[Onthebarricades] Global unrest over service delivery

[Andy]

ON THE BARRICADES:  Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/



*  PAKISTAN:  Multan textile workers revolt over power cuts
*  BANGLADESH:  Road blockade to protest power cuts
*  INDIA:  Thousands protest, revolt over power cuts in several cities
*  TRINIDAD:  Road blockades in three areas over road conditions, water
*  BOTSWANA/SOUTH AFRICA:  Border blocked in service delivery protest
*  ITALY:  Naples residents protest against local dump, rubbish crisis; 
fight police
*  INDIA:  Road blocked in demand for water supply
*  GREECE:  Youths clash with police in protest against landfill on island
*  INDIA:  Locals led by panchayat chief storm water project HQ
*  SOUTH AFRICA:  Durban, Pretoria protesters demand houses
*  SOUTH AFRICA:  Unrest at service delivery protest at Tshing, Vukuzakhe, 
Lenasia South and Khutsong settlements near Johannesburg
*  SOUTH AFRICA:  Buses torched over rumour of service withdrawal
*  SOUTH AFRICA:  Merafong settlement service delivery protest

http://arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=108952&d=15&m=4&y=2008&pix=world.jpg&category=World%22

Violent Protest Over Power Cuts in Multan
Azhar Masood & Reuters
MULTAN, 15 April 2008 - Hundreds of agitated textile workers took to street 
in Multan to protest against power cuts which were affecting their 
livelihood.
Protesters manhandled government officials at an office of the state-owned 
power utility and torched several vehicles, a bank and a petrol pump, a 
witness said.
Nearly two dozen people were hurt in the rioting as police fired shots in 
the air and used teargas to disperse the crowd.
About 60 people have been detained, a senior police official said. Pakistan 
is suffering a power deficit of up to 3,000 MW mainly because of low water 
levels at major reservoirs, and is implementing load-shedding, or switching 
off power to areas for several hours a day, across the country.
Protesters shouted slogans against the Pakistan Electric Power Company, 
blaming it for what they said were up to 18 hours of cuts a day, instead of 
about eight they said authorities had promised.
"Our workers and laborers are forced to starve," said Abdul Khaliq Qandeel, 
a top official of the All Pakistan Power Looms Association that organized 
the protest.
"Due to the power cuts there is no work," he said, referring to about 50,000 
textile looms in the city, the home town of newly elected Prime Minister 
Yousaf Raza Gilani. A spokesman for the power company, Tahir Basharat 
Cheema, said the power shortage was being compounded by rising demand and 
some private power generators producing less electricity than their 
installed capacity.
Pakistan's installed capacity is about 19,845 MW, of which about one-third 
is produced by hydro-electric plants. Much of the rest is generated by 
thermal stations, fueled primarily by gas and oil.
In January, the government shut steel melting units for two weeks and 
ordered hundreds of textile mills to reduce operations to cope with the 
power shortage.
Gilani urged people to remain calm and be patient, saying his government was 
striving to deal with the problem. Violence would serve no purpose, he said.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/apr2008/paki-a19.shtml

