CCS Anti-Xenophobia Research and Community Outreach
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CCS Anti-Xenophobia research and community outreach Documentation, 2010 CCS anti-xenophobia research workshop, 27 February 2010 ANTI-XENOPHOBIA RESEARCH/ACTION WORKSHOP CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY, STRATEGY&TACTICS and DURBAN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS DATE: 27 FEBRUARY 2010 TIME: 9AM-3:30PM VENUE: MEMORIAL TOWER BUILDING L2 (in tallest building at Howard College) Research papers Xenophobia in Bottlebrush: An investigation into the reasons behind the attacks on African immigrants in an informal settlement in Durban. Xenophobia and Civil Society: Durban’s Structured Social Divisions Agenda 9:00-09:30 Tea with muffin + film screening 9:30-09:45 Welcome: Patrick Bond, Introduction to Durban Case Study: Baruti Amisi, Faith ka Manzi, Sheperd Zvavanhu, Orlean Naidoo, Nokuthula Cele, Trevor Ngwane 9:40-10:30 Presentation of Durban Case Study (1) Patrick Bond: Overview of Durban Case Study (2) Trevor Ngwane: Bottlebrush (3) Baruti Amisi: Migrant Voices 10:30-11:00 Presentation by Nobi Dube, Ramaphosa Case study and Summary of recommendations from national case studies by Jenny Parsley 11:00-12:00 Discussion 12:00-12:15 Presentation of themes from research and ways forward, with Trevor 12:15-13:00 Breakaway Groups (geographic areas and interests) with Amisi and Trevor 13:00-14:00 Lunch 14:00-14:30 Presentations by Breakaway Groups 14:30-15:00 Discussion and anti-xenophobia strategies facilitated by Amisi and Trevor 15:00-15:15 Concluding Remarks: Patrick Bond 15:15 Vote of thanks: Baruti Amisi Workshop Themes: 1) Civil society, social movements, and the state Explore where we stand in relation to state-society relations in the post-Polokwane period, as more grassroots and union opposition to the state emerges 2) Refugees and migrants, xenophobia, civil society and social movements Explore how social movements integrate issues facing migrants and refugees, and how to strengthen refugee and migrant organisations 3) Access to funding, capacity building, civil society and migrant organisations Explore access to funding/ capacity building for migrant, SA and integrated organisations, and strategies in relation to funders (especially for CBOs) 4) Fragmentation of the urban poor, social movements, and civic literacy. Explore the nature of political education and consciousness, and the interrelationships of protest, advocacy and political awareness during an era of welfarist/humanitarian interventions 5) Xenophobia, local strategies, national coalitions and transnational/interregional networks. Explore how people move across racial, socio-economic and political denominations, including in the provision of political solidarity (e.g. Zimbabwe, Swaziland, DRC Press Conference on Xenophobia PRESS RELEASE:Durban's Civil Society and Immigrants:The Xenophobic and Anti-Xenophobic Forces DATE:Wed, 28 July 2010 TIME: 12:30-1:30pm PLACE: UKZN Howard College Campus Memorial Tower Building, Room #602 Xenophobia has hit Durban once again. As in May 2008, when thousands were displaced from sites including Cato Manor, Bottlebrush, Umbilo and Albert Park, once again the immigrant community is fearful. As in January 2009, when a double-murder of immigrants occurred at Albert Park's Venture Africa building, under the alleged leadership of Durban city councillor Vusi Khosa, once again the city's leadership has been dubious, at best. Attempts by the Centre for Civil Society and many other groups in Durban to rally attention to the coming problem were repelled by metro police (and National Intelligence), and only after a long process was permission granted to hold an Anti-Xenophobia rally at City Hall on July 3. With the support of Atlantic Philanthropies and Strategy&Tactics, a dozen researchers at CCS carried out a major study of the 2008-09 xenophobia in Durban, and the antidotes from civil society networks. However, our findings are sobering: many of the problems associated with xenophobia are structural. They can be solved with the cooperation of the state and business, but Durban civil society is ill prepared to address social crises such as unemployment, lack of affordable housing, excessive retail competition in townships, and regional foreign policy (especially in relation to Zimbabwe and the DRC). On Wednesday, a 105pp. study of Durban will be discussed in the context of more than 1000 pages of research findings by scholars associated with the Atlantic Philanthropies. We welcome you to join us for an hour, to get a better handle on questions associated with xenophobia, and anti-xenophobia. Numerous topics will be discussed, including the responsibility of civil society organisations, the media, academics, the state and business. For the Centre for Civil Society: Baruti Amisi, director of the CCS Anti-Xenophobia