Click here for the full PDF of the paper by Leopold Podlashuc

This paper is an exploration of the ways in which participatory development has become
a key mechanism for both extending (globalising) and consolidating neoliberal hegemony.
The paper hinges on a case study of the South African Homeless Peoples Federation
(SAHPF) and comprises two parts. The first part maps the milieu in which this politicised
development takes place, revealing the local and global context of dispossession that
provides the backdrop to the case study. This part critically interrogates the emergence
of the participatory development paradigm. It is argued that this normatively fashionable
discourse of development has come to be dominated by three essential vectors of neoliberal
ideology: housing, microfinance and social capital. It will be revealed that participatory, (or
rather, ‘bootstrap’) development portrays itself as ostensibly anti-neoliberal, while, at the
same time, it co-opts the tools and vocabulary of the Left to carry out the economic project
of the Right. This apparent contradiction between rhetoric and outcome will be seen to
be consistent with the broad political alliance that Gramsci defined as an ‘historical bloc’,
which consolidates class differences to create hegemony.
In a hegemonic system, democracy between the ruling group and the ruled
groups exists to the extent that the development of the economy, and there-
fore of the legislation which expresses that development, holds open the
channels for the ruled to enter the ruling group. (Gramsci 1975)
In the current era, this historic bloc includes the medley of moderate, liberal and right wing
discourses that legitimise globalised neoliberalism despite their intellectual differences.
The second part of this paper traces how this consolidation of political, normative and
ideological agendas occurred through the lens of the SAHPF. Relying on interview data
collected over a seven-year period (2003–10),1 it questions how an ‘Alliance’ (a term coined
by Arjun Appadurai in 2001) of academics and development practitioners, imbued with
the political agency of neoliberal hegemony, effectively manipulated the South African
environment to manufacture a social movement of homeless black women. It clarifies how
this seeding took root so well, and how, despite its artificial insemination, the SAHPF
established itself as a grassroots movement with considerable agency and traction. The
The South African Homeless People’s Federation
1
Citizenship and democracy
paper then show show the SAHPF became a crucial global relay point for the spread of the
participatory development paradigm through Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI),
the transnational social movement that it helped create. Operating in at least 33 countries
across the South, SDI has become the hegemonic-actor-from-below, dominating the field of
development. Here, the tensions between SDI and SAHPF are examined, demonstrating how
the genuine and artificial motivations of the ‘participatory development’ paradigm ultimately
fragmented. The paper shows how a resolution came about for the SAHPF by amputating its
links to SDI and the lucrative funding that underpinned it. This is a dialectical tale of thesis,
antithesis and synthesis.

What?           Interfaith Andries Tatane memorial ceremony, testimonial against police brutality, and march to Harare Police Station
When?          Sunday 22nd April 2012 at 12h30
Where?         Way of Life Church / Multi-purpose centre, Mandela Park, Khayelitsha
Directions?   Visit http://g.co/maps/ucmky or contact Moza @ 0791176943 / 0213672122

–

We are all Andries Tatane!

There is a little bit of Andries Tatane in each and every one of us.

As he fought for service delivery for his community in Ficksburg, we fight for toilets, electricity, houses and land here in Cape Town.

As he lived in the hellish township of Meqheleng, many of us are stuck in hell-like conditions in Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Delft and Manenberg.

As he was attacked, shot, beaten and ultimately killed by police for standing up for what he believed in, many of us are at times also attacked, shot, beaten and a few of us have even been killed at their hands.

As he believed in freedom and dignity for himself and his community, we know that we remain unfree and that it is only through continued struggle that we may liberate ourselves and one another.

We are all Andries Tatane!

To commemorate the life, activism and the death of Tatane and countless other victims of police brutality, we are holding a memorial ceremony and testimonial on Sunday the 22^nd of April. Through this event, we hope to build a shared consciousness about our struggle for dignity and against police brutality. Following the memorial, we will march to Harare Police Station where we will hand over a memorandum to the police and demand that they sign an undertaking that they will no longer engage in any acts of intimidation, violence and brutality against the people of Khayelitsha.

