By Dale T. McKinley, Johannesburg
On the morning of March 21, South African police opened fire with stun grenades on members of the Gauteng Anti-Privatisation Forum who were protesting against water privatisation and the installation of pre-paid water meters in Johannesburg. Fifty-two APF members were arrested, including six children, for violating the Gatherings Act.
The Gatherings Act dates from theapartheid era. It gives police broad powers to ban or otherwise interfere with legitimate protest action.
On March 18, mere days before the action, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police denied permission for the Coalition against Water Privatisation to protest on the day, on the grounds that the protest would be violent (no previous APF protest marches have been violent), would disrupt traffic (on a Sunday!) and would constitute a threat to law and order.
The coalition, with the assistance of one of its member organisations — The Freedom of Expression Institute — immediately drew up appeal papers to get the ban overturned in court. However, in an unprecedented move, court sherriff refused to serve the papers. When the Coalition's lawyers finally managed to secure a court hearing late on March 19, the magistrate dismissed the appeal on a technicality.
The APF decided that the march had to go ahead, and took over its organisation. On March 17, eight people were arrested in Cape Town for protesting against the South African-Angolan decision to repatriate thousands of Angolans. The protesters were charged with violating the Gatherings Act by extending their protest beyond the permitted time.
[For more information, please email Dale McKinley at <drdalet@metroweb.co.za>.]
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, March 31, 2004.
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