SEMINAR INVITATION ON SOLIDARITY ECONOMY AND SOLIDARITY FINANCE

The Ecumenical service for Socio Economic Transformation would like to invite you to a SOLIDARITY ECONOMY and SOLIDARITY FINANCE SEMINAR that would be held on the on the 28^th June 2012 at Khotso House first floor chapel. The seminar will start at 10am to 1pm.

The Ecumenical service for Socio Economic Transformation (ESSET) is an independent organisation that works for social and economic justice and transformation against the systematic exclusion and exploitation of the poor. In 1996 ESSET was founded and registered as a section 21 company with the mandate of challenging the churches to be more involved in the work for socio economic justice but also building the capacity of the same churches to do this work as desired.

ESSET initiated a research project on Solidarity Economy and Finance through undertaking a study visit to Brazil in 2011 to gain first hand experience on the concept of Solidarity Economy and Solidarity Finance. The idea was to discover what its challenges and advantages are and further explore whether the concept would be adopted in the African context. Solidarity Economy and Solidarity Finance are amongst the alternative economic and financing models displaying the agency of the poor that are practised across the world.

The main objective of the seminar is to:

• To facilitate a discussion and share the findings of ESSET research with its partners including churches, ecumenical activists, civil society organisations and its community partners.
• To create the platform for ESSET parteners critically engage on the current finance systems.
• To explore possible strategies, and actions that seeks to promote and advocate for the models displaying the agency of the poor.

ESSET would like your organization to send delegate to the seminar; your participation will be highly appreciated. The contact person will be Ms Sonto Magwaza at 011 833 1190 or sonto@esset.org.za for confirmation, or contact Mr Mandla Mndebele at mandlamndeble@gmail.com.

Buy me no gifts on this important day of my life, says the Director of ESSET on her Birthday!!!

                                                                                                                          31 May 2012

To all my friends, Colleagues and Fellow Activists

Today I turn 40!

This day gives me an opportunity to reflect on my life and to articulate my wishes for the future. As I attempt to do that, many thoughts flood my mind. What is in store for me beyond forty? Is it a new career path? Is it renovations for my house? Is it acquiring new assets for myself and my family? Is it private schooling for my baby girl, who joins high school next year? And yes, like any other parents, my wish for her is that she can have access to the best schools in Gauteng. And yet this morning, as I seriously reflect on my greatest wish on this important day of my life, I could not help but think of the women in Maile, a rural village in Sekhukune district in Limpopo. I realise that all this time, most of my life and choices have been about me and my own challenges. But today, as a mother who was herself born by a rural young mother 40 years ago, I find myself engrossed with the plight of the women of this village. I particularly think of a pregnant young woman who as the D-day draws nigh, she wonders in her mind – “who is likely to be available in my village to help me deliver my baby safely? Will I have enough strength to walk through the hills and across the rivers to a place where I can get a car to take me to hospital?”

You see for me, when I gave birth to my two babies, the question was never about whether I or my baby will make it, for I had plenty of choices. Where I lived, I was surrounded by two private hospitals, five minutes away from home. Besides, I had a medical aid that would enable me to get to any hospital facility of my choice.  I could choose whether I wanted a private ward on not. It did not matter whether the baby came in the morning or the night, for I had a car. Anyway, even if I did not have one, I had many friends who had cars and who could easily take me to the hospital. I even had a choice of whether I would want a natural birth or caesarean one, an epidural or not.

In sharp contrast, the young woman in Maile village has none of these options. Her greatest fear is whether she would have a safe birth, for no ambulance could even dare come close to her home. How could it when she knows there are no roads to her village? Whilst there may be old wise women in the village who know how to assist during labour, the concern is that even they fear for their lives. One of these women is today on ARVs after aiding one of the younger ones with her bare hands, for she had no first aid facilities.

And so at 40, as I begin my life as the saying goes, my greatest wish is not for something more for myself. Instead, I long to see the young woman in Maila village enjoying economic and social choices that many of us enjoy. I wish for her to enjoy the right to dignity that so many of us who are privileged speak so casually of; that her child, will suffer no more discrimination but will exercise her right to education without worries of how she will get to school when the clouds in the skies gather.

