Ok,
so I’ve been avoiding this topic for quite some time, but here we go. Politics
in South Africa seem to be as corrupt and ridiculous as politics in the States.
It’s one thing to read the paper, but it’s another to ask the locals how they
really feel about their leader. The answer is pretty consistent – they are
looking forward to the upcoming elections and can’t wait for a change in
regime. Sound familiar?
However, Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s current President, is much more controversial than any American President I can recall. Born in Nkandla, South Africa, on April 12, 1942, Jacob Zuma was elected president of South Africa in 2009. In 2007, he won the presidency of the African National Congress, which he joined at an early age in 1959. Zuma served as deputy president of South Africa from 1999 to 2005. He is a controversial politician, involving himself in several legal scandals associated with rape, corruption, and racketeering. One of the most interesting things I’d like to share with you though is that he is a practicing polygamist with ~20 children (incl. at least 1 love child since he’s been in office). And to think America was up in arms over Bill’s scandals! He has 6 wives, a fiancé, and he’s dating! I’m not sure how you find the time to do all of that AND run a country. The country is paying ~1.2M in spousal support per year for his wives. But I digress…
Awethu’s offices are located in the center of town in a neighborhood called Constitution Hill. Constitution Hill is a city precinct, anchored by the South African Constitutional Court – the highest court in the country on constitutional matters. Constitution Hill is also the site of Johannesburg’s notorious Old Fort Prison Complex, where thousands of ordinary people were brutally punished before the dawn of democracy. Many of South Africa’s political activists, including Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Walter Sisulu were detained here. What once was a place of injustice and brutality has been transformed into a place of solidarity and democracy. More on this topic later.
Situated on a hill overlooking the bustling Johannesburg city and the fostered suburbs, Constitution Hill provides a unique perspective of Johannesburg and its rich history. The site is home to the Women’s Gaol museum, Number Four Museum, and Old Fort Museum and companies including The Awethu Project. These areas host gripping exhibitions with themes that reveal South Africa’s rich heritage and advocate human rights. Furthermore, Constitution Hill is an imperative platform for Heritage, Education, and Tourism related programs.
As a foreigner working in another country, you don’t often get the opportunity to witness the immediate reaction/aftermath of policy change first-hand, but working on Constitution Hill my experience has been quite the opposite. This week I was working diligently when all of a sudden I heard was a roar coming from the street below. The entire office ran to the windows overlooking the streets 3 stories below to see what the commotion was all about. We observed hundreds of people protesting and walking towards us up Constitution Hill. The police had formed a barricade to stop the march, but they were severely outnumbered. The group pushed through the barricade picking up rocks and branches along the way and were shouting and screaming.
My Awethu colleagues informed me that there is a huge effort in Joburg right now to “clean-up the streets”, which includes getting rid of the city’s street vendors. Street vendors are an integral component of most urban economies including Johannesburg. Distributors of affordable goods and services, they provide consumers especially tourists with convenient and accessible retail options and form a vital part of the social and economic life of a city. This trade is also a huge provider of jobs in the area. This is where the situation gets sticky. Many of the street vendors are legal and have applied for business licenses and actually employ lots of people, but others have setup shop and are trading illegally. The government didn’t take the time to find out who was legal or not, they closed everyone down. In an urban area like Johannesburg that depends on jobs like these to help maintain stability, you can imagine what a blow this was to the people. Their goods were confiscated, their shops were closed, and the people are angry. They marched on toward the mayor’s office located across the street from Awethu. They broke windows and tore down trees, but the protest was eventually disbanded by the police.
The
next day, I heard another roar from down below. It couldn’t but, but sure
enough the street vendors union was back. This time the police were ready for
them. I wasn’t allowed to go out on the balcony to see the demonstration like
the day before, because this time the police were armed. Their guns were drawn
(rubber bullets I can only assume) and their riot gear was in place. The crowd
was significantly smaller on this day, but their organization was stronger. The
group was chanting in unison and singing songs together. They marched
(somewhat) peacefully back to the mayor’s office where the police allowed them
to stay for at least an hour before breaking up the group.
I
was absolutely fascinated by these occurrences, but it seemed to be another day
at the office for the Awethu crowd. They did confirm that this was one of the
largest protests they had ever witnessed. I keep checking the paper, but I
haven’t seen any major updates relating to their protest. I know there are 2
sides to every story, but this is one I don’t think I want the government to
win.
