Dpj. ~1 -rxDI%1L ~X%FXC 1DdP1EP1r DLx'dpeD ~1 LJD ~TIDIL ..3EP.1E~~L COP'1Q~EB ~ - i. ro ~w ii~~cw x~~i

I ~T~DDIJC1 I DI1

The unbanning of popular politicaI movements and thepossibility of a politicaI solution to the problems createdby decades of racist rule have thrust the civic movement in

rica into a position of great significance . TheSouth Af~entative moves towards rebuilding civic organisation in1987/G, after its decimation by Lhe atates of emergency,inreased in momentum after the struggles of our peopleforced the government to createrelatively less oppressive than before . The period oftransition to a democratic, non-racial,non-sexist and

S .Africa is a crucial period for the civic movementunitaryit affords the movement an opportunity to grow andconsolidate . However, it also exposes the movement tonumerous dangers .

This paper will attempt to examine some of these challengesand dangers and also to sugge~t a way forward for the civicmovement . The paper is meant to form a basis forconstrLctive debate and di~cussion during commissions atthis congress

The paper will deal with the following :

: Role of UDF in building the civic movement .* Role of civic movement in transition period and in a

post-apartheid period .Organisational structure and composition of civics .ChaIlen~es facingWay forward .Conclusion~

~Q*_._ ~~ LJD ~ I mo ~LJ I ID I f4 ~ T4 ~ C I %? I C P1Ow~M~NT

Delegates at this congress are aware that most civicassociations in the country have been affiliates of the UDFSince its ~ormation . However, the UDF had not been directlyinvoIved in the building of the civic movement~ Theunbanning of the ANC on 2 February 1990 put the ANC in itsrightful place as the political centre in S .Africa~ The UDFsimuItaneously identified its major role, in the light ofthe unbanning of the ANC~ to be that of facilitating thebuilding, consolidation and co-ordination of the civicmovement . The NEC mandated the employment of a NationalCivic Co-Ordinator and meetings of civics were initiated inthe different regionssbegun as far back

and we trust it

will enrich such interaction .

c ~ Vi

Z n

strengthened such initiatives .

c movement .

a political climate that

some regions, such meetings hadas 1987 and the decision by the UDF

is

Since

j_ n

each:onference

such a

n~svisi :ed •l lstruc :ures,regionaI

Eastern CapeBorderSouthern

aooointmentt the

In

the regionswith a view

OFS

within the civicconditions at that

history . However

Ma~ionaland had

* Southern and Western Transvaal* Northern TransvaaI*~*

Civmeetings wi

~o-Ordina~or has+- h

A regional structure will be launched inTransvaal on the 8/10 March and interimthe Western Cape and Nortehern Cape . Structuresbe formed in Transkei and Natal~ The Natal regionpresented particularly serious problems with di

the southern part and the midlands . This is

zv~cto faciIitating the launch of

structures . This process has resulted in regstructures being launched in the following regions :

the Easterncommittees

must stillhas- -~~er~ng views

furthercomplicated by the existence of more than one^interimregional structure and the problems around violence

A meeting of civic representatives from al l the regions wasconvened by the UDF in November last year to discuss localgovernment ini~iatives in the regions . This meeting mandatedthe UDF to convene a planning committee of one person from

region to work towards a National Consultative

~ona~

exist in

.

.

April this year . This planning commiLtee metand mandated an interim committee, as wel l as a core groupto plan the conference . It is envisaged that a launch ofNational Civ1c body could take place in July/August thisyear .

As regional structures are launched , such structures havebecome independent of the UDF and are accountable to thelocal civic associations affiliated to the regional

structure~ The proposed national body will thus beindependent of the UDF .

~~O' C I 'd mC

I 14 T*ri I r z 0P4 ~~I D ~P1D 2 NmrI-4~mum

I 00.

We must, before looking at the role of the civic movementsuggest our understanding of the nature of a civicmovement .The history of the civic movement in S .Africa hasbeen closely .alligned to that of the ANC . The banning of theANC left our people without a central political organisationinternally . Civic associations, with their grass-rootsstructures, ~ere

ideally suited to taking up the cudgels ofpolitical campaigns and thus became politicsed . Since the

`

a

major poIi±ical players were congress activi3ts , the civicmovement developed a congreas leaning . This development

movement was a result of objectivetime and the movement must

, the nature of a civishould be that of .a broad-based grass-roots

be proud ofmovement

"

.

movement within

which

Civic

ALL res~dents can

associations are,political organisat~ons .

The unbanning of the ANC has created the space andconditions for civic associations to begin to play theirrightful role ; that of organising and representing residentsaround civic issues and improving the quality of life of ourpeople .

