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E-NEWS BULLETIN 20 April 2018 Links to present possibilities

Editorial

Wage bargaining councils are straining at the contradictions they have to contain and worker strikes are proliferating across the South African economy. Bus drivers have gone on strike this week for better conditions of work leaving many commuters (including learners) frustrated. The liberal conscience will take the opportunity to think of the children, waiting at the taxi ranks for an education, forgetting the suspension of concern at all other times of the year when those bus drivers are at work. It is a fact that the children of the elite will continue their schooling fairly untroubled by the class politics that gives them that privilege. But it is not workers striking that has made learners from townships and from suburbs unequal. There’s a much longer history behind this reality that demands disruption if it is to change.

Watching the outbreak of looting in the North West province, ostensibly under the cover of calls for Premier Supra Muhamapelo to step down, we are reminded that politics evinced by the poor and working class trades on its threat of violence to be effective. Service delivery protests have been breaking out in the North West (remember Khutsong?) and Mpumalanga townships for many years. In Mahikeng, their form and rage has been directed towards a factional battle in the ANC. So the wretched of the earth are fickle, temperamental and poised to be misdirected, and history follows no moral compass.

…Which should make us grateful for liberal principles when they can be invoked in cases where a neoliberal attack on our freedoms finds that constitutional defenses have lapsed. The switching off of community radio stations is emblematic of the neoliberal doctrine that only commercial enterprises are viable. What’s classically liberal in our consciences must be outraged that communities’ freedom of expression and access to information are subject to how well they are able to turn a profit. If only successful businesses get heard, then the future will do no better than resemble the past.

SOUTH AFRICA

15 local radio stations switched off because they owe too much money

Sentech started its first phase of the switch-offs last week, and more stations will be switched off unless it receives payments owed. Community TV stations which are in arrears will be next according to the state company. mybroadband.co.za/

Community Radio Under Attack From Sentech Demands

Concerned community radio station managers released a statement in protest at the disconnection of the community radios. They demand a lifting of the suspension of services by Sentech, and the switching-on of those stations taken off air. bushradio.wordpress.com/

R2K condemns Sentech for switching off community radio stations!

The Right2Know campaign points out that mounting debts to Sentech for signal distribution are a common problem for community radio stations. Despite this fact, the South African government has remained silent on this serious matter. r2k.org.za/

Icasa takes first step to commercial digital radio in SA

The communications regulator has published a discussion document on digital sound broadcasting services to solicit feedback from the media industry. techcentral.co.za/
The discussion document is available on Icasa’s website.

Invitation for Public Submissions on the Review of Section 25 of the Constitution

Constitutional review to make it possible for the state to expropriate land in the public interest without compensation. parliament.gov.za/

The Prevention and combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill

The Hate Speech Bill has been tabled in Parliament. justice.gov.za/

Has truth become a casualty of Winnie’s rejection of accountability?

We do history a disservice if we omit the truth about the characters and events that shaped democratic SA. So, we must accept that Winnie Mandela was both a heroine and a villain, writes Palesa Morudu. businesslive.co.za/

[PETITION] Support the striking Simba workers!

Labour-brokered workers under Adcorp Blu, some of whom have been employed at Simba for up to five years, have gone on strike to demand their right to be made permanent workers, of Simba, with better wages and benefits.

INTERNATIONAL

Russia And China Roll Out 100% Gold-Backed Currency

Russia has been aggressively increasing its gold reserves for a reason. It has seen the US dollar dominate as a global currency and is working with China to end the US/Western currency supremacy. yournewswire.com/

Declassified CIA Report Exposes Over 25 Years of U.S. Plans to Destabilize Syria

In 2010, Wikileaks published hundreds of thousands of classified State Department cables, including a 2006 cable showing that destabilizing the Syrian government was a primary goal of U.S. policy in the Middle East. The ultimate intention was to topple Iran, one of Syria’s closest allies. mintpressnews.com/

[PODCAST] Teachers Take the Lessons of the Classrooms to the Streets of Conservative America

After a victorious wildcat strike in West Virginia, teachers without bargaining rights in Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arizona, where striking is illegal and their unions weak, summoned their courage and walked off the job. Download or listen to this 26:57 minute program at radio4all.net/index.php/ or archive.org/

Could Student Loans Lead to Debt Prison? The Handwriting on the Wall

Holders of student loans in the US carry a combined debt burden that stands at a record high of $1.5 trillion, more than 8 percent of GDP and more than the $1.3 trillion in direct costs of waging war against Iraq. counterpunch.org/

Undermining Brazilian Democracy: the Curious Saga of Lula

Brazil’s former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva turned himself in to the police after having been charged with corruption. It was a dramatic moment for a man who remains hugely popular in Brazil and is seen by many as a standard-bearer of the aspirations of the poor. counterpunch.org/

Cuba’s ‘lost generation’ prepares to take power next week

Raul Castro will step down as president, handing the position to a successor expected to be 57-year-old Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel. The April 19 handover is the centerpiece of a broader transition to a group of leaders from the lost generation, who have only ever known the same “commandantes” for 60 years. apnews.com/

Five years after Rana Plaza, the need for the Bangladesh Accord persists

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster that killed 1,134 workers, global trade unions and labour rights organizations are calling on all brands sourcing from Bangladesh to take responsibility for workers making their products. uniglobalunion.org/

PALESTINE

Palestine and Israel. It’s All About The Land.

Whatever one thinks about the conflict, it’s both unconscionable and factually incorrect for anyone to try to minimize and render invisible, millions of Palestinian people who have lived in the region for centuries. medium.com/

Media Cover-up: Shielding Israel is a Matter of Policy

The term ‘media bias’ does not do justice to the western corporate media’s relationship with Israel and Palestine. The relationship is far more profound than mere partiality. It is a calculated and long-term campaign, aimed at guarding Israel and demonizing Palestinians. counterpunch.org/

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

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES / NEW FORMS OF LABOUR

Facebook Uses Artificial Intelligence to Predict Your Future Actions for Advertisers, Says Confidential Document

Since the Cambridge Analytica scandal erupted in March, Facebook has been attempting to make a moral stand for your privacy, distancing itself from the unscrupulous practices of the U.K. political consultancy. theintercept.com/

Another Misclassification Win For Gig Economy Businesses

In another victory for gig economy companies reliant upon the independent contractor business model, a US federal court ruled that a UberBLACK drivers were properly classified as contractors and could not maintain wage and hour claims against Uber. lexology.com/

ENVIRONMENT

Species Threatened as Climate Crisis Pushes Mother Nature ‘Out of Synch’

In a new study showing that the timing of species’ natural events is failing to synchronize, “everything is consistent with the fact it’s getting warmer”. commondreams.org/

Disclaimer:

This newsletter is intended as a special and alternative news, information and knowledge source for all who are interested in issues relevant to promoting political, social and economic equality and the eradication of poverty. The articles contained herein are obtained from various electronic media platforms and do not necessarily reflect the views of WWMP.