Pakistan: Textile workers' protests convulse Multan
By Keith Jones
19 April 2008
Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author
The industrial city of Multan, Pakistan's sixth largest, was convulsed by 
protests of textile workers, Monday and Tuesday, angered by repeated power 
outages that have resulted in pay and job cuts for tens of thousands.
The protests were initiated by the Power Looms Association, most of whose 
members work out of their homes, in a contracted-out, "cottage industry" 
that makes cloth for garment manufacturers. Chronic electricity outages, 
which are depriving large parts of the country of power for from 10 to 20 
hours per day, have robbed the power-loom workers and the laborers who 
assist them of their livelihood. In Multan alone, half a million people-the 
power-loom operators and laborers and their families-are said to be 
dependent on the power loom industry.
For months the power loom workers have been agitating for an end to the 
power outages or, at the very least, that the government-owned national 
electricity utility, WAPDA, guarantee them a set number of hours of 
electricity per day and adhere to a schedule when imposing power cuts. "Our 
workers and labourers are forced to starve," said Khaliq Qandeel Ansari, the 
general-secretary of the Power Looms Association Monday. "Due to the power 
cuts there is no work."
On Tuesday workers blocked rail lines. The previous day the protests had 
taken a violent turn, with protesters attacking the offices of the local 
WAPDA subsidiary, the Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO), and a bank, and 
torching several vehicles. Security guards at MEPCO opened fire, injuring 
several protesters. According to press reports, the police and the power 
loom workers subsequently fought a four hour-long pitched battle, with 
police using baton-charges and teargas to disperse the crowd.
Pakistan's new prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, who himself represents a 
Multan constituency in the National Assembly, has blamed Monday's unrest on 
"miscreants" and insinuated that they were the work of the government's 
right-wing opponents who want to "divert people's attention from real 
issues."
Recent weeks have seen repeated provocations by elements loyal to President 
Pervez Musharraf, the US-supported military strongman, who has been shorn of 
much of his power in recent months. To quash constitutional challenges to 
his phony "re-election" as president and to intimidate the opposition and 
populace, Musharraf imposed martial law for six weeks late last year, but in 
the February 18 national and provincial elections his political allies were 
routed.
The provocations have included staged attacks on pro-Musharraf politicians, 
which have then been used to denounce and discredit both the new government 
and the lawyers who have been demanding the restoration of the more than 60 
supreme and superior court judges whom Musharraf purged under his martial 
law regime.
The most violent of these provocations occurred in Karachi on April 9. It 
began with a brawl between anti- and pro-Musharraf lawyers-or at least 
persons who claimed to be lawyers-and ended with a fire in which six people 
died. Several other persons were killed from gunfire during the melee.
The pro-Musharraf Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has claimed that some of 
its lawyer-members were attacked by members of the Karachi Bar Association 
(KBA) when they initiated a protest against the roughing up of the former 
Chief Minister of Sind, an MQM leader. The KBA president says the fighting 
broke out when MQM supporters invaded their offices.
Musharraf was quick to seize on the Karachi events to denounce the lawyers' 
movement. "I appeal to the lawyers not to spread anarchy," declared 
Musharraf. "Law and order should be maintained."
Gilani's denunciations of the Multan protests are a reactionary slur. There 
is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Monday's riot in Multan was 
instigated by Musharraf loyalists or by the pro-Musharraf PML (Q), the MQM's 
Punjab-based ally.
In an editorial Thursday, the Dawn was forced to concede that the claims the 
Multan protest were part of a right-wing conspiracy have no foundation; "The 
bottom line is that people are fed up-with spiraling inflation and food 
shortages, joblessness and underemployment, the ostentatiously rich 
exploiting the miserably poor, crime without punishment. The electricity 
shortage is only one indigestible ingredient in the bubbling brew of 
discontent and almost any provocation can trigger a free-for-all."
The new government, its democratic and populist pretensions notwithstanding, 
responded to the unrest in Multan with savage reprisals akin to those 
employed by Musharraf against working class unrest and political opposition. 
Police have been mounting late night raids on the homes of workers involved 
in the protests. A report in the April 16 Dawn says police have registered 
cases against 1,500 people and, moreover, that the workers are being charged 
under the country's draconian Anti-Terrorism Act.
On Wednesday the Interior Minister announced that all rallies and public 
meeting would require government approval to be held. The previous 
government comprised of Musharraf's cronies had imposed similar restrictions 
and with the same justification-the need to minimize terrorism.
Pakistan's new government-which is comprised of Pakistan's two main 
traditional parties, the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim 
League (Sharif), and the Pashtun-based Awami National Party and the Islamic 
fundamentalist, JIU-F-has promised that it will soon introduce a package of 
measures to provide jobs and relief from spiraling food prices.
But at the same time Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is warning that the 
government must take harsh measures to scale back a burgeoning budget 
deficit. Dar told an April 9 press conference that if a combination of tax 
increases and spending and price-subsidy cuts is not implemented in the 
coming budget, the deficit will soon be "almost unmanageable."
On Thursday, the government raised the price of petrol and diesel by 3 
Rupees a litre.
Traditional bitter political rivals, the PPP and PML (N) fought over which 
party should assume the finance portfolio in the coalition government, 
neither wanting have to take political responsibility for unpopular 
measures.
The World Bank in a statement issued March 28 said "Pakistan's new 
government must take rapid action, backed by the international community, to 
avoid an economic crisis in the nuclear-armed nation." It added that 
"painful" adjustments are needed because of "high global prices for food, 
oil and commodities."
Such "painful" adjustments will come under conditions where Pakistan's 
toilers are already facing extreme hardship. The government says food prices 
in March were up 20 percent on the year. Others say the increase is 
significantly higher, noting that there have been shortages of some key 
staples including wheat-flour.
A World Food Programme report issued last week said food prices rose at 
least 35 percent in Pakistan last year and warned that because of the 
continuing price surge half of the 160 million Pakistanis are at risk of not 
having enough food.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DHA58449.htm

