Towards a grassroots women's movement
In recent months the autonomous women's movement in the
Western Cape has re-focused its work to reflect its working class socialist orientation. Rita Edwards reports
A renewed commitment to build a radical, autonomous, grassroots women's movement emerged in the Western Cape after the Women's Charter was adopted in 1994. This marked the point at which the Women's National Coalition (WNC) was forced to rethink its role since its primary task had been completed.
Over previous years, the WNC had managed to mobilise a very broad spectrum of organisations and women activists from diverse backgrounds whose demands formed the core of the Women's Charter. The WNC raised issues which women wanted to see resolved in the new constitution.
But the fact that it was so broad-based also constituted the WNC's major weakness. The WNC brings ruling class women from the National Party and the Democratic Party together with women from the liberation movement and the trade unions. This made it difficult for a radical grassroots agenda to emerge.
And yet many progressives in the WNC believed it was premature to consider the formation of a grassroots women's movement. They argued that the WNC needed to continue as a broad front to lobby government around the Women's Charter and to mobilise women around the Beijing Conference. But in spite of the decision to continue as a broad coalition, the WNC in the Western Cape weakened and fragmented as member organisations concentrated on their own activities.
To address this situation, the WNC executive in the Western Cape organised a series of consultations to review the socio-political context and to debate how women should reorganise. These gave rise to an interim steering committee for the formation of a grassroots women's movement. Participants included organisations affiliated to the WNC and also broad sections of the community.
The first public forum took place in June 1996 and was attended by women from political organisations, trade unions, community, civic, nongovernmental and gay and lesbian organisations as well as women parlia mentarians.
Overwhelming support was given to the idea of building an independent grassroots women's movement that would address violence against women, basic needs, reproductive rights and child care. Follow-up workshops and forums have laid the basis for building this new movement.
The movement is seen as a predominantly working-class organisation which will campaign around issues affecting grassroots women. Activists attending the consultations were unanimous in the view that we are building a women's organisation with working-class women in leadership. Although men are not defined as the enemy, they are not eligible for membership, since it is believed important for women to organise themselves against their own oppression. However, we are clear that our struggle is directed against a system that oppresses and exploits men and women; therefore we see it as important to link our struggles with the broader struggle to fundamentally transform our society.
A second important principle behind this initiative is that of independence and autonomy. In order to unify women across political lines, organisations and communities, it is necessary to build a movement that is independent of political parties and government. This does not mean building a movement that is apolitical. On the contrary, it seeks to mobilise women against all aspects of oppression in alliance with other mass organisations and social forces.
The movement's non-racial character is critical. It aims to bring women from different communities together. Our strategy focuses on building area committees that cut across traditional group area divides. The organisation should not seen as an "african" , "coloured" or "indian" organisation, but an organisation of oppressed women.
The movement is organising around a "Cost-of-Living Campaign" which will focus on the rising prices of bread, milk and paraffin. The structures of the movement will be built around the campaign. The campaign has four focus areas.
First, the campaign involves tackling the government around subsidies of basic necessities. Secondly, it is directed at multinationals that control the energy market. Thirdly, It is necessary to highlight the problems resulting from trade liberalisation and how it impacts on wheat prices.
Finally, there is the need to address monopolistic producers and retailers
The campaign is already concientisin women around the different factors that affect the prices of basic commodities. *
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