We are all Andries Tatane!

In 2009, police shot dead at least 556 people in South Africa. Police suppression of protests have occurred recently in Hangberg, Blikkiesdorp, Khayelitsha, and Rondebosch Common. In the townships, almost everyone we know has had at least some negative experience with the police.

Thus, as long as we remain quiet and divided, the police will continue to arrest us without cause, beat our youth, repress our movements, and kill our most vocal community members.

All are welcome so please join us this Sunday.

For more information see our Program below:

• 12h30 – Opening
• 13h00 – Memorial ceremony conducted by Pastor Skosana
• 13h30 – Testimonials: expressing our disgust at the treatment by the police – by Nkwame Cedile
• 14h30 – SOS space → art and music against police brutality – by Soundz of the South
• 14h50 – Mkhonto to Andries Tatane
• 15h00 – March to the police station
• 16h00 – Closure

The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) Charter of Demands was adopted by more than 3000 landless delegates from communities across South Africa, and their landless allies from around the world, at the Landless People’s Assembly held in Durban on 30th August 2001 at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism (WCAR). Further amendments were made following the meetings of Landless Rural Women in Kimberley in October 2001.

The LPM was introduced into Protea South by Maureen Mnisi in 2002. That same year Mnisi was elected Gauteng Provincial Chairperson, and chairperson of the Protea South branch of the LPM. Between 2002 and 2011 no further elections were
held to democratically determine the LPM leadership, and Mnisi held that position for almost ten years.

During her time as chairperson Mnisi demonstrated extremely opportunistic and authoritarian characteristics, as well as corruption when it came to the allocation and use of LPM funds. Mnisi was not transparent or democratic in her leadership style, and there was always a shroud of secrecy surrounding her role as LPM chairperson, especially, again, when it came to funding and her dealings
with the lawyers representing LPM. Mnisi tried to control the LPM branch in Protea South completely, withholding information from its members, and did not want the LPM members to organise or do anything that she did not initiate or could not control. It became clear that Mnisi was strangling the movement, and holding it back from achieving its aims.

In addition to corruption, mismanagement and authoritarianism Mnisi also demonstrated to the movement her opportunistic tendencies, and that she has been using the struggle of the poor in order to advance her own personal agenda: trying to get herself elected as a local councillor, and to curry favour with local politicians and political parties.

First, in the 2009 National Elections, Mnisi started by trying to convince the LPM branch in Protea South to vote for either the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) or the newly formed Congress of the People (Cope) in the 2009 Presidential Elections.

As if that was not enough to demonstrate her opportunistic tendencies to all, she later started canvassing for the Democratic Alliance (DA) and trying to convince the entire LPM branch in Protea South to join and vote for the DA during the 2011 local government elections. Unfortunately, most of the LPM comrades followed Mnisi into the DA and, for the entire time leading up to the elections, it became impossible for the LPM to organise anything in Protea South as almost all the members, especially most of the youth, were engaged in canvassing for the DA and trying to convince people to vote for the DA, under Mnisi’s instruction.

Although the DA did not win a ward councillor to Protea South in thoseelections, Mnisi was rewarded for her efforts by being given a job as a Personal Assistant to one of the local DA politicians in Protea South. A job she still holds. The LPM, however, was largely demobilised as a result: so many people had become confused and lost faith in the LPM because of Mnisi’s opportunism and betrayal of the movement by consistently trying to drag the LPM, which is supposed to be an independent social movement, into party
politics that they left the movement. Most of those that remained were those comrades loyal to Mnisi, who had been following her from the ACDP to Cope to the DA.

A Response from Below

Frustrated with all of this, a small group of LPM comrades that had been trying to sustain the LPM during the demobilisation caused by Mnisi’s attempts to drag it into party politics called a general meeting of the LPM to discuss a way forward. At the meeting, which took place on the 23rd of July 2011 at Emazozweni in Protea South, it was collectively decided that there was a quorum of LPM members present, and that a new leadership could therefore be elected. Elections went ahead, and an entirely new leadership was installed. Although she had been invited to attend the meeting, Mnisi declined to do so.