And so I invite you my dear friends, my colleagues, my fellow activists, buy me no gifts on this important day of my life. Whilst I am overjoyed by your birthday wishes, I invite you to join me as I strive with others to be in solidarity with this community. Consider making a small personal gift to ESSET (The Ecumenical Service for Socioeconomic Transformation) the organisation I work for, who together with SACC (South African Council of Churches) in Limpopo is seeking ways of being in solidarity with that community. Your gift will be used solely to support ESSET’s activities and those of the community aimed at bringing an end to their plight.

Should you have an interest, our account details are given at the end of this letter together with a reply slip that will help me thank you for your great gift on this day of my life. Please contact us if you want to know more about other ways in which you can support the community or ESSET in its work towards social and economic justice.

May the great God who gives us all the great gifts of life bless you in your gesture of love!

Yours in His Service

___________________________

Thembela Njenga

ESSET Executive Director

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PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH YOUR CONTACT DETAILS TO busi@esset.org.za

Contact Person
Organisation if Applicable
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Contact details: Tel/cell no
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ESSET BANK DETAILS:

Account Name	Ecumenical Service for Socioeconomic Transformation
Account Number	1004984928
Bank Name and Address	Nedbank, Fox Street, 190805
Type of Account	Current Account
Swift Code	NEDSZAJJ

This week ESSET is holding Consultation with informal Traders in Swaziland and Lesotho

The Ecumenical Service for Socioeconomic Transformation (ESSET) is this week (20-25 May 2012) holding Consultations with informal traders in Swaziland and Lesotho respectively. The aim of the consultation is to reflect together on ways that would strengthen the voice of informal traders in the region. This is part of ongoing processes with traders who are members of the SADC Network of Traders that was established in May 2011. The Network consists of traders from South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. It brings together in-country informal traders and cross-border traders with the aim to fight their struggles with a united voice.

The consultation process amongst others will involve public meetings, focus group discussions and reflective meetings in different townships and locations with traders locally. A critical part of the reflections with traders will be collective analysis of their external and internal context impeding on their ability to trade in the SADC region. An action learning approach will be used based on the real everyday challenges faced by informal traders.

The process is aimed at serving the interests of traders who suffer daily injustices at the hands of their respective governments. It holds the  possibility of the emergence of a coherent political agenda of the SADC Network of Informal Traders that is grounded on the concrete experiences of traders; and will eventually inform their collective actions to bring about change in their world. It is further expected that it will generate valuable information that the traders will use to influence their own environment. Moreover, it is anticipated that the information from this process will dispel the myth that traders are not contributing to the economies of the SADC region, whilst at the same time affirming their role. 

The City of Johannesburg has lied about reaching amicable agreement with informal traders

Following the recent wide media publicity and decry on metro police officials attacks on an informal trader in Midrand, the City of Johannesburg has claimed that an amicable agreement has been reached with the leadership of the informal trade sector. The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Economic Development, which facilitated the urgent meeting between the trader organisations and the representatives from the city, circulated inaccurate minutes of the proceedings and lied about both parties having reached a cordial solution.

The urgent meeting was convened following allegations of abuse of power by the Metro Police officers being reported to the City of Johannesburg by the trader organisation, South African National Traders Retail Alliance (SANTRA). The organisation had called for an urgent meeting of decision makers at the City of Johannesburg regarding the request for a moratorium on the confiscation of informal traders’ goods as a means of law enforcement. Upon securing a date for the meeting with the decision makers at the city, the SANTRA leadership further communicated with the officials from city that they would bring along a legal representative to the meeting. The reason for them bringing in their legal representative was to cover for their lack of legal expertise.  However, on the day of the meeting the legal representative of the traders was refused entry or to be part of the proceedings. The officials from the city contended that no legal representative would be allowed in the meeting because the subject of moratorium on confiscation of informal traders’ goods was a legal matter.

To add misery to the frustration of the traders, the head of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department by-law enforcement team made it clear from the onset that a moratorium on the confiscation of informal traders’ goods would not be deliberated under any circumstances. He told the traders that he was uninformed of the issue of a moratorium on confiscation of goods being the main issue on the on the agenda. He then proceeded ahead to draft the new agenda of the meeting. He deliberately left out the issue of a moratorium on confiscation of informal traders’ goods from the agenda. This prompted the leadership of SANTRA to leave even before the proceedings began as they felt that it was unprofitable sitting in the meeting that does not speak address their needs and demands.

