations o f production which characterise it, determ ines is social consciousness.

“ It is in this area o f social con­sciousness th a t the education system is to be found. In tu rn , the way in which a society educates its cadres conditions its own social and economic developm ent.” M ozam bique M inistry of Education and C ulture.

In this way, the education system is a form of insurance policy for the fu ture in society.

How the needs of the society are defined, and which values a re stres­sed, will reflect which forces hold pow er in th a t society. C hildren learn m any of their ideas at home. But at school, the state controls the syllabus and therefore m any of the ideas children a re taught.

In South A frica, apartheid educa­

tion instils racist ideology in black and white children . It aim s to legitimise colonialism and a p a r­theid, and students a re taugh t how resistance against dom ination has been crushed.

In this way black studen ts a re taught to accept society as it Ls, o r at least to believe they cannot change it.

Denying people m ore than the most basic education is also a form of con­tro l. W ithout the righ t certificates, black school-leavers are forced into the factories, dow n the mines o r into unem ploym ent queues.

The denial o f education is also an obstacle to liberation . “Until we have won the battle against ignor­ance, we will always be slaves to poverty and im perialism ,” said Sam ora M achel, launching a liter­acy cam paign in M ozam bique.

SA w orker o rganisation against poverty wages is one reason why SA goods are m ore expensive. But it is also because w orkers in o th e r countries get far m ore skills-train-

ing than here , and so m anagem ent gets m ore for its m oney.

Business blam es B antu Education for the shortage o f w orkers with

technical skills. B antu E ducation continues to tra in studen ts as unskilled labour, thus failing to adap t to th e econom y s changing needs.

A t this s tage , som e sectors o f capi­tal have so little faith in the govern­m en t’s ability to solve the problem that they have taken m atters into their own hands, as an insurance policy for the survival o f capitalism in SA.

T hey have set up on-the-job tra in ­ing schem es, bursaries, and schools like Johannesbu rg ’s Pace College.

In 1983, one m illion people, (15% o f the w orkforce), took p art in on- the-job train ing schem es.

T hese schem es also try to teach w hat m anagem ent believes are ’co rrec t’ a ttitudes tow ards work and m anagem ent. In this w ay, the business sector is trying to fill the gap left by the breakdow n of ideological contro l in the schools.

C apital invests as m uch as the gov­ernm en t in this kind o f training at p resen t.

It has also poured m illions into education in the ban tu s tans, w here th ree quarte rs o f S A ’s black stu­den ts a ttend school. In 1984, A nglo invested RIO m illion in prim ary school education in the Ciskei.

But business sector p ressure on the governm ent to deliver the goods in education continues.

Govt restructuringT he 1983 D e L ange Com m ission

looked at ways in which the govern­m ent could restructure education . Its key proposals were:• Nine years o f compulsory educa­tion for all races, with the first six years free. The governm ent will pay for some of this, but the rest will come from local com m unity taxes.• A cademic education after the first six years of compulsory school­ing will be partly paid for by the stu­den t, bu t technical education will be free. T he state and capital will foot the bill.• A N ational Technical Certificate will be in troduced for those who leave school a fter nine years.• R epresen tatives o f capital are to be draw n on to advisory boards at school and university level.• A t university level, governm ent subsidies will be tied m ore directly to the am ount o f research done that benefits the sta te and capital.• All course content in the univer­sities is going to be standardised. This m eans increased state control on the content of education• A pplied science students will do an initial degree at tcchnikon level before being adm itted to university for m ore specialised education.

A lthough these proposals arc p re­sented in ‘non-racial’ term s, in practise they will reproduce the sam e racial division o f labour.

If part o f the cost o f the first six years o f com pulsory schooling is con tribu ted by the local com m un­ity, clearly the m ost resources will be available to w hite schools.If technical education is free but

academ ic education is no t, then the 1 vast m ajority o f black studen ts will only be able to afford a technical education . M ost w hite studen ts can afford to pay for academ ic educa­tion .

T he division betw een m ental and m anual w ork will be en trenched even m ore th an before.

O nce you en te r the technical stream in Std Five, it is unlikely you will ever have th e op tion o f going to university and advancing your studies. T hrough hard w ork you can becom e a highly skilled w orker ra th e r than an unskilled o n e . bu t in b road term s your class position in the fu tu re is defined for you a t Std 5.

