This letter to the editor of the Daily News by Des D’sa is attached, below, in pdf.
Daily News: Leaders’ Arrogance is Death Knell to Democracy
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Category Archives: South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
Daily News: World Cup for All! People Before Profit
South Africa: `World Cup for all! People before profit!’
http://www.dailynews.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=551758
By Kamcilla Pillay
June 17, 2010, Durban — Daily News — The sound of vuvuzelas cut through the air in Durban on June 16 — but for one large group there was little to celebrate. Amid cries of phansi ngama-fat cats, phansi (down with fat cats, down) and a sea of banners proclaiming the government cared only for the rich, civil rights organisations took to the streets protesting against poor service delivery and the World Cup.[Photos below.]
Abahlali Base Mjondolo, KwaZulu-Natal Subsistence Fisher’s Forum, Clairwood Social Forum and about 17 other organisations gathered for what they dubbed an “anti-Thiefa” protest march which started at Dinizulu Park and ended at City Hall yesterday.
“The R40 billion the government has spent on the World Cup could have comfortably housed three million homeless South Africans”, said Alice Thomson of the Durban Social Forum. “Soccer will not make a better life for all — it will only make the rich richer and the poor poorer,” Thomson said.
This week, Thomson was arrested for distributing anti-FIFA pamphlets at the Fifa Fan Fest in Durban.
Bongani Mthembu, of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, said that the decision to hold the protest on Youth Day was deliberate. “Youth Day is an opportunity for us as the youth to air our grievances and raise our concerns. We can show the foreigners here the truth about what’s happening behind the World Cup”, he said.
Chairman of KZN Subsistence Fisher’s Forum Essop Mohamed said: “Some people were ‘tired of falling by the wayside’. We are marching against oppression.”
They let FIFA come here and do what they want, but they won’t let us fish”, he said, referring to a city ruling to bar fishing in certain areas along the beachfront.
Said Shamitha Naidoo, community chairwoman in Pinetown of Abahlali Base Mjondolo: “We need to show them (tourists) what’s happening. How will these poor people benefit from the World Cup?”
Protester Kirubavathi Pillay, 68, was also angry at what she said was the inability of the eThekwini Municipality to deliver adequate services. “No one worries about us. We can’t manage without some help from the government,” Pillay said. “They are not fighting for us. We must fight for us”, added Jaysh Ramphul, another marcher.
South Durban Community Picket & Mobilisation Against Eskon
PRESS RELEASE: SOUTH DURBAN COMMUNITY PICKET AND MOBILISES THE COMMUNITIES AGAINST ESKOM
The SDCEA and its affiliates are hosting several public meetings to bring to the attention of the public that ESKOM has made application to the National Energy Regulator South Africa to increase its ELECTRICITY TARIFF’S BY 35% for 2010 /2011 to 2012. Eskom is South Africa’s biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, and wants to continue increasing their emissions by expanding their coal fired power stations.
The SDCEA has decided that the public is unaware of the public hearings been conducted on the 18TH January 2010 from 09.00am until 15.00pm by the National Energy Regulator at the International Convention Centre [ICC] Durban, as the advertisement was advertised in December 2009 when several of the communities were either on holiday or too busy shopping for the festive season. The SDCEA and its affiliates registered to present verbal submissions to NERSA opposing the increases. The SDCEA by hosting public meetings is giving the public an opportunity to provide input into the submissions that will be made on the day.
In addition the SDCEA has made formal arrangements to picket at the hearing and demonstrate the communities outrage with ESKOM.
All communities that will be affected will unite and stand as one against this proposed increase by ESKOM .This picket by the communities of South Durban and Durban will put pressure on the National Energy Regulator of South Africa not to allow this increase of both emissions and tariffs through.
The public meetings will held at the following venues:
* Tuesday 12th January 2010-600pm –Isipingo Lotus Park Community Hall. Contact person Mr Nowbuth –0826131886
* Wednesday 13th January 2010-6.30pm –Austerville Civic Centre –contact Patrick Mkhize 031-3012557/ 0835550023
* Thursday 14th January 2010 –630.pm Clairwood YAS Education Centre –contact Rishi Singh cell 0825533907
Agenda for public meetings are:
* ESKOM’s proposed Tariff increase of 35%
o ESKOM’s increase of greenhouse gas emissions
o The general state of electricity provided in our community
It is ‘Now or Never.
Submitted by the SDCEA
All are welcome and are encouraged to attend.
SDCEA Office—031-4611991/4689069 Desmond cell 0839826939
Email: sdcea3@mail.ngo.za