Since the new leadership was elected, however, Mnisi has done everything in her power to undermine their positions and to prevent the LPM from being rebuilt, from below, along new lines. When the newly elected leadership calls public meetings she calls for meetings on the same day, and goes around telling people that she is the official leader and that they must not listen to anyone else,
or attend any meetings unless she personally calls them. She uses intimidation techniques and tells people that they will get arrested if they follow the new leadership.

Also, although she initially agreed to hand over all the relevant documentation and to facilitate the transition in leadership, she has consistently refused to do so. She has tried in every possible way to undermine the new leadership, even going so far as to try and prevent the new leadership from meeting with the lawyers representing the LPM in order to prevent them from telling the
lawyers how corrupt she is. She has refused to hand over any information relating to the LPM’s financial records and bank account. It is our belief that she is worried that she will be exposed for corruption and mismanagement when she cannot account for LPM funds.

More recently, she has been trying to divide the LPM by promising people that they will get spending money and proper accommodation in Durban during the COP-17 mobilisations if they support her. It is unfortunate that, because she has always withheld information from the other members and tried to ensure that any communication or relations with other movements are channelled through her, organisations which are allegedly funding an LPM delegation to Durban are unaware that she can no longer be considered to be a legitimate representative of the LPM.

Way Forward

We do not believe that social movements such as the LPM should be used to promote party politics or the personal interests of politicians and opportunists. In order to be strong social movements must unite working class and poor people regardless of whether or not they belong to political parties and, if they do, regardless of which parties these are. We don’t care who people vote for, but we also do not believe that meaningful change can be brought to our lives through voting. As the LPM slogan says, meaningful change,
and land, will only come to us when we organise and unite. Party politics divides, and as we have experiences voting disorganises us.

We as the newly elected leadership of the LPM Protea South want to rebuild the LPM so that it can truly defend the interests of the poor and working class, and the landless masses. But we do not want to rebuild it as before. We have seen that when too much power and information is invested in one or two people, and a few others loyal to them, that it causes corruption and dishonesty, and
it weakens organisation by robbing people of their own power to participate in and influence the movement in a meaningful way. We want to rebuild the LPM in a way in which all its members share individual and collective responsibility and a commitment to making strong the LPM, and the struggle of the landless poor in South Africa.

In rebuilding the LPM we intend to improve communication and solidarity with the rest of the Poor People’s Alliance, keeping to the slogan “No land! No house! No vote!

Can petrol be mixed with water? The answer is no, it cannot. Similarly, social movements cannot and must not be mixed with politicians and political parties. The LPM cannot be mixed with political parties, be it the ACDP, Cope, the DA or any other.

AWAY WITH OPPORTUNISTIC AND AUTHORITARIAN LEADERS!!
AWAY WITH TRYING TO MIX SOCIAL MOVEMENTS WITH PARTY POLITICS!!
FORWARD TO CLASS INDEPENDENCE!!
FORWARD TO MASS DIRECT ACTION AND LAND OCCUPATION!!

For further information please contact:
Chairperson: Maans Van Wyk 079 267 3203
Deputy Chair: Moses Thebola 0794347750
Secretary: Lekhetho Mtetwa 073 760 9361\ 071 863 8663

The National Department of Human Settlements and Development Action Group, a housing NGO, had invited civil society to a housing indaba yesterday. Members of the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign attended the meeting in which they promised that the participants would be given transport home.

However, after the meeting, poor participants were left stranded without transport home.

The Anti-Eviction Campaign was forced to use its own petty-cash to ensure that other poor participants were able to return to their families last night. The AEC is a movement with almost no money to its name and yet we feel obligated to make sure our comrades are taken care of when left out to dry by government and NGOs

Phantsi National Department of Human Settlements! Phantsi!
Phantsi DAG! Phantsi!