T he sm all m inority o f black stu­den ts ab le to afford an academ ic education a re likely to com e from th e black m iddle class, which PW and capital still hope to co-opt.

A lthough this restn ic tu ring o f education is p resen ted in non- racial’ term s, studen ts are unlikely to accept it. B ecause it slams the do o r o f learning and culture firmly in th e ir faces.

X) 5STUDENTS

In the face o f this, the sta te is try-n 't . to re im p o s e contro l. T o suc­c e e d . it m u s t a t le a s t seem to make s o m e v e a l c h a n g e s .

I lie 19X3 recom m endations of the He l.ange Com m ission on Educa- tion claim ed to do just this, with big prom ises of new equality in the ed u ­cation system.

But instead of one equal system o f j education for all, the report calls for

education of equal quality for all’, which allows for seperate education facilities and different syllabuses for different race groups.

So education is still supposedly separate but equal’: adm inistered

within the tri-cameral parliam ent, with black education firmly under central government control.

Failing to adaptto economic needs

In the old days, the governm ent did not mince its w ords about the role of Bantu education. In 1945 J .L e Roux, a Nationalist M P, said “ We should not give the Natives any academic education. I f we do, who is going to do the m anual work in the com m unity?”

In SA, a key aim of ideological control through the education system has been to get black students to accept the role of cheap labour, and white students to see themselves as the future leaders, the professionals and m anagers.

But today, although the politicians a re try ing to be m ore sub­tle about their racism and reform is the nam e of the gam e, lit­tle has changed in the education system . The ru ling class is merely using m ore subtle ways to entrench inequality.

In 1976, the Sow eto SR C said, “We shall reject the w hole system of B antu E ducation , w hose aim is to reduce us to hew ers of w ood and draw ers o f w a te r.”

So the crisis o f ideological contro l in education does no t just th rea ten the legitimacy o f th e apartheid gov­ernm en t; it th rea tens cap ita l’s in terests too. Black students are not just challenging the structured inequality o f aparthe id , bu t the structural inequality o f the capitalist system.

W hen the business sector hears sta tem en ts like this, they s ta rt to panic over the governm ent’s failure to reassert contro l in education . They see a generation o f students em erging w ho have draw n the link betw een racist education and con­trol o f the w orkforce, and who are not ju s t opposed to racism , but blam e capitalism for their dom ina­tion as well.

S tudents are refusing to becom e subservient w orkers. In fact, they are fuelling m ilitancy on the factory floor, w here the dem and is not m erely for be tte r w ages, but for dem ocratically-run factories w ithin a dem ocratic SA.

J M B b k . . a * - -:-• A U U H B fc&i

<, ' . ' % wfsS v J***. r w s i ' I I ^

constitution drawn up, after extensive consultation with students, parents and teachers countrywide1. N A M E

The name shall be the Student Representative Council (hereafter referred to as the SRC) of the - school.2 POWERS AND PURPOSES The SRCshall be

established for the following purposes:2.1 To act us representatives of their fellow stu­dents in all matters concerning their education, e g . netting up library, study facilities.2.2 To act aa« channel of icommunication wWhRM s tu d en ts th e m se lv e s . s tu d en ts a n d st.iff. .ind >.111

.un i th e D e p a r tm e n t ̂ I o o rg an ise soc ia l, c u ltu ra l a n d sp o r tin g

a c tiv it ie s fo r s tuden ts and to fo rm c lubs an d so c ie tie s to a ch iev e th e se e n d s . 2 .4 T o a ffil ia te to a n y o th e r o rg a n is a tio n c o n c e rn e d w ith e d u c a tio n a l m a tte rs .2.5 To represent students of the school on the

Regional Students Council. The SRC shall have all the powers to do all such things as are in its view desirable or necessary to achieve its purposes.3. STRUCTURE OF THE SRC3.1 The SRC shall consist of x members elected

annually. The number shall be decided by the indi­vidual school, provided a steering committee of three comprising of the principal, student and parent has initially been elected by the students to determine the various numbers and percentages in the constitution. Thereafter the steering commit­tee shall disband.3.2 The SRC shall at its first meeting after its elec­

tion, which meeting shall not be later than fourteen days after the election, elect from its number the executive comprising of the following persons:1. A chair person2. A vice-chair person3. A secretary4. A treasurer5. Two representatives to sit on the Regional Stu­

dents Council. The chairman, vice-chairman, sec­retary and treasurer shall be members of the executive.3.3 The SRC shall further elect from its own

number, portfolio holders to fill any additional portfolios that may be laid down in the Standing Rules.3.4 The SRC shall meet not less than once a

month, save for the period November 15 to January 15, when the SRC shall only be required to meet once.3.5 Quorum for any meeting of the SRC shall be

