On October 14 through 18, around 500 progressive political leaders, intellectuals, and members of mass movements, trade unions, left parties, and cultural organizations from over 70 countries will gather in Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss solutions to humanity’s crises, from a socialist perspective. The III International Dilemmas of Humanity Conference will take place at Constitution Hill, a former prison where anti-apartheid fighters such as Winnie Mandela, Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo were held.
Ahead of the conference, participant Thapelo Mohapi, General Secretary of South African shack dweller’s movement Abahlali baseMjondolo, spoke to Peoples Dispatch about the significance of socialism to the poor and dispossessed of South Africa.
Abahlali has been heavily persecuted by the South African government, subject to assassinations of beloved leaders and unjust imprisonment. Nonetheless, the shack dwellers’ movement continues to fight for the organized poor.
Peoples Dispatch: We’re just on the eve of the Dilemmas conference. Can you first tell us why a little bit about this conference? Why is it important for Abahlali to participate and what are your expectations of the conference?
Thapelo Mohapi: The conference that is taking place here is discussing crucial issues that are facing humanity. Capitalism has taken over and we need to rise up and fight against it. And the exploitation of the working class, basic services not provided to the needy in the informal settlements. And we continue to go poor on a daily basis because of the greed of the capitalist system in this country.
So the conference aims to discuss that and find solutions. Because solutions can be only found by the people organized at grassroots level. It is us who can implement socialism, socialism that is going to take us forward. So we are here today on the eve to say that we want to confirm and affirm our future as socialist, that we are going to fight against the evils of the capitalist system.
PD: And we know that there will be a delegation coming from the movement. Can you talk a bit about some of the areas that Abahlali will speak about? What are the major interests in the countries for the movement?
TM: We are going to speak about the crisis that we are finding ourselves in around the world, and we are continuing to be repressed and attacked by a brutal state in this country. And we understand that our comrades in Palestine, as we speak, are subjected to a very forceful, very greedy government, an apartheid state of Israel, supported by the US. It’s an imperial combination that is trying by all means and to repress, suppress and even kill innocent people in Palestine. And we are saying to the people of Palestine, our hearts and souls are with you.
And one day, we will be there and enjoying the land that belongs to you that continues to be invaded by the government of Israel.
PD: Can you tell us a bit about the movement? What are the current issues that Abahlali is fighting for?
TM: Yes, Abahlali baseMjondolo is basically a shack dwellers movement. It was formed in 2005 to fight for, defend and advance the interest of the poor and marginalized people of South Africa, particularly those who live in the informal settlement, who live in the shacks, those who live under inhuman conditions, in the favelas where there’s no electricity, there’s no water, there’s no services at all.
We understand that we are being impoverished. And therefore we are saying the dignity of the poor must be recognized. And we affirm that and it is an ideal that we are prepared to fight for, because we can’t live in a country where inequality grows on a daily basis.
We are the most unequal country in the world, and therefore we cannot sit and watch as that happens. So we are for humanity, and we believe that a human being is a human being wherever and whenever they find themselves.
We are against any forms of xenophobia, we are against any form of race discrimination, and we want to tackle those head on. And therefore, that’s why we are building the power of the people from below, because we believe that the people can be stewards of their own struggles, and the struggles of the people of Palestine, the struggles of the people around the world who are oppressed in the region, in Africa is the struggle of the people of South Africa.
And therefore, that’s why we are convening this conference to say that let’s discuss our own issues, because the solutions to these issues can only come from the oppressed.
So the people that are going to be here are people from social movements who are organizing from below and we are fighting against hunger. It can’t be that there are people who have houses that they only come to for holidays when they are people who are walking and sleeping under the bridges because they are homeless.
It can’t be like that. And we want humanity. And when we speak about humanity we speak about socialism, because socialism speaks about sharing the means of production, sharing the wealth to everyone, and so that we become an equal society where no one will be exploited. Right now we are in a situation where the working class has been exploited.
People are paid peanuts for working long hours and services are not given to the poor and marginalized in this country. And therefore and this is a situation all over the world, we are seeing capitalists coming to us. And if we are not going to fight capitalism, we will continue to be exploited and therefore this conference will affirm that we will fight all forms of exploitation, repression and oppression, and we will fight that even if it means our lives perish in the process.
This text is part of a series, Voices of Dilemmas, which seeks to bring the perspectives and key debates of the different organizations, intellectuals, and political leaders that are part of the Dilemmas of Humanity process.