For more details please contact:

Gary @ 0723925859
Mncedisi @ 0785808646
Philidene @ 0746892922
Willy @ 0834193996

Funds raised through our community’s efforts to sell our book, No Land! No House! No Vote! Voices from Symphony Way, is making it possible for Doreen Lewis to bury her son who died tragically days ago.

Last week, one of our own youth, 24 year old Leroy Van Wyk, passed away. He was taken to the local Delft Clinic with a severe ‘headache’. His symptoms were scoffed at and he was sent away with some pain tablets. (As poor people, Delft Clinic often refuses to take our health seriously and usually sends us away with Panado or Paracetamol even though we have much more serious illnesses).

A few days later, Leroy was rushed back to the Clinic where he passed away. We still do not know what is the real cause of death.

As often happens in our communities, family members who are unemployed often are unable to pay the exorbitant costs of funerals. Doreen Lewis, an unemployed single mother who has been very active in our struggle from day one, barely has a cent in her name.

However, after convening a mass meeting of the community, we unanimously voted to use the profit we as authors have made so far from Cape Town sales of our anthology, to pay for the funeral of Leroy. To us, this collective need was so much more important than our individual needs. We are pretty certain that if it were not for this book, we would not have been able to bury our son.

We feel that this gesture indicates our resolve as a community to stay united in our fight for housing and dignity for our community and for the whole of Blikkiesdorp.

The funeral will be on Friday the 11^th of November 2011 at 9am. The body will be at Doreen’s home in Blikkiesdorp (#16 in M-Block). We will be at the church at 10am and the graveyard at 11am .

For more information contact:

Jerome @ 0731438886
Willy @ 0731443619

The Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers would like to invite all its supporters and the media to the first ever Cape Town Anarchist Book Fair to be held at Cafe Ganesh in Observatory from 10am to 6pm on the 5^th of November.

This is your opportunity to meet some of the authors of No Land! No House! No Vote! Voices from Symphony Way and hear about our struggles from the horse’s mouth. Copies of our book along with copies of a sister anthology, My Dream Is To Be Bold: Our Work To End Patriarchy, will be available for purchase.

At 16h00 in the upstairs section of Ganesh, authors will do a presentation about their occupation of Symphony Way and their struggle for dignity, land and housing.

Please join us, we would love to meet you.

Contact Sarita @ 0764699843 and Jerome @ 0731438886

– –

For more information, see the book fair’s press release below…

Cape Town Anarchist Book Fair

*** Saturday 5 November 2011 *** Café Ganesh, Observatory (corner Trill Road & Lower Main Road). *** From 10am to 6pm *** Free entry

Remember, remember, the fifth of November, as this is the date when South Africa will play host to its first ever Anarchist Book Fair, taking place in Observatory, Cape Town, at Café Ganesh (corner Trill Road and Lower Main Road).

Comrades, armchair anarchists, committed revolutionaries and book lovers are invited to come and learn about this exciting philosophy and its proud history of resistance. You can swing by any time between 10am and 6pm to check out a wide range of radical literature, music, movies, talks and more. You’ll also have the chance to meet like-minded people, engage in discussions and workshops, and help to foment dissent (the ideal antidote to South Africa’s one party state).

Come and tune into an exciting moment in history. Not only have long-term dictatorships been overthrown by grassroots movements in North Africa (many of which organised along anarchist lines) but we’re also seeing a new decentralised occupation movement that started in Wall Street, New York and is now spreading across the world. People are taking to the streets and, if not directly calling for anarchism, are organising with anarchist principles such as horizontalism, decentralisation, and consensus-based decision-making.

Says one of the organisers Neil Goodwin, ‘Whenever societies descend into destruction and violence, commentators like to reach for the ‘anarchy’ label, in much the same way that colonialists once used ‘black’ to describe anything negative. This ideological hatchet job’s being going on for so long that people just accept it now. A flick through any one of hundreds of books at this bookfair will show you a completely different picture of Anarchy, a rich and vibrant set of values and social history built on co-operation, equality and ingenuity.’