50% plus 1 member and any two office bearers should be present.3.6 No member may be represented by proxy.3.7 Decisions of the SRC shall be made by a sim­

ple majority. In the event of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a casting vote.4. DUTIES OF THE SRC4.1 The SRC shall have the power to make deci­

sions on all matters set out in section 2 above, pro­vided that no decision made by the SRC to affiliate to any other organisation, or make representation on any matter of educational policy to the school or to the department, on an issue that affects all stu­dents of the school, shall be valid unless ratified by a general meeting.4.2 The SRC executive shall meet with the princi­

pal and/or the SRC Liaison Teacher not less than four times a year. A t all such meetings a parent representative elected by the students shall have to be present.

Proposed Constitution for Student Representative Councils in Secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education in SoutKAfrica.

4.3 n3S*£ss than one week prior to the meeting t in terms of section 4.2, the SRC execu­

tive sh a tl p re p a re a re p o r t on all m a tte rs it d e em s m eccss^—- V) b rin g to th e a t te n tio n o f th e p rin c ip a l, ---a n d s t a ^ s J th e sch o o l

4 .4 T h * > 6 ^ C shall beall its 1 m gs.

re q u ire d to k e e p m in u te s o f

5. THE SRC EXECUTIVE5.1 The executive shall meet at least once

fortnightly, save during the period N o v e m b e r 15 to January 15, when the executive shall b e required to meet only twice.5.2 The executive shall be responsible for the day-

to-day running of the SRC in between meetings.5.3 The executive shall keep minutes of its meet­

ings, which minutes shall be presented at the fol­lowing SRC meeting for ratification.

5.4 Quorum for an executive meeting shall be 50% plus 1.5.5 No member of the executive shall be removed

from his portfolio except by a two-thirds vote of either the SRC, or a general meeting.

5.6. GENERAL MEETING6.1 The SRC shall call a general meeting at least

once a term, for the purpose of reporting back to the students on its activities and to pass any resolu­tions on any matters set out in subsection 2.6.2 The general meeting shall have the power to

amend, vary or set aside any decision of the SRC.6.3 The quorum for a general meeting shall be

33% of registered students at the school.6.4 The number of students registered at the

school on the 31 March shall be considered the number of students registered at the school for the purposes of 6.3 above.

7. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING The SRC shall be obliged to call a meeting for any of the pur­poses set out in paragraph 6 above, if it is presented with a petition calling for such a meeting signed by not less than 10% of the registered students. Such a meeting shall be called not more than 10 days after the presentation of such a petition to the sec­retary of the SRC.

8. ELECTION PROCEDURE8.1 Any student may vote in an SRCelection pro­

vided that he: 8.1.1 is in either Standard 7 or a higher grade OR

8.1.2 has been a registered student of a secondary school for at least one year prior to the date of elec­tion.8.2 Any student eligible to vote for the SRC shall

be eligible to be elected for SRC.8.3 The Electoral Officer shall call for nomina­

tions for candidates for the SRC in the last week of

August every year, or so soon thereafter as may be possible.8.4 Each nomination shall be supported by the

names of ten students who are eligible to vote, and

shall contain the fufftSames, and class of the candi­date. After seven dnvs after the date on which heo p e n e d th e n o m in a tio n s , th e F .lceto ral O ffic e rshall c lo se n o m in a tio n s , a n d it n e c e ssa ry a r ra n g e a d a te fo r th e S R C e l^ ^ io n w h ich d a te sh a ll b e n o t le ss th a n fo u r te e n ■ B t a f t e r th e c lo se o f th e n o m i­n a tio n s .

8.5 If only x number of candidates or less have been nominated, then those persons shall be deemed to be elected. 8.6 Should less than - number of persons be nominated as candidates, the Electoral Officer shall call for an election in the manner prescribed.

8.8 The candidates shall be given an opportunity of addressing classes during school time, between the period after closing of nominations, and the date of the elections.