Look for more on Jacob Zuma, the government, Apartheid, etc. coming soon!
Something new every day…
However, Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s current President, is much more controversial than any American President I can recall. Born in Nkandla, South Africa, on April 12, 1942, Jacob Zuma was elected president of South Africa in 2009. In 2007, he won the presidency of the African National Congress, which he joined at an early age in 1959. Zuma served as deputy president of South Africa from 1999 to 2005. He is a controversial politician, involving himself in several legal scandals associated with rape, corruption, and racketeering. One of the most interesting things I’d like to share with you though is that he is a practicing polygamist with ~20 children (incl. at least 1 love child since he’s been in office). And to think America was up in arms over Bill’s scandals! He has 6 wives, a fiancé, and he’s dating! I’m not sure how you find the time to do all of that AND run a country. The country is paying ~1.2M in spousal support per year for his wives. But I digress…
Awethu’s offices are located in the center of town in a neighborhood called Constitution Hill. Constitution Hill is a city precinct, anchored by the South African Constitutional Court – the highest court in the country on constitutional matters. Constitution Hill is also the site of Johannesburg’s notorious Old Fort Prison Complex, where thousands of ordinary people were brutally punished before the dawn of democracy. Many of South Africa’s political activists, including Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Walter Sisulu were detained here. What once was a place of injustice and brutality has been transformed into a place of solidarity and democracy. More on this topic later.
Situated on a hill overlooking the bustling Johannesburg city and the fostered suburbs, Constitution Hill provides a unique perspective of Johannesburg and its rich history. The site is home to the Women’s Gaol museum, Number Four Museum, and Old Fort Museum and companies including The Awethu Project. These areas host gripping exhibitions with themes that reveal South Africa’s rich heritage and advocate human rights. Furthermore, Constitution Hill is an imperative platform for Heritage, Education, and Tourism related programs.
As a foreigner working in another country, you don’t often get the opportunity to witness the immediate reaction/aftermath of policy change first-hand, but working on Constitution Hill my experience has been quite the opposite. This week I was working diligently when all of a sudden I heard was a roar coming from the street below. The entire office ran to the windows overlooking the streets 3 stories below to see what the commotion was all about. We observed hundreds of people protesting and walking towards us up Constitution Hill. The police had formed a barricade to stop the march, but they were severely outnumbered. The group pushed through the barricade picking up rocks and branches along the way and were shouting and screaming.
My Awethu colleagues informed me that there is a huge effort in Joburg right now to “clean-up the streets”, which includes getting rid of the city’s street vendors. Street vendors are an integral component of most urban economies including Johannesburg. Distributors of affordable goods and services, they provide consumers especially tourists with convenient and accessible retail options and form a vital part of the social and economic life of a city. This trade is also a huge provider of jobs in the area. This is where the situation gets sticky. Many of the street vendors are legal and have applied for business licenses and actually employ lots of people, but others have setup shop and are trading illegally. The government didn’t take the time to find out who was legal or not, they closed everyone down. In an urban area like Johannesburg that depends on jobs like these to help maintain stability, you can imagine what a blow this was to the people. Their goods were confiscated, their shops were closed, and the people are angry. They marched on toward the mayor’s office located across the street from Awethu. They broke windows and tore down trees, but the protest was eventually disbanded by the police.
The
next day, I heard another roar from down below. It couldn’t but, but sure
enough the street vendors union was back. This time the police were ready for
them. I wasn’t allowed to go out on the balcony to see the demonstration like
the day before, because this time the police were armed. Their guns were drawn
(rubber bullets I can only assume) and their riot gear was in place. The crowd
was significantly smaller on this day, but their organization was stronger. The
group was chanting in unison and singing songs together. They marched
(somewhat) peacefully back to the mayor’s office where the police allowed them
to stay for at least an hour before breaking up the group. 
I
was absolutely fascinated by these occurrences, but it seemed to be another day
at the office for the Awethu crowd. They did confirm that this was one of the
largest protests they had ever witnessed. I keep checking the paper, but I
haven’t seen any major updates relating to their protest. I know there are 2
sides to every story, but this is one I don’t think I want the government to
win.Look for more on Jacob Zuma, the government, Apartheid, etc. coming soon!
Something new every day…
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