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E-NEWS BULLETIN 20 October 2017 Links to present possibilities

SOUTH AFRICA

CPUT: a militarised campus is the new norm

cput tankEntering CPUT Bellville, you immediately got the impression that the situation was abnormal. On Wednesday the campus gates were guarded by eight armed men, dressed in full military attire. The armed men are from private security company Vetus Schola, the firm CPUT has hired, allegedly for millions of rands. thedailyvox.co.za/


Two Massive Wins for an Independent SABC!

SOS-CoalitionOn a day of the announcement of the seventh Minister of Communications in as many years, it would truly take a lot to not only lift our spirits but indeed make us jubilant. Such is the nature of our country that this is indeed the case. wwmp.org.za/


R2K Statement on the 40th Anniversary of Black Wednesday: Free the Media! Free the People!

r2kToday, 19 October, marks 40 years since the apartheid state tried to crush Black Consciousness Movements on what is now known as the Black Wednesday. In the wake of the murder of Steve Bantu Biko in detention, the apartheid regime banned The World and Weekend World newspapers, and the church publication Pro Veritate, and moved to shut down 18 Black Consciousness organisations and arrested their leaders. r2k.org.za/

Support the Shoprite 8 – Boycott Shoprite Pelican Park
Pamphlet produced and distributed by the Shoprite 8 Support Committee

Recently 8 cashiers were dismissed by Shoprite at their Pelican Park store. The workers were accused of theft after accepting tips from customers. Even though there was no money missing from their tills and tips have been allowed for several years, the Shoprite manager, Mr Bardien, handcuffed the workers (all women) and called the SAPS to arrest them. They were handcuffed standing for four hours and while using the toilet as if they were common criminals. One worker was pregnant. They were then taken in full view of the public in an SAPS van, charged and are appearing in court for theft of company money for amounts ranging from R20–R30. This was their money that they got from customers as tips.

shoprite 8Shoprite’s Low Wages and bad working conditions
Shoprite employs most of their cashiers and packers on a casual basis at very low wages of R2,400 per month or less than R100 per day – the lowest of all the supermarket chains. Many of them work for several years as casuals and have no hope of becoming “permanent”. The workers are also treated badly, often forced to work overtime and the company does not provide transport home. Most workers are females, who have to risk their lives every day to and from work.

On the other hand Shoprite bosses like Christo Wiese and Whitey Basson are billionaires by exploiting their workers and treating them like slaves. Whitey Basson who was the previous CEO of Shoprite used to earn over R100-million every year. In 2016 Shoprite’s top managers together earned R130-million in bonuses.

Shoprite-Checkers is abusing its workers all over Southern Africa as well, like Namibia, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.

JOIN US TO DEMAND:

  1. The dropping of all charges against the 8 workers
  2. The immediate reinstatement of all workers with full back-pay
  3. A public apology by Shoprite-Checkers and Pelican Park store manager Mr Bardien
  4. Mr Bardien to be dismissed
  5. Compensation for wrongful arrest, suffering and violation of dignity of the Shoprite 8

We demand decent work for all at a living wage and job security. End casualization of work!

We call on all Shoprite and other retail workers to support the Shoprite 8 and their demands. The bosses in the retail sector are pressuring workers to make more profits. Pick n Pay is already replacing cashiers with machines.

WE CALL ON THE COMMUNITY TO BOYCOTT SHOPRITE shoprite wynberg courtPELICAN PARK!
JOIN THE PROTESTS on FRIDAY 20 OCTOBER
at WYNBERG COURT 08.30a.m.
at SHOPRITE PELICAN PARK at 2p.m.

Local news from Khayelitsha, East London, Port Elizabeth, Alexandra and Orange Farm in English and isiXhosa


Install the Elitsha app on your phone: android iphone

INTERNATIONAL
Why is the US at war in West Africa?
The October 4 killings of four US Green Berets in Niger has provided a rare glimpse into the far-reaching American military operations throughout the African continent which have been conducted almost entirely in secret. wsws.org/


indonesian genocideNo, US Didn’t ‘Stand By’ Indonesian Genocide—It Actively Participated

It was reported that the US ‘allowed the Indonesian genocide of 1965–66 to continue. However, this is not the case; rather, it actively supported the massacres, which were applauded at the time by the New York Times. fair.org/


History Teacher Denies Native American Genocide, Native Chiitaanibah JohnsonStudent Disagrees, Gets Expelled
When she told her U.S. History Professor Maury Wiseman that she disagreed with his assessment that Native Americans did not face genocide, the professor said she was hijacking his class, and that she was accusing him of bigotry and racism. theindigenousamericans.com/


judenHitler’s American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law
Interview with author James Whitman about his new book that uncovers how the Nazis used Jim Crow laws as the model for their own race laws. portside.org/

american-nazis-1939When 20,000 American Nazis Descended Upon New York City [VIDEO]

In 1939, the German American Bund organized a rally of Nazi supporters at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
theatlantic.com/

PALESTINE

Balfour at 100: A legacy of racism and propaganda

john-buchanIn November 1917, British foreign secretary Lord Arthur Balfour declared his government’s support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”; in December, Jerusalem fell to British troops. mondoweiss.net/

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

NEW TECHNNOLOGY / NEW FORMS OF LABOUR

Monopoly Capitalism In Tech: How the Frightful Five Put Start-Ups in a Lose-Lose Situation

If you’re worried about the power of Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft, just look at how IBM, Hewlett-Packard or monopoly-era Microsoft fell to earth. They were all victims of “creative destruction.” nytimes.com/

LABOUR VIEWS
A woman's placeUnions are Central to Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Changing World of Work

Women’s economic empowerment is key to the realisation of women’s rights, and to achieving a truly gender equal world. It is about far more than women’s ability to participate equally in existing markets or their contribution to economic growth. awid.org/

THEORY

The Marxism of C.L.R. James

CLR jamesJames is generally acknowledged to have been one of the most original Marxist thinkers to emerge from the Western hemisphere, yet essential aspects of his identity came from the other side of the Atlantic, from Europe and Africa. As he explained to one African-American scholar, “I am a Black European, that is my training and outlook.” mronline.org/