8.9 On election day, the Electoral Officer and the two scrutineers shall hand out numbered ballot forms for each class to each class teacher.

8.10 The teacher shall hand out the ballots to stu­dents in the class who shall in private, complete the ballot form, fold it, and place it in a special box for the purpose.

8.11 The Electoral Officer shall then collect all the boxes and open them in front of the two scrutineers and with the assistance of the two scrutineers count all the ballots for the purpose of determining who has been elected.8.12 Each student shall be entitled to vote for -

number of candidates.

8.13 The candidates obtaining the highest votes shall be deemed to be elected.

8.14 In the event of an equality of votes, the Elec­toral Officer shall call for a by-election.

9. ELECTORAL OFFICER9.1 The Electoral Officer shall be appointed in

August every year by the outgoing SRC from amongst the parents of students of the school, fail­ing which a teacher of the school.9.2 The Electoral Officer shall be assisted in his

duties by two scrutineers, appointed by the SRC, one of whom shall be a member of the outgoing SRC who is not a candidate, the other of whom shall be a member of staff.9.3 For the purposes of the first SRC election, the

Electoral Officer shall be appointed by a general meeting of students convened by the principal. 10.

REGIONAL COUNCIL OF STUDENTS The SRC shall be entitled to send two of its number to sit on the Regional Students Council, to repre­sent students of the school. The two Regional Stu­dents Council representatives shall endeavour to keep both the SRC and the students informed of the decisions and activities of the Regional Stu­dents Council11. STANDING RULES

11.1 There shall be Standing Rules of the SRC for the better administration of its affairs.11.2 The Standing Rules shall be drawn up by the

SRC in consultation with the principal and an elected parent.11.3 Standing Rules may only be amended if p a s ­

sed by a resolution supported by two-thirds ot the SRC and ratified by the principal and the elected parent.114 In the event of any conflict aris ing between

the interpretation of the Standing R u le s an d th is constitution, the interpretation given to th is c o n ­stitution shall prevail.12. FINANCE12.1 The School Governing Council shall grant a

budget from the school funds to the SRC annually, which budget shall be administered by the SRC with the assistance of the school's Administrative Officer.12.2 The funds so granted shall be used by the

SRC for the following purposes:12.2.1 Attending to its own administration12.2.2 Financing a newsletter for students12.2.3 Financing the activities of its clubs and

societies. 12.3The SRCshall be entitled to raise its own funds which the SRC shall be free to utilize for any of the purposes set out in paragraph 2 above.12.4 The administration of the SRC's finances

shall be determined in the manner set out in the Standing Rules.13. DISSOLUTION The SRC shall be dissolved

when one, or more of the following events occurs:13.1 Seventy-five percent (75%) of students at a

general meeting vote for its dissolution.13.2 The SRC has been guilty of serious miscon­

duct and the principal convenes a general meeting of students to call for its dissolution, and such dis­solution is approved by seventy-five (7 5 % ) of the registered students.13.3 Whenever the SRC is dissolved by a general

meeting, the general meeting shall appoint an Electoral Officer from amongst the parents at the school, for the purposes of organising new elec­tions.13.4 Should insufficient candidates stand for elec­

tions after an election held in terms of Section 13, then the Electoral Officer shall declare such elec­tions null and void, and report the matter to the principal and elected parent.13.5 In the event of an election being declared null

and void in terms of section13.4 above, it shall be within the sole discretion of

the principal and the elected parent as to when to call for new elections for an SRC, provided that not more than 3 months shall go by without an elec­tion being called for by the principal.14. DEFINITIONS Department shall mean the

Department of Education and Training. School - shall mean the -Secondary School. Student - shall mean a registered student of the Secondary School. Principal- shall mean the principal of the Secondary School. Elected Parent - shall mean a parent elected annually by the students.15. AMENDMENTS Proposals for amendments

to the constitution shall be submitted to Ihe SRC executive which shall cause it to be discussed by the Student Body and approved. The said proposals shall be referred to the Regional Councils which shall in turn approve of it and refer it to the National Council.

The call for recognition of democratic SRC’s is more than a slogan. There’s a parents' draft *

STUDENTS SASPU NATIONAL 20

Printed by The Natal Witness (Pty) Ltd . Pieterm aritzburg. Natal.