The role of the civic movement is the subject of debate

find a home,poIi~icaI affilia~ion or lack of pol

irresoective oiticaI affiIiat

in this way, different from

~ion .

within our structures . There are two main streamsthought :

.* that civic associations must build themselves

of

asindependent structures representing all residents

~ that civic structures must collapse and the ANC shouldtake over the task of addressing the civic issues andproblems of our people

The majority of regions appear to be crystaIising theirdebate around the first alternative and are thus alsodebating the role of the civic movement in a post-apartheidS .Africa . There appears to be general concensus that thecivic movement must continue to exist in a democratic, non-racial S .Africa . In all likelihood, local government wiII beelected on a party-political basis and civic associationswould still be able to represent residents across thepolitical spectrum . It is also highly unlikely that anyfuture government will be able to deliver ALL the needs othe people, particularly when one considers the legacy ofapartheid, and civic associations could represent residentin interaction with local government . The civic movementwould thus be a "watchdog" on local government to ensuredemocracy, representivity and accountability .

or'1 I ~~T I QPw~L

TIJCVLJ

~CDP1~D ~I -T mmmP4 OP C I"wmC~

The essential characteristic of a civic association is itsbroad mass base . This necessitates strong grass-rootsstructures that enable the participation of residents . Suchstructures must be close to where residents stay . Thus,street committees, flat committees and other such structuresare an essential feature of civic organisation . Stronggrass-roots structures and broad representivity have becomevery crucial in the present political contextS Theopposition of the civic movement to "puppet " structuresestablished by government is being challenged by questionsrelating to representivity of civic associations . It is thusof paramount importance that we are strong on the ground .This form of structure also facilitates the development ofleadership ; something that is crucial in building a newS .Africa . Regional structures could be federal in nature, ascould be the n~tionaI structure . Such con3oIidation and cc-ordination must, howe~er, ensure that struggle is not

s

emovedmus :

civic

it=+c

. o

C 1 vI c

Such

ommunity .

;n ore

put

be .

to 3d0ress

from h K~

The composition ofearlier in this paperr

Iocal

c_ ``'

on the part of civIc leader~hioroanisations to include ALL

o~ oolitical affiliation ..difficult process, g~ven

movement . HoweverThe broadening of the mass baseus a real potential to unify

unity is crucial in Ouriberation for all

it must not be missed,

may also be possible for civic associations to developructured relationships with other organisatIons in the

These could be burial societies,bodies, student structures and ~o on . There couldrepresentation from 3uch bc:die~thus enabling the civic tocommunity .

c-~~L_Er4eEB

I PO C IS.' mm: mO~EIlEPr .

The prospect of a polit~cal solution to the apartheid andoppression problem have

forcing ~he s~ate to

There aooears

our people and the opportunity to achie

reated new conditions forThe initiative of the ANC in beginning taIks with the

associ~tions

r~p

w

~

Thi . wilI

the

incorporate

government and the proposed Mul±i-Party Conference couldlead to the beginning of negotiationsparties . It ~s debatable as to whethertransition ; but there can be no doubtthe liberation of our people than at any time in the horof the struggles of the oppres3ed~ The vi5ion of the newS .Africa presents the civic movement with exciting anddifficult challenges .

The first challenge is that of making theprimarily "protest/boycott" tacticsand a development andaccent perhaps on thethe effectiveneE s of

reconstructlat :er

destroy apartheid . We now have toapartheid has destroyed .

to

or

1 onNo booy

~I v

to

story ofan ideal

broaden theresidentsobvious

sys~ems, propose formulae for determinin~forward viable solutions to ~he housing

s~ro~oes~ struct'~re

has been referredbe a ;jenuine attempt

,

development of ±hk2we must

oppressed in our

bet weenwe ar2

that we

perspec±ive °can : e Ln doubt

begin rebuilding

equatable health systems, study alternat

the crLsis in education . These are

mass base oirrespective

a slow and

rive fo'ructures offere

country .on~;oing struggle to w .

s±okvels,be

onto the civic associationI sectors of a

shift from

w±

n GENUINE

strug I~e .

var . ous

spor~s

in a period ofare closer ±o

a mix between this

abou~mass struggle and its crucial role nthe table . It must also be emphasised

that mass struggle must continue ° and be intensfed untilapartheid is totally abolished and a climate conducive tonegotiat~ons is created~ However, it is no longer enough to

wnatThis means the civic mo'iement has

formulate alternative forms of local qovernmenc,

"~fzve transportfordabiIity",risis and

. ome

T

r ropose

`

beginkey

is~ues that civics mus~more . 4e have ±o addres3 these In a manner

The second chal

associations

that we do not take

because a future democratic

are

Ien~e

oeg~n to

:ommunity participation ~lI tne

apartheid, while concentrating on improvingconditions of our people . It ~s crucial for the civicmovement to begin addressing these development

crises . Addressing them now will thus reducefuture peoples' government .

is that of empoweringmovement to wage the struggle on different

increasingly

them daily .

