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20.06.2012
KASA Newsletter 1/2012 (English version)
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Editorial
Dear Readers,
dear supporters, partners and friends,
The first KASA newsletter in 2012 is much influenced by the controversy caused by the ANCs centenary. KASA took this anniversary as an opportunity and organized a conference on the 3rd and 4th of February in Heidelberg, which was attended, among others, by Denis Goldberg, Chirikure Chirikure and Liepollo Pheko Lebohang. Liepollo used her stay in Germany to start a Speaker’s Tour after the end of our conference. Her stops included Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) in Stuttgart, where she held a lecture on “South Africa today: Experiences and analyses from economical and gender specific aspects”, which is documented in this newsletter. South African theologians used this centenary as an opportunity to publish a Kairos document, which will be briefly presented and analyzed later on. Further topics in this newsletter edition include the latest developments concerning the claims for reparation payments in South Africa and Namibia, the first measures taken by the Sata government in Zambia, the discussions on Julius Malema in South Africa, the significance of the World Women’s Day in Southern Africa and, last but not least, Zambia’s victory during the African Cup 2012.
Alicia Mc Innis, Franziska Schmitt and Susanne Trulla, our three student apprentices during the last months, contributed to the concept and editing of this newsletter. The KASA-Team thanks them for their contribution as well as everybody who supported KASA’s work in various ways. In connection with this, we warmly welcome the Evangelische-lutherische Missionswerk in Lower Saxony (ELM) as the latest supporter of KASA.
We wish everybody a bracing reading.
Kind regards from Heidelberg.
the KASA-Team
South Africa today: Experiences and analysis from a gender and economic perspective
In the midst of this ‘age of hope’ African women, confronted with an intensification of institutions, structures, systems, policies and an economy that entrenches patriarchy, neoliberalism and fundamentalism are still subjected to experiencing life from a disadvantaged starting point. The broad context is that African women are paying the cost of failed states, inimical economic system and political systems that deepen poverty and widen inequalities in many of our societies in the global South. As millions of women and men free fall out of the economic net in South Africa, notions of economic citizenship need to be examined in relation to the neo-liberal paradigm.1 The relationship between the state and women as evidenced by trade policy is appears to be characterised by contradictions between the market agenda, its inequitable consequences and Government’s stated intentions to redistribute wealth and provide basic services.
by Liepollo Lebohang Pheko | more
General Motors compensates victims of Apartheid
The first KASA campaign on debt relief and compensation in Southern Africa was themed “Reparation now and not only in 50 years”. Back then, at the end of the 1990s, the discussions and negotiations of reparation payments to former forced laborers in Germany were in full swing. Many of those who had to work in Nazi Germany during World War II, were already dead or too old, so that compensation payments came too late for them. This should not happen to the Apartheid victims.
by Simone Knapp | more
The Kairos Document – A warning to the ANC and the church
Almost 26 years after the first Kairos Document, South African theologians used the ANC‘s centenary in 2012 as an opportunity to draft a second Kairos document, which was eventually published at the end of December 2011. In the meantime, the document was signed by more than 1000 people and officially forwarded to the ANC as main addressee. Additionally, the coordination group has started a campaign in order to ultimately retain 1 million signatures. The aim of this campaign is to promote a dialog, notably with people who have been excluded from political processes until today. The attempt is supposed to be a contribution to social integration and the mobilization of churches in order to account for the South African society more seriously than it has been pursued in the past. From this perspective, the Kairos Document 2012 attempts to encourage a consciousness-raising process that makes contributions to the key questions on how South Africa’s future should look like.
by Boniface Mabanza | more
Julius Malema and his legacy: An ordeal for the ANC
Even after his suspension from the party, Julius Malema, until recently leader of the ANC Youth League, keeps on fighting. He has not yet given up his place within the ANC. Despite his more and more arbitrary critique towards the people in power, he still considers the ANC as the best option for the poor and excluded in South Africa. Regardless of what will happen to Malema´ political career, his legacy is already a heavy one for the ANC and its allies in the governing coalition.