A SOUTH AFRICAN STUDENT PRESS UNION PUBLICATION VOLUME 7 NUMBER 1 (

Workers have a new weapon in the superunionCosatu

see pages 10,11

Moutse fights incorporation and its apartheid masterminds

see pages 16,17

rThe grief caused by Natal factionfights

• see page 15

SASPU

FEBRUARY 1986 PRICE 30c

Num votes for SMandela

Dumped on the other side of the border“P W ’S PR O M ISES of citizenship fo r all South A fricans a re hollow. They do not include the ban tustans.

“ It is there th a t poverty, starvation and repression is worse th an any ­w here else in South A frica.”

This is the m essage from K uni, Cis- kei, v illagers w ho were dum ped on th e roadside ju s t w ithin SA ’s ‘b o r­d e r ’.

The villagers had rejected the authority o f the local headm an , and begun to organise them selves

against ban tustan ru le.

T heir pensions were cut and , w ith­out w arning, they were loaded on trucks and driven from the Ciskei.

“ We w ere once South A frican citi­zens, w orking on white farm s. But when SA ’s ‘b o rd e rs’ got red raw n , ou r land becam e p a rt of the Ciskei b an tu s tan ,” say K uni leaders.

M outse residents a re also Fighting th is geographical juggling. They have refused to become p a r t o f an

‘independent’ K waNdebele, and say they w ant no p art in the govern­m en t’s divisive tribalist struc tu res.

T here are only two w ater pum ps for 5 000 people, only a few schools and the nearest hospital is two hours aw ay.

Despite m any difficulties, organised opposition in the ru ra l a reas is spreading dram atically . O n pages 13,15,16,17 SASPU N ATIONAL looks a t ru ra l resis­tance.

NUM President James Mohlatsi

NELSON M ANDELA has been elected the Honourarv Life F ^ id e n t of the National Union of Mineworkers.

T r,\s announced at a massive rally at Soweto’s Jabu- lani Stadium, which marked the climax of Num's annual congress.

James Mohlatsi, re-elected president of the giant union, said the union wanted to honour leaders who have been part of the mining industry.

Mandela had worked for Crown Mines in Johannesburg, and was fired when he refused to collaborate with mine management in searching other workers as they went into the compounds.Now Num is planning to go to Pollsmoor Prison to take

Mandela his Num membership card.Key.policy decisions to emerge from the congress include:

• Num will increasingly get involved in political struggles, and will work with community organisations in the mining towns. It won't affiliate to any political organisation, but will work to ensure that working class interests are advanced;• Num will not allow the Chamber of Mines to divide workers by offering different wages in different companies: if the Chamber does not come up with a uniform wage deal, Num will call a national strike at all gold and coal mines;• The compound system must be totally abolished; hostels must be demolished, and mine management must build vil- liages near the mines to house workers and their families.• Workers will take May Day as a paid holiday, and will celebrate May D ay’s hundredth anniversary nationally.• Workers will defend their right to strike, as it is an integ­ral part of working class strategy; if the police and SADF i continue to intervene in disputes, workers will have no alternative but to defend themselves;• Num will not affiliate to the ICFTU, WFTU or other international bodies except the Miners’ International Fed­eration; links will be forged with the new Miners' Interna­tional, and with unions in Southern Africa, Algeria, Nigeria and Uganda;• Cosatu’s policy on bantustans was endorsed, and together with Cosatu, Num will put considerable pressure on Gencor to reinstate all dismissed Impala workers.• Num condemned SA raids on neighbouring states; as many of its members live in, and have friends and relatives in these states, Num plans to improve contact with union^ there, in the hope that through greater awareness, citizens there w ill be better prepared for SA raids.>»

LABOUR SASPU NATIONAL 7

'Siyalala la' we sleep here‘W e’ll sleep until the sun comes up , W e’ll sleep in the cha irs , T hen we’ll see who’ll w in!’(Song sung by K elloggs w orkers in the 1985 sit-in , and taken up by C heeseborough w orkers.)

W orkers have sta rted using a new w eapon , the sit-in , against their bosses. O n th e E ast R and they call it ‘Siyalala la ’ — we a re sleeping he re , as w orkers are staying inside th e ir factories to fight for the ir dem ands.

W orkers a t P rin tpak and Kelloggs on th e E ast R and have already used this w eapon successfully.

A nd 250 w orkers from W adeville’s C heeseborough-Ponds factory occupied th e ir factory from January 22 to 24.