The treatment of the SANTRA delegation at the meeting reflects but a continuum of past injustices on informal traders. In many municipalities across our country, the rights of informal traders to trade and make an honest living are trampled upon. The law enforcement agents pounce on them out of their trading sites thereby forcing them to make way for new roads, trains, shopping centres and bus stations. This clearly shows that government have no regard for informal trade because they see it as a sector that is illegal and criminal. Some municipal officials use divide and rule tactics to bring conflicts amongst informal traders thereby weakening their ability to speak unison. It is clear our government still perpetuates neo-liberal agenda that serves the interests of capitalists whilst at the same time depriving the poor benefits of the mainstream economy. 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH with metro police brutality on informal traders

The Ecumenical Service for Socio-Economic Transformation (ESSET) condemns in the strongest possible terms the punching and kicking of an informal trader, Andries Ndlovu by four uniformed metro police officers in Ivory Park, Midrand. According to Sunday Times, Ndlovu was beaten on Freedom Day after he asked the metro police officers why they were beating another informal trader, a 60-year-old welder who demanded a receipt or notice when his goods were impounded by the same metro police.

The attack which was publicised widely by various media houses is just but a tip of the iceberg of the harassment experienced by informal traders in many townships, cities and street corners at the hands on the metro police. The unwarranted beating of Ndlovu confirms the stories told by the traders in the recent consultations held with traders in the past week.  Traders spoke of excessive harassment and maltreatment by law enforcers. They did not only cry of stock confiscation but also of the manner in which this was done. They reported of how the metro police, as was the case in the Ndlovu incident, viciously beat up some traders whilst taking their goods for themselves. In our books, these actions should be named for what they are: theft from the poor who are trying to make an honest living for themselves. Even as we issue this statement, we have received further reports of stock impoundment and harassment from informal traders that we work with in Lenasia. In our view, the treatment of informal traders by our democratic government is a display and a reinforcement of the old apartheid tactics, which restricted informal traders and other poor people from the cities.

The incidents of police brutality against the poor, which took place at the dawn of the Freedom Day and Workers Day celebrations, are an embarrassment to the nation. ESSET, as an ecumenical organisation that has been accompanying the struggle of informal traders, is calling on all South Africans, Churches and social justice practitioners to stand in solidarity with the informal traders and other formations of the poor and denounce the on-going injustices meted against them as witnessed by the police brutality on Andries Ndlovu. In response to this call, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Rev Dr. Thabo Makgoba suggests a solidarity march to show support against such injustices. May his pounding agitate all of us to jointly say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH with the metro police brutality on informal traders and the poor!

This statement is endorsed by ESSET; Mike More, the Chairperson of Gauteng Informal Development Association (GIDA); Sipho Thwala, Co-ordinator of SADC Informal Traders Network; Rev Dr. Prince Dibeela, General Secretary of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA); Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa; and Rev Mautji Pataki, Secretary General of the South African Council of Churches.

Regulations of informal trade sector has always been problematic

As our country join the world to commemorate the Workers Day tomorrow, we take a look at the regulation of the informal trade sector within the SADC region. In South Africa, the informal sector employs many ‘poor’ people. The experience of the workers in this sector is one of pain, struggle and suffering. As evidence by weekend media reports, the hawkers or informal traders often sufferer harassment at hands of metro police in many cities across the country because of draconian by-laws and policies.     

Assertions that suggest that informal traders do not want regulations should be examined with caution. From interactions with traders, what we are hearing is that traders are opposed to the common practice where policies are made in their name, yet they have not be part of the formulation processes. What is termed as “inclusivity” in countries such as South Africa, which have begun to legislate informal trade is infact turning out to be a fallacy. It pretends that traders are consulted whilst on reality they have just be used to rubber stamp decisions that have been taken elsewhere. The study that was carried out by ESSET in 2011 found that many cities that have informal trading policies in South Africa use consultations simply as a “procedural requirement for ticking the box”.

Further, the challenge by traders is that regional policies that are aimed at addressing poverty fail to recognise informal trade. Like other poverty related policies, regional trade policies are geared towards big businesses. Failure to come up with policies that are in sync with the realities of cross border traders in this case discriminates against them. The same policy measures that are applied to big bussiness are also used for cross border traders and yet their operations are at different levels. This practice does not only reflect the unjust nature of our regional policies but also highlights contradictions in our policy regime. Whilst the sector is not officially recognised, the reality is that SADC generates revenue from cross border traders through duties and tariffs. In fact, it is suggested that informal cross border trade alone contributes an average of over US$17.6 billion per year in the region. Failure to recognise cross border traders as part of the bigger regional strategy also undermines even the very developmental agenda of the SADC.