There will be over 12 stalls and collectives taking part including –

The Missing Shelf, Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front, CrimethInc South Africa, Intsangu Clothes, Amandla! Magazine, Soundz of the South, Feminist Alternatives and Botsotso. The Sympony Way Pavement Dwellers, who will also be there showcasing their extraordinary book “No Land! No House! No Vote!”

Other talks will touch on such themes as “Anarchism, wtf? An introduction to anarchist ideas and history”…“Murdering the Queer dream: an incomplete personal critique on the liberal gay agenda in politics, in relationships, in death”…“Art & (revolutionary) Activism”

The programme will also include a feast of thought provoking films, including the South African premiere of ‘Reclaim the Streets – The Movie’, the staggering ‘Fourth World War’, a sneak preview of ‘Dear Mandela’, and that anarchist classic “Living Utopia”.
For further details, Contact Aragorn Eloef Tel: +27 (0) 82 557 3912

Email: us@anarchistbookfair.co.za or visit our website at www.anarchistbookfair.co.za and our events page on Facebook – ‘The Cape Town Anarchist Bookfair.

Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape and Gugulethu Anti-eviction successfully defended two unlawful evictions today at Gugulethu.

First evcition was carried by private property developer who claimed to have bought the house at Ngawe road Nyanga East.
The second evection was carried by ENGR INVESTMENTS, intersting both evictions were carried by the same sheriff of the court and the un identified security company was used to guard the houses, and it was the same security guys in both houses and they identified themselves as securities and during the conversation they identify themselves as police officers who do security work during their off days.

The second evection took place at NY 82 no 16 where invalid court order was used to evect the family and the order its self was not addressed to the current ocupiers of the house but it was addressed to the previous owner of the house which bought the house on auction and he (the previous owner) never occupied the house at all.

And we had to go the court to pull the whole court document and on the document we learnt that the matter was on the court roll on the 16 August 2011 and the matter was withdrawn on the court roll, this means the matter was not heard on the 16th of August and on the papers of the court it was also writtern that NO ORDER WAS ISSUED but interesting enough the falls eviction order had a stamp dated 16th August 2011, while the eviction date on the order it was the 28th of February 2011.

Through the hard work we have managed to identify all the lies and able to succesfully defend these two illegal evictions and hope to be able to defend more as we have learnt that there are number of families who have been receiving intimidation letters of evections.

And on behalf of these struggling families we would like to appeal to all progressive arttoney’s who are willing to offer their service to do pro bono to liase with us as we need serious legal intervention, either be legal advise or represantation.

for more information please call Mzonke Poni who is the Chairperson of Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape at 073 2562 036 or Mncedisi Twalo who is the chairperson of the Western Cape Anti-eviction Campaign at 078 580 8646

Currently Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape with the Support of Gugulethu Anti-eviction Campaign is resisting an illegal eviction
that takes place at Gugulethu NY 82 no 16. The current owner of the house passed away last week due to stress that he suffered from this eviction threat and he (the owner of the house) was a pensioner.

He is not even buried but the the new owner of the house continues with the eviction.

for more information call Mncedisi Twalo who is currently on the scene at 078 580 8646 and Mzonke Poni at 073 2562 036 and Zimasa Lerumo at 083 4465 081

Occupy Grahamstown!

Recapitalise the Poor!

As a movement of the poor we have taken great inspiration from the rebellion that has spread from Tahrir Square in Cairo to Syntagma Square in Athens, the Puerta del Sol in Madrid and now Liberty Plaza in New York. Our comrades in Students for Social Justice have been just as inspired by the growing spirit of rebellion that is jumping, like a fire, from country to country.

On Saturday we will occupy Grahamstown. The students will march into town from the Botanical Gardens. We will march into town from the township and the squatter camps. We will meet on the square at the Cathedral. We will turn that square into a people’s university, a people’s kitchen and a space of people’s power. Our aim is to bring the rebellion of the poor, the rebellion that has put thousands and thousands on the streets of South Africa in recent years, into dialogue with this global rebellion. The alliance between organised students and the organised unemployed is strong in Grahamstown. Together we can build strong foundations for the struggles to come.