The fifth challengeon the ground ~n changedown to improve the lives of the ma~orit''

and

address ;

t~me . We aIsoresponsibility for the problems of

the

theterrains . Civic

have

government will inherit thesethe

becoming involved innegotiations with local and regional government

Cs

skills and training ; but also a misconceipotential dangers . Many civic structures

~

~re many

.,

living

I ssues

l

Such

or a

negotiations offer us the opportunity to make substantialgains for our people, particularly

ensure

around ±ssues that affectHowever, this terra~n of struggleaIso exposes

the civic movement to dangers . The state is verysophisticated in negotiation tactihave also been successful in adapting toparticularly at regional level . Most o~ our civics have notadapted at aIl . The reasons for this are

and e:pert~se . Theythe new conditions"

primarily a lack ofved reaction to thebelieve e should

refrain from local or regional negotiationa because ~f thedangers ; instead of addressing our organisational strategiesto enable us to minimise the dangers while using thisterrain of struggle to make substantial gains . We need tocareful that the state does not get too far ahead of usbefore we address this misconception .

The third challenge facing the civic movement is theeducation, training and empowerment of our people . Theremoval of apartheid from the statute books ~ill mean verylittle if the present power relationships remain . Such powerrelationships will remain if we do not empower our people toplay a central role in governing a new S .Africa . Thisinvolves empowmrment in a wide range of . areas ; includinglocal government, health, transport, public administrationhousing and development and so on .

The fourth challenge facing the civic movement is toestablish its independence from political organls .ations andgovernment . This entails opening its doors to ALL residentsand actively encouraging membership .

is to ensure the participato ensure thai

be

ton of peoplechanqe fiIters-

Our

.

countr7 .

Other challenges include developing innovative ways tooncourage community involvement in deveIopment

these is the Community Trust Fund in the SPD agreementExampIes

and

--

t~~ "~D~I.4~PD

How do we

We offer the following suggestions for debate :

*

,

w

: :. ~mu` ..~=

this paper?

be

_•i ijc .`~`ra~strategies

Fhis entails the

Such

communi~ies toincluda issues~-~gram~esnew czuntry .

T~e~=_

prepa_~~ _

D n

.

de~- te%_ ec' s •i ve

itseIf

rs

the :ivic

C 1: her

,~~/ 'oint-v~nture wi L h PUTC~-surr

begin

lycontrol

promotes the. We must

disciplined and

res~gnation

iciency is aIso an ~mportant chal1enqea

mee~

through A{

some of the c)aIlenges referred to

,

.

.

.

.

.

.in . .,~eaoersnLp musr beg

~o concex ~ua~~se~~se the Currentconjuncture and develop

civ1c movement . JointcruciaI if we are.± IocaI Ievel .We must continuearound specific

new tactics andto ensure that the interests of our

central to any change that takes place.urgent empowerment of

able to take charge of different terr~ins ofempowerment can be through workshops, conferences,

courses and actual involvement in negotiations .The planning with service organisations, ofto enable civic associat1onS to empower people

±o enable

development oficuI .rlv wL+:hin~I neet1nqs and neqotiations

no,

peopIe

a culture of pIeadership st

to participate ac±ivel

I anning

c1vzc

z~ures^'+ L. ~ . .~

people

leaderahip

p r o g r a mmestn our

begin to cnange their perspeCte toof -econstruction . This must also enta

/

. We oft~~

:omposition, as weIl as its future . Howevershould not be indefinite . We must begin to act

to ensure that we direct initiatives and begin~he pace of change .

move

are

struggle

~ Iin a

ang ~repara~zon

. nust facilitate debate around 1ts rolethe

.

,

* The most crucial tssk for the civic movement is to looky . The days of rhetoric only are gone and

we now have to prove our support . The civic movement isvery weak in many areas and we tend to gloss over suchweaknesses . We must intensify our organisation at grass-root level and build street committees, flat committeesand other structures on the ground . This requires hardwork and we need to put our shoulders to the wheel toachieve this . In the process of intenszfy~ng efforts tobuild strong grass-root atructures, we must ensure that

movement adheres to democratic traditions and

crit icall

leadership ofhasten our efforts

to

i- o

intensify mass struggleareas . Such mass strugg1e must

must strengthenThe cam paign

productive andterrains of strugg1ee

residenta .of consolidating

atrateqies and COtake the high ground n the struggle

of BLA's and MANCOMMSS must

cordt henation are

be totallour

i- or ~neontinue and

hand

we

.

.

.

y

need to intensify the land occupation campaign .

* The civic movement must begin a process to ensure debateamong residents of crucial politicaI issues that willaffect their lives . These include the talks,government, constituent assembly, the economy,

caiici_.ita x ori

This paper has attempted to cover some of the keyconfronting the civic movement today . The paper doesdeem to be exhaustive and many issues have not been raised .

The objective of the input is to provide delegates with abroad overview of the civic movement in order to enrichdiscussion in commissions .

°We would suggest that the civic movement is one of the mostcrucial sectors within the democratic community and thiscongress must give vital guidance to thee sector .

We conclude by suggesting the following key aspects fordiscussion and debate :

* Role of the civic movement in development .* Role of civic movement in post-apartheid S .Africa .* Response of civic movement to local initi at ives of the

government .* How to strengthen the civic movement at grass-roots and

to broaden* Should the

*

its mass base to include

organisations and government?What are the educational priorities for themovement and how should these he achieve~c

ALL

interimetc .

- : ~L

residents .

not

civic movement be independent of :oli~icz.