again, www.indymedia.org provides another perspective

Social Movements Indaba Marches Against Repression

Marchers gathered at Wits University on the afternoon of August 24 under the banner of the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF). A teach-in at Wits University, organised by the International Forum on Globalisation (IFG), culminated in a march [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] where APF protesters were joined by conference delegates, including Trevor Ngwane, Naomi Klein, Maude Barlow, Njoki Njehu, Tony Clarke, Vandana Shiva, and Oscar Olivera. The APF and Social Movements Indaba-led demonstration planned to march towards Johannesburg Central Prison (the old John-Vorster-Square, which had been renamed earlier that day to 'Thabo-Mbeki-John-Vorster-Square') to protest against recent apartheid-style arrests by the government. Those arrested include protesters from the Landless People's Movement involved in Wednesday's and Thursday's marches to Premiere Shilowa's office, arrested journalists, the Kensington 87, and members of the Soldiers Forum.

The march comes in the wake of the mobilization of repressive forces in order to diminsh the effect of protest planned for later this week. The peaceful candle-lit procession had not even left the campus when it was met by massive police presence. The response to this peaceful march was the unleashing of repression against which the protesters were rallying. Without warning the police fired smoke and concussion grenades into the center of the march. Three people were injured and a prominent local journalist and media activist, Rehad Desai, was arrested and later released on R1000 bail.


Even though footage and individual reports of the march indicate an unprovoked attack by the police, the South African Minister of Foreign affairs, Nkosazana Zuma disingenuously claimed the police violence was directed at only a portion of the march at a press conference. In anticipation of more and larger marches planned for the 'W$$D', this response by the police to a peaceful march demonstrates a growing intolerance of dissent by the government and summit organizers. Despite this, protests, arrests, and South Africa IMC coverge continues. With Sandton transformed into a no-go area for free speech, and much of the city 'Disneyfied' so as to portray a South African transformation, little is left for the voices of those excluded.


More information is available with an interview with Naomi Klein, and at previous coverage of the WSSD [ August 26a | August 25 | August 24 | August 23 | August 19 | August 1 | July 25 ].

[ South Africa IMC | Social Movements Indaba | International Forum on Globalization ]

from indymedia.org

Multinationals Set WSSD Agenda

Amidst cries of "viva Johannesburg", "viva the WSSD" and "viva civil society," president Thabo Mbeki opened the Global Forum of the Civil Society at the WSSD. In a tired and trite crescendo of rhetoric, Mbeki stated the obvious while hiding the most damning implications of the macroeconomic policies of his and other governments. He said that many people are poor, lack access to water, sanitation, health and are daily victims of violence, while concluding that the poor have to challenge governments to deliver "strategies and practical programmes of action."

The WSSD is an opportunity for multinational corporations to rebrand themselves as "responsible." Through devices like the UN Global Compact and Type II partnership agreements, corporations set the agenda for policy initiatives. The concept of "sustainable development" has been developed as propaganda, with interlinked organizations like the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), and Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD) promoting voluntary self-regulation on the part of corporations and ongoing neo-liberal policies of deregulation and privatization.


This ultimately leads to a co-opting of the UN as an organization subordinate to business, much like the WTO, World Bank, and IMF. The summit is expected to be a series of greenwash and bluewash initiatives, such as the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) program, the VirtualExhibit, or attempts to make the meetings 'carbon-neutral'. In contrast, Friends of the Earth International is pursuing a binding corporate accountability campaign, and Corpwatch has established the 'Green Oscars' at the summit to highlight the more egregious practitioners of green- and bluewash. Winners were announced on August 23.


More information is available with the Greenwash + 10 report, and at previous coverage of the WSSD [ August 25 | August 24 | August 23 | August 19 | August 1 | July 25 ].

[ South Africa IMC | Earthsummit.biz | A SEED UN-Corporated ]

from www.indymedia.org
Two Hundred Fifty Arrests Welcome WSSD

On Wednesday, August 21, over 4000 people with the Landless Peoples Movement (LPM) and National Land Committee marched peacefully to the office of the premier of Gauteng province. The marchers wanted Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa to sign a memorandum of commitment to stop forced removals in Thembelihle, and to end the brutal campaign of terror being waged by the notorious "Red Ants" security company and the police against poor and landless people in the province.

More than 100 landless people and land activists were arrested around 6 p.m. in the first signs of the South African government's crackdown on the fundamental Constitutional right to freedom of assembly in order to prevent protests and demonstrations during the WSSD. Among the arrested was NLC coordinator Andile Mngxitama [ audio | video ]. More were arrested on August 22 outside the jail while protesting in solidarity, including LPM media liason and SA IMC member Ann Eveleth who was subsequently ordered deported. Anyone found wearing an LPM T-shirt outside the prison was summarily arrested.


On Friday, August 23, 77 of those arrested were released. One of those arrested, who was two months pregnant, had a miscarriage on Thursday evening after her jailers ignored repeated calls for assistance. This crackdown began in earnest on August 17 when veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle were arrested in Cape Town boarding a train to Joburg. According to Mngxitama, "the agenda of Sandton is the agenda of the multinational corporations, that land must be sold as a commodity, that water and energy must be privatized. They have been losing legitimacy, and now they are trying to get new legitimacy through the United Nations. We are saying no to Nepad, no to the World Bank, no to market-led land reform."


More information about the WSSD can be found at a Special Edition Report (pdf) by Africawoman, in previous coverage of the WSSD [ August 24 | August 23 | August 19 | August 1 | July 25 ], and in italiano [ W$$D: la privatizzazione dello sviluppo sostenibile | Movimenti soziali | Rio + 10 = - risore + capitale ].

[ South Africa IMC | National Land Committee | Landless Peoples' Movement ]