The media in Cape Town and South African national television and radio have been focused on the attempts to crack down on members of the Khayelitsha Anti-Eviction Campaign.
This resolution comes after communities within the Greater Khayelitsha area have consistently defied banks and retumed people evicted people to their houses.
The coverage from the Cape Times, E-TV and the SABC is notable for its one-sidedness on this issue. AntiEviction Campaign members are portrayed as common criminals, while the politicians involved avoid the very real ssue of the housing crisis in the area.
Since February this year, activists from Mandela Park have been trying to engage govemment and calling on the key politician, Hangana to intervene in the crisis of evictions in the area.
This is in response to the sharp increase in evictions since the end of 2001. Pensioners, who receive a pension of R 620, often have to support whole familes due to the massive unemployment in the area.
And with this money, they are expected to pay bonds of R 600 a month, for houses which were delivered with structural faults that have been repaired at residents' own expense.
The result of this impossible situation has been a steady program of evictons, where the most vulnerable are forced out of their houses and into tiny 'rightsized' houses - known by the residents as 'dog kennels' The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign is aware of at least 4 pensioners who have died after being evicted like this - the absolutely inadequate housing is a breeding ground for persistent ill health and respiratory problems. In the words of one pensioner, "old people and children die like ants" in these conditions. Residents of Khayelitsha are aware that their against sheriffs, evictions, service disconnections and repossessions, are illegal.
But they have been forced into a situation where mass defiance of the law is the only way to survive. This is the issue that needs to be addressed, through political intervention.
The MMA had been saying a lot against American imperialism: but
when asked specifically by the Western diplomats about privatization and other reforms after their unexpected victory in the general elections, they said they are in favour of them.
The religious fundamentalist MMA is riding high among the people as they are putting up at least in words a face to defend democracy, the constitution, and the sovereignty of the country. They are seen as an anti-imperialist force by many in all the four provinces of Pakistan. They are likely to govern the two provinces, the North West Frontier Province and Baluchistan.
Both are next to Afghanistan, and were host to over three million refugees from Afghanistan for over 20 years. The MMA got over 14 percent of the total votes but anti-imperialist force. That is paying off, since it links in with popular hostility towards the imperialists. Despite controlling some regional government, the MMA will also use the argument that they lack central power to cover up their inability to solve anything.
Both the religious fundamentalists and the imperialist have to be opposed by the progressive forces in Pakistan. A support for one against the other will not bring any happy news for the masses.
Both represent anti-people and antiworker forces. That's why the Labour Party Pakistan at its National Committee meeting has discussed the possibilities of forming a broad based alliance of progressive forces against the imperialist economic and politi cal agenda and against the religious fundamentalists.
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International resistance • Winter 2002 15