The Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) was established in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

in July 2000 by activists and organisations involved in two key anti-privatisation struggles: the struggle against iGoli 2002, and the struggle against Wits 2001 at

Wits University The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

. The APF had affiliates from the unions, communities, students and the left: while most affiliates were township-based community movements, it also included small leftwing political groups, like Keep Left and the anarchist Bikisha Media Collective (later part of the Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front). For ten years the APF was a vibrant social movement in Gauteng townships, including areas on the

East Rand The East Rand is the urban eastern part of the Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation in South Africa. The region extends from Alberton in the west to Nigel in the east, and south down to Nigel. It includ ...

and in

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

and

Orange Farm Orange Farm ("Farma") is a township located approximately from Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. It is the southernmost township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Its name, a misnomer given that orange ...

. It is now defunct. The APF had fairly detailed positions on a wide range of issues, and was self-described as 'anti-capitalist.' However, its focus was on struggles, and in practice, affiliate organisations and individuals could take a wide range of positions. Many ordinary members were interested primarily in fighting against immediate problems, such as evictions and cut-offs, and did not take hard political positions. Others however were influenced by left-wing ideas, including Marxism–Leninism in the

Socialist Party of Azania The Socialist Party of Azania (SOPA) was a scientific socialist political party in South Africa adhering to Black Consciousness theory. In the 2004 general elections, it received 0.1% of the vote and no legislatorial seats at either the nati ...

tradition,

Trotskyism Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a ...

in various forms, and anarchist communism. There was also a small autonomist current, based largely among university intellectuals. Trevor Ngwane, one of the founding members, and a former town councillor was the APF's best known figure: his politics were orthodox

Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian M ...

ism.

Repression

The movement suffered significant state repression, largely directed at protestors from APF community-based affiliates.Dissent Under Thabo Mbeki
Jane Duncan, May 2011

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20180928043635/http://apf.org.za/ The Anti-Privatisation Forum webpage (still online) *http://www.saha.org.za/publications/anti_privatisation_forum.htm Dale McKinley, ''Transition's Child: The Anti-Privatisation Forum'', a history produced for The South African History Archive (SAHA) *http://www.saha.org.za/apf/labour.htm The Anti-Privatisation Forum's engagements with the trade unions 2000 establishments in South Africa Defunct social movements in South Africa Political party alliances in South Africa Social movements based in Johannesburg {{Johannesburg-stub