We have been inspired by this global rebellion because the comrades in Tahrir Square showed the world the strength of a united and determined people. We have been inspired by this rebellion because it has clearly told the bankers that their time of ruling the world is over. We have been inspired by this rebellion because it has clearly told the politicians that from Cairo to New York people are determined to rule themselves and to build their own power from the ground up.

We will occupy Grahamstown in the name of freedom. We insist that all people have the right to organise themselves according to their own free choices. We denounce the ANC for the murder of Andries Tatane and all the others. We denounce the ANC for the repression of the Abahlali baseMjondolo, the Landless People’s Movement, the Anti-Eviction Campaign and all the others. We denounce the ANC for their attempts to censor the media. We denounce the ANC for continuing to claim that the movements of the poor are a Third Force. The ANC insult us by making us live like pigs and excluding us from all decision making and then, when we rebel, they insult us again by saying that it must be a white academic that is making us rebel. The ANC is incapable of understanding that poor black people can, like all other people, think for ourselves. The ANC is incapable of understanding that they do not and have never had a monopoly on struggle. The ANC is incapable of understanding that they are the real counter-revolutionaries.

We will occupy Grahamstown in the name of real democracy. We join the people of the world in showing our anger at the way that the capitalists have bought the politicians and the whole system. We will join the people of the world in insisting that democracy will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. Democracy is something that you do. It is not something that you watch on TV. Democracy is something that everyone can do. It is not something that experts like politicians or NGOs must do for the people.

We will occupy Grahamstown in the name of justice. We join the people of the world in insisting that we will not pay for the crisis caused by the bankers. Their wealth must be expropriated and returned to the people. South Africa is the most unequal society in the world. The predatory elite are publicly gorging themselves while the poor are starving, desperate and frightened. Last week Transnet advertised for 30 jobs – 30 boring and badly paid jobs. Ten thousand people came to apply. Forty people were injured when the gates were opened. The contempt with which the poor are treated in this country is incredible.

It is not just the ANC that treats the poor with such gross contempt. Business is just as bad. We have not forgotten how the big companies colluded, in the midst of mass unemployment, to fix the price of bread. When we are strong enough we will fix the price of bread from below. We will take the struggle for bread that was started in Durban forward. Imagine one day when people around the country enter the supermarkets and begin eating the bread without paying. That will be the last day on which the capitalists fix the price of bread.

We are not asking for higher taxes to increase funding for the state. Our municipality is a notorious kleptocracy. The ANC is corrupt from top to bottom. We do not want to struggle to buy Blade Nzimande a new car or more houses, cars, watches and sushi parties for Julius Malema and his friends. We do not want to struggle to finance Kebbelism. What is the point of the ANC getting more money to build houses when the houses that they build are unfit for human habitation, fall down in the first wind and are only given to ANC members?

We are not anti-state. But our state is rotten to the core. Until we can build enough people’s power to be able to discipline the state from below we will have to treat it as what it is, a vehicle from the predatory elite to feed off society.

The capitalists in Europe are saying that the people must pay for the banks to be recapitalised. We say that it is time to stop all public subsidies for the rich. We say that it is time for the banks to recapitalise the people. Abahlali baseMjondolo has correctly insisted that the poor were made poor by the same economic system that made the rich rich. Therefore it is only logical that the billions and billions held in the banks on Wall Street must be used to recapitalise the poor. We are calling for a universal guaranteed income. It must be at least R2000 per month and it must be paid to all people without going through local councillors or party structures.

Some of the comrades that were amongst the ten thousand in Bloemfontein are coming to Grahamstowm to learn from our struggle. Ayanda Kota was recently in Durban to be at the Abahlali baseMjondolo AGM. We are, day by day, building a national movement of the poor, by the poor and for the poor from the ground up. Every day our struggles and our movements are drawing closer.

