Strike is a poverty fight

from The Independent On Line

By Sharlene Packree

The national civil servants strike has been described as a turning point in South African history and is set to put poverty at the forefront of issues being discussed by the government.

These are the views of Trevor Ngwane, a former Soweto councillor who addressed delegates - who included scientists, researchers and policymakers - at the Poverty Challenge 2007 conference being held in Durban.

Delegates from around the world are attending the conference to discuss new ideas and strategies on how the global community can tackle poverty.

Some of the topics to be discussed will be politics and poverty, social welfare, youth and poverty and education policies for poverty reduction.

Ngwane was one of the panelists who spoke at the Politics and Poverty session along with Independent Democratic leader Patricia de Lille.

He said: "In South Africa we are living in a historical moment. The public sector strike represents a defining moment in our history."

He told delegates that if the poor wanted to change things, they should take a united national stand against the government.

"Last year, we saw the security guards' strike and the cleaners' strike. The current public strike is a culmination of all these strikes. We are fighting against poverty. People are gatvol with the government as there has been a series of attacks on the working class and the poor," he said.

The outspoken Ngwane who received huge applause, said the poor needed power and force to fight against policies that create poverty.

He described the national strike as a powerful action that created a new centre of authority for ordinary people.

"All the worker unions have shown their solidarity during the national strike. Things will never be the same again," said Ngwane.

De Lille agreed with Ngwane, saying the strike has done a "world of good" for the poor and working class.

"Government always talks about the poor but not with the poor. There is a constant debate about statistics and whether it has increased or decreased.

"We need to take a hard look at ourselves and ask why we have poverty in South Africa," she said.

De Lille also said the governments could spend billions on soccer stadiums but couldn't find the one or two percent needed for civil servants wage increases.

"We need solutions, not policies. There's no consultation with the poor. The poor need a voice," she said.