anarkismo.net: Class Struggle, 'Xenophobia' and the Local
Elite by Jonathan Payn - ILRIG (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
The xenophobic violence and looting following King Zwelithini's statement that foreigners
"pack their bags and leave" spread to cities and townships across the country. However,
the recent attacks are not an isolated incident; nor is Zwelithini solely responsible for
fomenting it. Local elites - particularly those linked to the ruling party - also
encourage anti-immigrant attitudes and actions. This article, based on discussions with
Abahlali baseFreedom Park activists, looks at how local elites stimulate 'xenophobia' to
protect their class interests, as well as how progressive working class activists have
responded. ---- Photo by Jacob Potlaki (Casual Workers Advice Office) ---- Xenophobia and
local elites ---- Freedom Park is among few townships where development is underway; RDP
houses are being built etc. However, residents complain about corruption around tenders
and contracts. The development agencies have been accused of playing local and foreign
workers against each other to secure cheap labour. These agencies, linked to the local ANC
elite, felt South African workers wouldn't accept the low wages they were offering and so
approached immigrant workers, often more desperate because of their precarious situation,
and offered them jobs below the wages locals were trying to negotiate. This is one way
local elites play immigrant and local people against each other, creating fertile ground
for the spread of xenophobic sentiments.
But activists convinced the community to demand that all workers get a living wage,
regardless of their nationality, and to demand community control over development in
Freedom Park. This pushed the developers and local elite into a corner, threatening to
undermine their profits and political legitimacy. They had to find a way to divert the
community's attention and redirect their frustrations.
An opportunity emerged in June 2014 when Freedom Park had no electricity for almost a
week. Residents protested against this, to which the state responded with violence. The
protesters fled through the township and some looted immigrant-owned shops, believing
immigrants responsible for the crisis. This is because the local political elite had been
carrying out propaganda, blaming the electricity crisis on Somali shop owners by saying
they were using big industrial fridges that consumed the township's power.
Activists knew this was untrue as there had been electricity shortages before these
immigrants arrived in the township. In fact, knowing that Freedom Park was a fast-growing
township activists warned government ten years ago already that the infrastructure would
not support the growing population.
Another opportunity to divert attention from the real issues affecting the community came
in January 2015, when looting of immigrant-owned shops broke out in neighbouring Soweto.
The local political elite, around SANCO and the ANC, allegedly told immigrant shop owners
to close because their trade was not wanted and they would be looted if they didn't. They
also tried to extort money from foreign shop owners in exchange for protection. However,
people say it was the same local elite that tried to extort protection money from
immigrant shop owners that also promised to buy people alcohol or give addicts drug money
if they looted foreign-owned shops; which suggests that xenophobia, at least in some
townships, is being fomented by local elites to protect their political and economic
interests and is being carried out by an opportunistic minority, not the broader community.
Fighting xenophobia
Abahlali decided they had to respond. They started community patrols to deter looters and
encouraged every household to have a whistle they could blow it if they saw people looting
so that all the neighbours could come out to stop it. They also called a community meeting
to explain to people that the township's crisis was not caused by the presence of
immigrant traders but by inadequate infrastructure and a profit-motivated system. The
meeting was unsuccessful because those behind the looting - a small group being empowered
by the local councillors and businesses - told the community there was no meeting and
physically attacked activists.
Following that Abahlali started organising on a block-by-block basis as each block has
foreign-owned shops and immigrant residents on it. They organised block meetings to
discuss the real issues affecting community members. The community responded positively
and people started saying that responsibility for the crisis in Freedom Park actually lies
with government.
In addition to their struggle for community control of development and a living wage for
all - immigrants included - Abahlali also tries to integrate immigrants into the community
by, for example: encouraging them to register their children at the local schools so they
can begin the process of integration, inviting immigrants to support their demonstrations
and taking up issues like xenophobia as well as by supporting the People's March Against
Xenophobia in Johannesburg on April 23.
Working class self-oganisation is the solution
The case of Freedom Park - probably not an isolated one - shows that local elites use the
spectre of xenophobia to misdirect the legitimate frustration of the local population
caused by poverty, lack of service delivery and development and meaningful participation
therein to protect their own political and economic interests; and that the solution to
the problem is independent working class self-organisation and solidarity across
nationality as exemplified by Abahlali baseFreedom Park.
Related Link: http://www.ilrig.org/
http://www.anarkismo.net/article/28198