The informal traders within the SADC region have undertaken various initiatives to strengthen their sector and ensure unity in order to challenge their status quo. Amongst others, this include establishment of the SADC Solidarity Network of Informal Traders in 2011. One of the goals of this network is to initiate and promote solidarity campaigns that are aimed at fighting injustices perpetrated against informal traders. Together with various social justice partners the network embarked on a Campaign against the Sexual and Economic violence of informal traders within the five SADC countries. Some abstract from the Memorandum presented by the network to the Office of the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry in Pretoria in December 2011 read:  

“We believe that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has a critical role to play in formulation of regulations and trade. We have approached the DTI because of the  observation that policy makers often react negatively to the informal trade sector. We believe that the DTI should play a guiding role in developing of appropriate policies, laws and regulations which promote productivity and improve the working conditions of those in the informal trade sector. We are relying on the DTI to lead policy and institutional reforms that will create an enabling environment for trade among traders within the SADC countries”.

 

ESSET hold Consultations with Informal Traders

The Ecumenical Service for Socioeconomic Transformation (ESSET) held a Consultation with informal traders at Khotso House on the 23^rd of April. The aim of the consultation was to reflect together on ways that would strengthen the voice of informal traders in the region. This is part of ongoing processes with traders who are members of the SADC Network of Traders that was established in May 2011. The Network consists of traders from South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. It brings together in-country informal traders and cross-border traders with the aim to fight their struggles with a united voice. Informal trade in South Africa and other many parts of Africa has over the years been a source of livelihood and income for many households. It contributes to Growth Domestic Products (GDP) of national economies yet fails to be recognised.

The process amongst others will involve public meetings, focus group discussions and reflective meetings in different townships and locations with traders locally. A critical part of the reflections with traders will be collective analysis of their external and internal context impeding on their ability to trade in the SADC region. An action learning approach will be used based on the real everyday challenges faced by informal traders.

The process is aimed at serving the interests of traders who suffer daily injustices at the hands of government. It holds the  possibility of the emergence of a coherent political agenda of the SADC Network of Informal Traders that is grounded on the concrete experiences of traders; and will eventually inform their collective actions to bring about change in their world. It is further expected that it will generate valuable information by traders they will use to influence their own environment. Moreover, it is anticipated that the information from this process will dispel the myth that traders are not contributing to the economies of the SADC region, whilst at the same time affirming their role. 

At the end of the Consultative workshop held yesterday there were five themes identified. Under each theme, there were emerging issues that were highlighted as focus of the research in the upcoming focus group discussions:

1.      Obstacles to effective organizing and mobilizing in informal trader organizations:

• The criteria for and the nature of membership in informal trader organizations.
• The lack of clarity on the agenda of informal trader organizations.
•  Funding constraints in informal trader organizations.
•  Tensions in the relationship between members and non-members in trading spaces.
•  Conflict between the private interests of leaders and the expectations of members.
• The negative impact of cultural differences on participation and representation in informal trader organizations.
• The negative impact of unequal gender relations on inclusive participation in informaltrader organizations.
• The lack of unity in informal trader organizations/associations.
• Conflicts between local and foreign traders over scarce resources.
• The geographical spread of informal traders (across local, national and regional spaces) makes it difficult to build solidarity.
•  The pros and cons of establishing umbrella associations rather than small single organizations should be explored.

2.      Popularising the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Solidarity Network of Traders:

o    A lack of information exists on the SADC Network of Traders

3.      Effectiveness of government provided training and other non-financial support programmes and projects for informal traders:

o    The government’s form of communication for inviting street and market traders to participate in projects and programmes is ineffective.

o    Existing programmes and projects, such as “grow your business”, offer no concrete benefits for street and market traders.

4.       Access to finance:

      o    Stokvels could help to relieve the financial burdens of very small enterprises.

o    More information is needed on cooperatives. 

5.      Access to public land for street and market trade:

o    Street and market traders should be located on public land alongside formal private businesses. 

T     The consultations are not limited to conversations between informal traders and ESSET. We call upon all, including social activists, churches, faith communities, social movements and civil society organisations to also make inputs, comments and suggestions on issues raised above relating to informal traders. Contact us by telephone: 011 833 1190 or email: info@esset.org.za