The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
Time to read
2 minutes
Print
a- a+
Published 16 years ago
Last updated 6 years ago
Read so far

Anti-Privatization Forum (APF) - Remmoho

0 comments
CONTACT PERSON: Nosipho Twala or Nina Benjamin PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 6th Floor – Vogas House, 123 Pritchard Street Johannesburg South Africa, 2000 TELEPHONE: +27 11 333 8334 FAX: +27 11 333 8356 E-MAIL:nosipho.twala@gmail.com / nina@lrs.org.zaWEB-SITE:APF websiteThe Anti-Privatization Forum (APF) is a network that was formed in 2000 when community organizations, NGOs, trade unions, students associations and activists came together in Johannesburg to advocate in the fight against the commodification of basic services to poor communities. The APF’s role is to unite struggles against privatization in the workplace and community. APF affiliates work with the most disadvantaged groups in South Africa: extremely poor, black people living in shanty towns with limited essential services (i.e., water, housing, education, sanitation and electricity). This includes a large number of HIV-infected people, mainly unemployed or casual workers relying on small-scale trading or casual jobs, the majority of whom are women. Remmoho is the women’s structure within the APF, which started up in 2007 as a forum for women to discuss their issues, support one another and develop their own positions on issues being addressed by the APF and social movements more broadly.ObjectivesThe APF is an umbrella body that represents a broad range of organizations that work to strengthen the ability of poor communities to organize and demand their rights to basic services.Areas of Work The APF’s activities can be grouped under two main headings, namely capacity building of community organizations and active lobbying of the government. As part of its capacity-building program, in the last two years, the APF has conducted a series of workshops with communities on understanding privatization in broad terms, on the specific impact of privatization on access to water, education, electricity and housing, and media skills, amongst others. The APF has also supported the coming together of different community organizations struggling for similar socio-economic issues across the country, through the Social Movements Indaba. As part of its activities for the active lobbying of government, the APF has supported community-led marches, public meetings, meetings with councillors and other government officials, as well as peaceful protests in the form of sit-ins or pickets. The APF also produces an Anti-Privatization Monitor that provides updates on current struggles and analysis of issues related to privatization. The APF works at the local, national and international levels with community-based organizations, other social movements, universities and global civil society organizations. Remmoho is a young grassroots movement made up mostly of women from the townships surrounding Johannesburg, of all ages, who want to ensure that women’s voices and issues are raised within the APF, other social movements, and in public. They engage in a variety of activities (i.e., counselling, training, campaigning, singing!), although the overarching theme of all of their work is GBV.Capacity on Women’s Rights and Gender EqualityAPF leadership and members recognize that although women form the majority of their membership and that of their affiliates, this is not always reflected in the formal or informal internal leadership or as the public face of the APF. In 2005, APF members underwent gender-awareness training and as a result there is an increased awareness of internal gender relations and power structures. A group of women activists then emerged to advance this work by building their leadership and by opening an internal space (i.e., Remmoho) to bring forward gender issues and women’s concerns at the organizational and public levels. Since the formation of Remmoho, there have been some visible changes within the APF in terms of gender—for example, the current Chairperson of the APF is now a woman—but the group is still facing many ‘growing pains’ and challenges. In particular, there is a general feeling that while more women are getting into leadership positions within social movements, there is very little support for them once they are elected. Over the past year, Remmoho has been involved with the Gender Action Learning process through Gender at Work, which has helped them to reflect on their leadership structure, the ways they organize, and the goals that they want to achieve.