“ W orkers w ere v^ry angry” , says M eshack R avuku , an organiser for th e Chem ical W orkers’ Industrial U nion (C W IU ). “O n W ednesday w hen we began th e strike we agreed we w ould only leave th e factory on tw o conditions: if o u r dem ands w ere m et, o r if the soldiers forced us o u t.

“W e discussed the possibility o f a cou rt o rd e r dem and ing o u r e jec­tio n , bu t still we m ade th is deci-

B A N T U ST A N S A R E good places for com panies to do business.This was m ade very clear in

B ophutatsw ana recently , when G enco r dism issed 23 000 w orkers at th e lm pala P latinum ftiine a fte r a six day strike .

T h e issue a t stake w as n o t only low w ages and b ad w orking conditions, bu t the right o f w orkers to jo in the union of their choice.

B op’s labour legislation is ca re ­fully designed to m ake the region very attractive to business, and ensure that m ilitancy in SA doesn ’t spill across its borders.S trikes are virtually illegal, and

only unions with th e ir head office in B op can organise and be recognised in there . This m eans th a t no SA union o pera te in Bop.T he last tw o years have seen the

rise o f sw eetheart unions w ithin B op , which are careful to keep on the right side o f m anagem ent.

Last year, lm pala w orkers app roached the N ational U n ion of

M A W U M E M B E R S a t A sea E lec­tric in P re to ria b rought four fac­to ries to a standstill during a th ree day sit-in - and a fter it.

A fte r m anagem ent won a court o rd e r to evict th e w orkers, they locked up the factories and left to p repare for talks w ith M aw u.

T he w orkers used th e sit-in to get A sea m anagem ent to agree- to p lan t-based bargaining, a fter negotia tions dead locked .TTiis follow ed a go-slow in

N ovem ber last yea r, bu t m anage­m en t still refused to accept long ser­vice increm en ts, severance (re ­trenchm en t) benefits , and a night shift allow ance.

M aw u says w orkers chose to go slow because m anagem ent feels the d ro p in p roductiv ity , bu t it’s h a rd e r fo r them to fire w orkers. T he go- slow lasted fo u r days befo re m an­agem ent ag reed to fu rth er talks. B ut again these deadlocked .

A t a m eeting on F eb ruary 8, over 800 w orkers vo ted to begin an sit/ sleep-in th a t M onday.

“Sit-ins really p u t p ressu re on m anagem ent. 'ITiey’re terrified w orkers will sabo tage the ir m achines” , said a M aw u organiser.

sion” .‘W orkers’ dem ands included a liv­

ing wage o f R 3,50 an h ou r, May D ay as a paid public holiday, and a 40 h o u r w orking week.

“W e d o n ’t even discuss June 16 now adays. M anagem ent know s we take this as a public holiday” , added M organ M athebu la , who w orks at th e factory.

T h ere are m any reasons why w orkers chose a sit-in.

I t ’s difficult for m anagem ent to say w orkers have dism issed them ­selves if they are occupying the fac­to ry , and it m akes it much m ore dif­ficult for the police to in terfere . A nd m anagem ent feels very th rea ten ed by w orkers taking over its p roperty .

A nd im portan tly , the siyalala la helps build the unity o f the w orkers.

“U sually w hen we strike, there are one o r tw o people w ho go to the shops, o r d o n ’t jo in in discussions” , said M eshack.

“B ut during o u r action we found all w orkers discussing. O ne old man to ld us how he used to take sick leave w hen we took strike action befo re , bu t fo r half an hour he praised th e young w orkers for show ing the way forw ard.

M inew orkers, and asked i t ^ c o m e and organise on the mine.

So Num applied to C :or for access, to allow it to beg... Organis­ing w orkers there . / \

G enco r refused. It claim s i has no rights in B op.

B u t lm pala w orkers a re d e te r­m ined to be rep resen ted M l u m . T he ir alternative is to j t ^Fm in- ing industry’s own sw eetheart union, the B ophut?t«w ana N ational U nion of M ine Ei^ yees (B onum c).

O n D ecem ber 23, w orkers p re­sen ted m anagem ent with a list of dem ands, covering four key issues: w ages; conditions o f em ploym ent; o th e r benefits, including hostel conditions; and the right for N um to organise there.

