The Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) was established in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

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 (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The university has its roots in ...

. 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 The Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF, also known as ZabFront or simply as Zabalaza), formerly known as the Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation (ZabFed), is a platformist–especifista anarchist political organisation in South A ...

). For ten years the APF was a vibrant social movement in Gauteng townships, including areas on the

East Rand The East Rand is a major urban area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It is the urban eastern part of Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation. The region extends from Alberton in the west to ...

and in

Soweto Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), 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 T ...

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 oranges ...

. 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 Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and social ...

tradition,

Trotskyism Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

in various forms, and anarchist communism. There was also a small autonomist current, based largely among university intellectuals.

Trevor Ngwane Trevor Ngwane is a South African people, South African Socialism, socialist, Internal resistance to South African apartheid, anti-apartheid activist, and author. He previously worked as a sociology lecturer at Wits University where he helped fou ...

, 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,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

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 Social movements based in Johannesburg {{Johannesburg-stub