Bangladeshis block highway to protest power outage
24 Aug 2008 09:41:10 GMT
Source: Reuters
DHAKA, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Bangladesh factory workers blocked a national 
highway on Sunday to protest against frequent power outage that idles their 
mills and deprives them of jobs, police said.
Several thousand workers from textile and jute mills rallied at Narsingdi, 
50 km (31 miles) northeast of the capital Dhaka, blocking traffic on the 
busy Dhaka-Sylhet highway for more than three hours.
"The protesters withdrew the blockade after relevant authorities assured 
them to try to reduce the power outage," a police officer said.
Officials of the state-managed Power Development Board said uninterrupted 
electric supply was not possible immediately due to fall in generation 
capacity.
Bangladesh's electricity generation has fallen to 4,300 megawatts against a 
requirement of 5,500 MW, due to mechanical faults and shortage of natural 
gas.
"We have to sit idle and lose our wages when factory remain closed due to 
power outage," a protest leader said.
Bangladesh fetches around $11 billion annually from textile exports.
Consumers often stage violent protest demanding adequate supply of 
electricity and other utilities in the country.
(Reporting by Nizam Ahmed; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3863240.ece

>From The Times
May 3, 2008
India feels the heat as thousands riot over power cuts

Police fired teargas to disperse the crowds, which blocked roads and railway 
lines
Jeremy Page in Delhi
Thousands of people, many wearing only underwear, rioted across northern 
India yesterday over power cuts that have left millions without electricity 
or water, highlighting the yawning gap between the country's superpower 
aspirations and realities on the ground.
The violence underlined growing public frustration at the Government's 
failure to improve the basic infrastructure, especially electricity and 
water supplies, despite an unprecedented economic boom.
The Government has pledged to provide "power for all" by 2012, but analysts 
say that it will struggle to keep up with demand as the middle class sates 
its appetite for electronic goods and larger homes.
While India's economy has grown at an average of 8 per cent for the past 
four years, enriching a consumer class of 50-60 million people, half of the 
billion-plus population are not even connected to the electricity network. 
Those who are rely on voltage stabilisers, inverters (large batteries) and 
diesel-powered generators. The power minister in Uttar Pradesh predicted 
that the energy crisis would last for at least two more years.
Yesterday riots spread across the country's most populous state, raising 
fears of repeated protests throughout India's long, sweltering summer, as 
24-hour blackouts deprived thousands of air-conditioning, fans and even 
drinking water in temperatures above 40C (104F).
Police fired teargas to disperse crowds who had blocked roads and railway 
lines, attacked police vehicles, set fire to an electricity transformer and 
attacked electricity workers. More than 250 people were arrested.
India's power plants can produce 132,000 megawatt hours of electricity - 
less than half the output of the national grid in Britain. The Power 
Ministry says that demand is at least 14 per cent higher than that - and 
growing faster than output.
Uttar Pradesh is one of the worst-affected states. It generates 2,600 
megawatt hours and imports a further 3,700, but still has a shortfall of 
about 1,800 during peak hours. Local officials said that the state had been 
unable to cope with a surge in demand, especially from air-conditioners, as 
temperatures soared this week. As a result, most cities had been getting 
only 12 hours of electricity a day.
The city of Gorakhpur, with a population of about four million, had no power 
for more than 24 hours, local officials said.
"We are fed up," Ajit Singh, the owner and manager of a travel agency in the 