M anagem ent ignored this. T hree days la ter, on D ecem ber 26, w ork­ers p resen ted the ir dem ands again, and backed them up w ith a w ork stoppage at several shafts.W hen m anagem ent still refused to

“W e had m any useful discussion in the factory on issues such as R ad itsela , the Sasol w orkers dis­m issals, the em ergency and the education crisis.

“B efore, we knew w ho w ould speak. N ow everyone is speaking” .

A nd M organ says now everyday sings in the factory as they w ork, and bo th the forem an and nine w hite w om en have jo ined the union.

“ A n o th e r reason for staying in the factory was so tha t we could stop all deliveries. W orkers w ere con tro l­ling the gates” , said M eshack.

“W e w ere also able to stop p ro ­duction in the factory and so stop any scabbing.“O ne night while we w ere in the

can teen , m anagem ent locked us o u t o f the production area . W e knew it was im portan t, so the next m orning we left two tough guys by th e doo r w aiting for m anagem ent to com e and check the m achines.

“W hen m anagem ent opened up they w ere p reven ted from closing until the rest o f us cam e in.

“ It was very im portan t th a t we had food and m oney, and com m unica­tion outside. A s soon as our strike began we phoned o u r union office.

respond , w orkers at all five shafts and the processing plant cam e out on strike on January 1.

A t negotiations, m anagem ent took a hardline a ttitude . 48 people w ere handed over to B op police, while clashes w ith police left 26 w orkers in hospital. Processing p lan t w orkers w ere forced back to w ork at gunpoint.

O n January 6, m anagem ent announced it w ould fire all those on strike , and began paying off 23 000 w orkers.

G encor is fam ous for the way it h ires and fires its w orkers; as a G en ­cor executive said recently , ‘We have a shield against irresponsible action: a large reserve of unem ployed .’

D espite massive support, N um has no rights at lm pala , and can do little directly to get w orkers re instated .

But C osatu has condem ned the dism issals, and resolved to put p res­surise o th e r G encor com panies.

A m ajo r in ternational cam paign is

“ V ery quickly o th e r chem ical fac­tories in o u r union learn t abou t ou r struggle and approached the ir m an­agem ents, w arning them of possible sym pathy strike action .

“W e had a person by the phone the w hole tim e, so we could speak to the press who really help in pub­licising the ac tio n .”

T he phone is also useful for o th e r things.

“ A t night w orkers decided th a t if they had to stay aw ake, then it was only fair tha t m anagem ent also stayed aw ake. So every 15 m inutes o r so we w ould phone up tw o o f the m anagers and m ake a hell o f a noise.

“W e slept in the factory fo r two nights - W ednesday and T hursday. A t the m eeting w ith m anagem ent on Friday there was still a lot o f resistance to ou r dem ands, but w orkers w ere determ ined to win.

“T he old m an we spoke o f earlie r said we should stay the w eekend , but we w ould all miss o u r wives and children.

“ In the factory yard big braais w ere going, with m eat and mielie meal.

“M anagem ent knew we w ere seri-

being lajM ^hed, to expose how m ajor ( Jpan 'cs like G encor exploit the ban tustan system . This will be backed up w ith solidarity action from in ternational m ining, m oto r and steel unions.C osatu will continue to organise in

factories w ith the ir head offices o u t­side o f the ban tustans, and intends to force m anagm ent to extend autom atically all gains m ade to its ban tustan p lants.

‘If foreign’ com panies are allowed to op e ra te in th e ban tustans, why no t ‘foreign’ un ions?’ said a Num official.

ous and was to ld , ’we w orkers are used to squatting .How m any houses has m anagem ent built us?’

“ It w asn’t long, then , before m an­agem ent gave in , agreeing to R3.25 an ho u r and all o u r o th e r dem ands, excep t they only reduced o u r week to 44 hours instead o f 40.T he sit-in had w ider im pact too.

W orkers from m ore than 30 fac­to ries n ear C heeseborough-Ponds cam e early to w ork to g reet the singing, placard-holding w orkers.

“E ven on the buses you can hear w orkers talk ing about the unity o f the C heeseborough w orkers” . M organ says.

W orkers at o th e r C W IU factories now w ant to use the siyalala la , and the bosses a re quick to know this. A lready one factory has given the sam e wage se ttlem ent as Ponds.

A nd th ree w eeks a fter the Ponds sit-in , w orkers a t C arlton Paper in W adeville sat in for several days.