Sekwanele!

Genoeg!

Enough!

Liziwe Gqotolo 073 440 5536

Siyanda Centwa 078 571 5507

Ayanda Kota 078 625 6462

LISA VAN WYK – Oct 11 2011 19:52 – Mail & Guardian

It has since spread to over 70 cities across the globe.

See a map of events around the world here.

South African “occupations” are planned to begin on October 15, with protests organised for Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, East London and Grahamstown.

The movement has been supported by many high profile activists, such as Naomi Klein and Slavoj Zizek, but has also been criticised for mainly appealling to a privileged few, given the fact that much of the activity was organised and publicised over the internet and through social networking sites.
Like many anti-capitalism and anti-government protests that have gone before, the crowd’s profile has been scrutinised. Are these the people who really should be protesting? And, if not, are those who have a voice allowed to speak for the voiceless?

It is certainly a complex issue, and one that perturbs both those who support such movements as much as it is cited as a problem by those who do not. But it seems that, perhaps because of widespread media coverage of the event, the demographics of the Wall Street crowd, and those participating in similar actions around the world, is changing.

Those expecting the crowd to be made up of bored white kids in faded Rage Against the Machine t-shirts and a library of Michael Moore DVDs would probably be surprised by the diversity (in terms of age, class and race) that is reflected.

And the issues that are being raised are broad enough to affect people from all walks of life — the “99%” the movement claims to represent does not have one face.

Another surprising aspect of the movements around the world has been the support and advice given to occupiers from conservatives to anarchist groups.

So will the local movement be supported and taken seriously? How can what started a US movement be relevant locally? Will it be more than a bunch of kids coming along because they saw it on Facebook? Flash mobs are so last decade, after all.

Aragorn Eloff, a documentary filmmaker and anarchist who has been in contact with some of those involved in the Wall Street protest, is positive that the local movement will have its own momentum.

“We live in one of the most unequal societies on earth; this inequality is perpetuated by capitalism and the state and thus we as South Africans find easy affinity with those occupying Wall Street and other US and European locations. The occupation will provide a platform for various social movements to air their grievances and demand service delivery [even though, in many cases, this demand is rhetorical and intended primarily as a demonstration of the state's inability to deliver on its promises].”

He pointed out that South Africa has a history of struggle and protest, which has continued to inspire many protest groups and movements. “There were over a thousand protests in South Africa last year! South Africa is home to a number of grassroots poor people’s movements, such as the Anti-Eviction Campaign, The Landless People’s Movement and Abahlali baseMjondolo. We can expect to see these and other groups, as well as a number of independent trade unions, taking part in the occupation.”

Local efforts are showing early signs of being surprisingly diverse, but whether that will be reflected remains to be seen.

“I was at a fascinating public meeting for the Cape Town occupation yesterday [Monday]. There were about 10 whities who knew about it via Facebook and about 80 people of colour from Khayelitsha, Mitchell’s Plain, Blikkiesdorp, Symphony Way and similar, many of them representing different social movements. The clash of values between the middle-class whities, who were all chattering about how we should coordinate actions on the day via Twitter and smartphones, and the poor and working class folks, most of whom don’t have access to a computer, was in turns fascinating, depressing, infuriating and humbling.”

Eloff adds that this gives the movement some gravitas, “even if the people who hear about it on the internet and arrive in their own cars will mostly leave on Saturday night for drinks on Long Street, and even though it was originally suggested on the internet by a bunch of relatively privileged kids”.

And those “privileged kids” should, perhaps, not be so easily dismissed.

“White kids who listen to Rage Against the Machine and call themselves activists are active relative to their context. If they seem ignorant and entitled in how they choose to act, well, kudos to them nonetheless for showing up and trying to break out of a system that benefits them more than most.”

There are plenty of reasons to be cynical about efforts such as this, no matter how deeply you sympathise with the ideals behind them. Revolution has never been more fashionable, after all. But whether it is a trend that will catch on here, only time will tell.