Project: 083 683 8297 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 083 683 8297 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Patrick Bond, director of the Centre: 083 425 1401 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 083 425 1401 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Press Statement and Invitation to Media Briefings The South African Civil Society and Xenophobia study (Strategy & Tactics, Johannesburg, July 2010) Uprooting xenophobia in South Africa: Can civil society regain its drive and mount a sustained response? Will government face the facts and rise to the challenge? In May 2008, South Africa was gripped by an outbreak of xenophobic violence that spread from Alexandra, Johannesburg, across the country, leaving 62 people dead, more than 700 injured or raped and tens of thousands as homeless refugees. In possibly the largest mobilisation since the voter registration drives of 1994, civil society intervened to save lives, help the injured, provide food and shelter, collect funds, shame politicians into action and came out strongly against xenophobia in a series of marches, rallies, vigils and coalitions. In late 2008, the social research agency Strategy & Tactics (working in collaboration with social and political scientists from multiple universities and agencies, and migrants and their own civil society organisations) began to investigate the causes of the violence and whether the response to the crisis signalled a revival of South African civil society echoing the role played by community organisations, churches and other institutions in shaping democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Or was it 'merely' a crisis response* The resulting and newly released 500-page report, South African Civil Society and Xenophobia, is the most comprehensive study of the state of civil society in over a decade. As South Africa is once again threatened by the reality of xenophobic violence, swift, informed and sustained responses to xenophobia are needed. All sectors of society, including civil society and government, must heed the learnings of May 2008. This study offers the following key findings and recommendations: * The xenophobic violence of May 2008 was caused by a combination of deep structural social, economic and spatial inequalities, an on-going reliance on cheap labour, housing shortages, township retail competition, racism, a history of the use of violence to advance sectional interests and a traumatically scarred national psyche. This coincided in early 2008 with a desperately low national mood as the economy seemed to be in freefall and the ruling party was in the midst of factional splitting. All these factors combined to create ripe conditions for the xenophobic outburst. * The violence also took place against a background of huge population shifts in the country as well as the region since the demise of apartheid. In response to rural poverty, millions of South Africans have moved to the cities. 'Desperation-based' migration caused by failed economies and political conflict in countries to the North of South Africa has increased dramatically. * The abuse of the human rights of migrants and refugees by state agencies in spite of a progressive Constitution and humane legislation provides ripe conditions for xenophobia to thrive, as does an exclusive nationalist political discourse. * South Africans of all races are deeply xenophobic. Some sections of government and the ANC are in denial about the extent of xenophobia in the population and this has obstructed a considered strategic response to the phenomenon. * In May 2008, this ambivalence resulted in a weak response by the state to the violence. It fell to civil society to deal with the crisis. Civil society rose to the challenge in the largest mobilisation of citizens since the early 1990s and caused some to question whether civil society might regain its strength as a critical agent of social change. * This was not to pass, however. While some strong regional coalitions emerged they lost impetus once the moment of crisis passed. Many NGOs returned to their core business once the crisis was over - to which migrants were marginal. Civil society proved exemplary in mounting a highly effective relief effort, but the effort did not translate into a sustainable political agenda to address xenophobia and advance social justice more generally. The moment was lost. * Since 2008 civil society has failed to address the issue of xenophobia systematically, neither through its programmes, nor by including migrants as part of its constituency. Civil society must rise to this challenge. * The authors of the study conclude that violence against African migrants will continue unless there are profound socio-economic and attitudinal changes: "Business as usual cannot continue. The political rules have been re-written, the administrative and judicial