T he C heeseborough-Ponds have one m ore piece o f advice: “You m usn’t start a sit-in on a Friday. T h a t w ay, you sit all w eekend in your free tim e, and w orkers start getting fru s tra ted .”

Clash leaves 13 deadT H IR T E E N P E O P L E were killed

after police broke up a m eeting of m inew orkers at R andfontein E states G old M ine. Those killed include m inew orkers, Bekkersd.il tow nship residen ts, and iw o police­m en.

T he m inew orkers w ere m eeting to discuss the ir main dem ands: be tter jo b security , and paym ent o f their leave bonuses befo re , no t after the ir leave.A t the end o f each 12 m onth con­

trac t, w orkers can be fired or re trenched sim ply by no t having the ir con tracts renew ed.

W hen they go on leave, they are no t told if they will get their jobs back . B ut they d o n ’t get th e ir leave bonuses until a fter the ir leave. So m anagem ent is guaran teed they will re tu rn .

T his was the background to strikes by 7 000 m iners in D ecem ber. A fterw ards, w orkers m aintained pressure on m anagem ent through a boycott o f mine concession stores and bars.M anagem ent de ta ined leaders,

harassed w orkers, and offered them free beers at the b ar, bu t still failed to b reak the boycott.O n T uesday , January 21, w orkers

m et on m ine p roperty to discuss the ir grievances, bu t w ere dis­persed by m ine security.W hen they gathered on open

ground next to the m ine, police declared th e m eeting illegal, and dispersed them . W hen som eone was sho t, w orkers re ta lia ted , and tw o pQlicemen w ere killed.T he crow d scattered , and headed

for the tow nship at B ekkersdal. T h a t night m ine police and the

S A D F raided th e tow nship, leaving eleven peop le dead .

H undreds w ere arrested the next day , and charges laid against 97 people. JC I announced the dism is­sal o f 571 w orkers, who it claims w ere involved in the clashes. The N ational U n ion o f M inew orkers believes closer to 700 w ere dism is­sed .L ast year, JC I refused to in te r­

vene w hen a w orker was deta ined , because it was ’a police m a tte r .’ So N um asks why they are in tervening now.N um feels JC I aim s to underm ine

the un ion by cutting away p art o f its suppo rt base. T he union is about to apply fo r recognition , and claims 8 500 signed u p m em bers on the m ine

Mawu strikes ready to roll

NUM has no rights while Bop lets Gencor hire and fire at will

Asea workers defiant after their three day sit-inT he sit-in lasted th ree (Jays before a cou rt o rd e r ended it.

Support com m ittees have been form ed in Soshanguve and Jo h an ­nesburg , and solidarity action is being p lanned a t o th e r M aw u fac­tories. W orker rep resen tatives and union officials have set up a D is­pu tes C om m ittee to co-ordinate and dem ocratise the cam paign nationally.

M aw u m em bers’ m ain dem ands are:# a m inim um living wage o f R 3.50 p e r h ou r, and a 50c across th e board increase;

# four w eeks paid leave , plus M ay D ay to be a paid holiday;# E m ployers m ust double their con tribu tions to the industry’s pen­sion fund, and this m ust be invested in black housing;# m atern ity leave9 increased overtim e ra tes to stop m anagem ent using overtim e to m ake up for re trenched w orkers# the w orking w eek m ust be reduced from 45 to 40 hours# re trenchm ent pay m ust be calcu­la ted on the basis o f four w eeks’ wages fo r every year o f service.

T he Industria l C ourt recently

ruled th a t the N atal D ie C asting’s refusal to bargain at p lan t level was an unfair labour practice.

T he com pany was o rd ered to re instate all the w orkers it dism is­sed a fter a strike last A pril — w ith six m onths back pay.

T his streng thens M aw u’s case against A sea E lectric, and against B T R Sarm col, which involves over 700 dism issed w orkers.

W ith th e recen t decision to appo in t a conciliation b oard to investigate th e Sarm col dism issals, M aw u officials are optim istic th a t Sarm col w orkers be will re insta ted .

Collection Number: AK2145 KRUGERSDORP RESIDENTS’ ORGANISATION AND 4 OTHERS v. THE MINISTER OF LAW AND ORDER AND 2 OTHERS 1986 PUBLISHER: Publisher:- Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand Location:- Johannesburg ©2012

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