by Boniface Mabanza | more
Diamonds and democracy in Zimbabwe
During a meeting of the Kimberley Process in December 2011, the NGO’s left in protest against its decision to allow the trade with diamonds from the Marange area once more. The ruling of the KP was justified by an allegedly trustworthy assurance of the Zimbabwean Minister of Mines Mpofu (ZANU-PF), to explicitly adhere to the KP guidelines. The decision was made after a delegation of the KP visited the companies in the diamond fields and especially examined their safety standards.
by Simone Knapp | more
Mugabe wants elections now
Robert Mugabe celebrated his 88th birthday in February and used this opportunity on the one hand to assure the nation of his allegedly good physical condition and on the other hand to proclaim early elections. Whoever will not agree with that idea can - according to Mugabe - stay away from the elections. Yet it is not that simple anymore. The opposition as well as the SADC hold on to the, in Namibia resolved, policy on new elections: Before anything else, a new constitution has to be drawn up and adopted and all agreements of the coalition contract have to be implemented. Reforms embraced in this contract include the security sector, a free press and an ending of the human rights violations.
by Simone Knapp | more
Zambia: A country reconciled by soccer
In April 1993, a Zambian military plane crashed at the coast of Libreville (Gabun). None of the 30 passengers survived the crash, among them 18 players, 6 instructors and 6 crew-members. One of the most talented Zambian teams of all times hereby vanished into thin air. The accident left a whole nation traumatized, quite unprepared in coming to terms with what had happened. 20 years later, Zambia is celebrating the victory of its first Africa Cup ever. It was won rather unexpected and more over at the Stade de l´amitié in Libreville, not far off the place at which the catastrophe of 1993 had occurred. Whoever has watched the Zambian players at this year’s Africa Cup and the support for this team in Zambia as well as in the Zambian Diaspora, knows that this Africa Cup is more than only a Soccer victory. It is the highlight of coping with the past, which after the catastrophe of 1993 got under way only very slowly.
by Boniface Mabanza | more
Zambia six months after the election
The elections in Zambia took place on 20th September 2011. Michael Chilufya Sata, the leader of the opposition party Patriotic Front (PF), won the election and his victory ended the 20 year reign of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). In his election campaign, Sata promised to completely remould the country within 90 days. He wanted to create new jobs, start the battle against corruption and reduce taxes.
by Alicia Mc Innis | more
Reflections on the 101st International Women’s Day. Experiences from Southern Africa
On March 8th 2012 the International Women’s Day had its 101st anniversary. All over the world, women came together and reflected on today’s situation. In some African countries, the International Women’s Day is a national holiday, which displays an appreciation for women. The day provides an opportunity to critically analyse the current situation of women in Southern Africa.
by Franziska Schmitt | more
Genocide in Namibia: Changing tunes from Windhoek
Much progress has been made in case of reparations by the German Government for the Genocide committed by imperial troops on the ethnic groups of Sun, Herero and Namas between 1904 and 1908. The argument used by the German Government over and over again, is that the Namibian Parliament and the Namibian Government had not followed the demands brought forward by the victim organizations for reparation payment. This argument, however,, is crumbling for a while now, because the tone of Namibian governmental and parliamentary circles towards Germany is growing harsher.
by Boniface Mabanza | more
Imprint
Editor:
KASA – Ecumenical Service on Southern Africa
Obere Seegasse 18, D-69124 Heidelberg, Germany
Phone +49 (0)6221 43336-12, Fax +49 (0)6221 43336-29
kasa@woek.de, www.kasa.woek.de
Bank details:
KASA c/o Werkstatt Ökonomie, account no. 801 885 1600
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG, BIC 430 609 67
Responsible:
Simone Knapp, Boniface Mabanza & Lisa Stehr
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