Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA Press statement
26th October 2016
Upcoming Engagements with Solidarity Networks
Our movement is committed to internationalism. We have always understood that while some struggles, like the struggles against gangster councillors, are local other struggles, like the struggle against capitalism, are global. International solidarity has been extremely helpful to us when we have faced repression and we have always offered our solidarity to our comrades elsewhere in the world when they have requested our support. We have learnt a lot from comrades in other struggles in other parts of the world and we have always been happy to host comrades from elsewhere in the world who want to learn from our.
For a long time poor people’s struggles in South Africa were always represented internationally by NGOs and academics. By insisting on our autonomy and our right to represent ourselves we have built our own international networks. All our comrades travel abroad with a clear mandate from the movement and provide a full report on their experiences when they return home.
We will be embarking on a series of exchange visits throughout the world in the month of November. These exchange visits are imperative to the movement as they extend the solidarity network with other radical movements in the broader international community. In these visits, the movement gets to learn from other movements that are engaging similar struggles. Relationships are formed which become the basis for solidarity actions in the future.
The Deputy President will be attending a session at meeting the International Network for Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) to be held in Argentina. This meeting will bring social movements together to discuss the issue of land and building frameworks for a living solidarity by developing common programmes of action and commitment. More than a hundred movements from more than 60 countries will be present. This meeting will be held from 13th November 2016 to 20th November 2016.
The President will be attending the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace: engaging in achieving greater social justice. It is the Third World Meeting of Popular Movements. It will be held in Rome from 1st – 7th November 2016.
The Secretary General will be attending a meeting on Inequality and Injustice hosted by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA). The focus of the meeting will be on reducing inequality within and betwene countries by building the power of the poor from beloe. The meeting will be held in Oslo, Norway. The SG will be discussing the lived experiences of local grassroots movements in the South African context. The SG will also be visiting trade unions with other progressive orgnisations linked to NPA. This meeting will be held on 23rd November 2016.
The National Deputy Secretary and the Provincial Secretary of the movement are currently attending the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement’s (MST) III International Course on Political Training for Political Educators.
The Senior Administrator and the Chairwoman of the movement recently attended the United Nation’s Habitat III conference held in Quito, Ecuador. This conference discussed urban planning, the urban agenda and sustainable development. Some of the resolutions taken at the conference that affect grassroots movements were related to informal settlement upgrades.
Please contact the following people for more information:
Thapelo Mohapi – 0628 92 5323
Mzwakhe Mdlalose – 079 365 7912
Zandile Nsibande – 062 947 1947