EARLIER THIS month, the South African army surrounded the black Johannesburg. Its aim was to attempt to smash the system of control of the township by its black inelemenaffiliated unions, such as the Metal and population, and its lack of weapons, was not able to prevent the army and police entering the township the South Anacas stale was any lasting control. It was purely and an army or occupation sura sea ot an increasingiv ine developical or mass organisation of the population in Alexandra was tremendously strengthened following four days of violent confrontations with the police and army in February. In tne ngaling between tne populacon of the township and the police and army the apartheid regime's control of the town was smashed. Several dozen dent black police and members of the local quisling "black municipal council' had to be evacuated from the township.
under way in other black townships as well. New forms of local mass organisation, commonly called 'street commitpopular bodies. thev helm La new limited to some parts of the country, upheaval that has been rocking South Africa for more than a year and a half. Dual power While the formation of these committees is a product of the situation in SUItorward the began to be created towards the end of callea ior a struggle to 'transform these areas (noANC's magazine, carries a major article entitled: 'Dual power and the creaspecifically addresses, emergence of 'dual power, embryonic forms of self-government and popular The formation of street committees and other organisations is part of Africa ungovernable.
by Black collaborators with the apartheid regime, these councils are responsible primarily for collecting rents and fees, issuing licenses, and carrying out ouier dollustrauve lasks.
Rent boycott ed by these councils, residents of Black since late 1984. Several hundred concillors have been forced to resign under mass pressure, and some have been killa key source or revenue tor ine councils DOVCOLLS have further dried up council funding. In some areas, no rent has been paid The isolation and destruction of these councils has gone the furthest in Jonannesburg and In tne castern cape Attempts to fill in vacancies in the Vaal Triangle councils failed when no-one came forward to run for the posts. According to the 16 March Johannesburg community councils operating in the Eastern Cape are fulfilling their duties higher local authorities are either not hampered by constant attacks by their As in Alexandra, residents of other townships have driven out Black police as well. Often the police are only able to Some Black police have also resigned townships ground to a halt, popular organisations have begun to take on more are more dutroatv.
greater emphasis on building up local townshiD organisations nas Crackdown claimed a state of emergency over parts of the country in July 1985, hundred organisers were detained. Most of those picked up by the security police belongmillion member anti-apartheid coalition that has been leading most of the South African Students (COSAS), the clearly to behead the mass movement in the most experienced leaders and made more difficult. The UDF was forced to imprisoned UDF supporters kept in touch with"each other through jail-cell study groups. They maintained movement outside through those who were released atter an elaborate system of communication our activists, and declared Naseegh Jaffer, organiser of the UDF's interim executive committee Emergency state of emergency — which was finally lifted in early March - UDF national and regional executive committees conwere temporarily replaced. devised ways and means of operating that enable us to withstand extreme Although the UDF will take full advantage of the end of the state of emergenValli went on, 'We won't go back to the way we were working before the state Next time the state clamps down on us, they'll find it much leadership structures, with activities being organised and coordinated more on the local and regional levels. This places greater responsibility on the townshipemergency was imposed, but new ones been formed since then, particularly in smaller townships in more rural parts of the country. Many are affiliated to the UDF, but some are not.
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Socialist Action.