city, told The Times. "We pay our taxes but still the power is not coming. 
We cannot live like this, especially in such heat."
Protesters in Gorakhpur stormed an office of the electricity board, taking 
several workers hostage and beating others. They also set fire to a nearby 
electricity transformer.
In Kanpur, the state's largest city, hundreds of protesters marched to the 
home of the Kanpur Electric Supply Corporation's managing director to 
complain about daily power cuts of 15 to 18 hours, according to the 
Indo-Asian News Service.
At the stroke of midnight on Thursday they began beating drums, chanting 
hymns and singing parodies of Hindi movie songs,. "How can the electricity 
board officials sleep when the residents are sweating out in the sweltering 
heat," the news agency quoted Irfan Solanki, a Samajwadi Party legislator 
who led the mob, as saying. "We have decided that neither will we sleep nor 
allow power corporation officials to sleep."
Ram Veer Upadhaya, the state Power Minister, said that he expected the power 
crisis to continue for at least two years. "There is a big gap between the 
demand and supply. Our power stations do not generate required electricity," 
he said.
He promised last month that the state would complete several power plants in 
the next five years to boost its generation capacity to 10,000MW - enough to 
provide 24-hour electricity for all.
Uttar Pradesh's Paricha Thermal Power Project is scheduled to start 
generating in July next year and the Harduaganj Thermal Power Project three 
months later. Delays are almost certain and, for the moment, the power 
shortfall is so great that the state has been overdrawing from the national 
grid, causing power cuts in several neighbouring states.
Last month the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission threatened for the 
first time to cut power supplies to Uttar Pradesh for nonpayment of dues for 
overdrawing from the grid.
Growing pains
- From 1980 to 2002 India's economy grew at 6 per cent a year, and then at 
7.5 per cent from 2002 to 2006. Despite being one of the world's 
best-performing economies, it has lagged behind China, which averaged 9.2 
per cent growth between 2002 and 2006
- In the past two decades, India's middle class has quadrupled to roughly 60 
million people; 1 per cent of the country's poor have risen out of poverty 
every year
- Over the same period, China lifted 300 million people out of poverty and 
increased its workforce by 120 million
- India has more than 100,000 dollar millionaires, and is creating new ones 
at a rate rivalled only be Russia. China has 350,000 millionaires
- If current trends continue, India could overtake Britain as the world's 
fifth largest economy within a decade. It could then overtake the US, and be 
second to China by the middle of this century
Sources: IMF, United Nations; Times archives, CIA

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/02/asia/AS-GEN-India-Power-Protests.php

Protesters in northern India clash with police over power cuts

The Associated Press
Published: May 2, 2008

LUCKNOW, India: Rioters, some wearing just underwear, clashed with police in 
northern India early Friday in anger over massive power cuts that left wide 
swaths of the region without electricity as summer temperatures soared, 
police said.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds who attacked police vehicles, 
blocked roads and rail lines, set an electricity transformer on fire and 
attacked electricity workers in Uttar Pradesh state, police spokesman 
Surendra Srivastava said.
Riots were reported in several cities across the state, he said.
Uttar Pradesh, home to some 180 million people, is one of India's poorest 
states. Its inadequate energy infrastructure has been unable to cope with 
the high demand for electricity as temperatures peaked above 40 degrees 
Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days.
Most cities have been getting just 12 hours of electricity a day. Many 
people were left without air conditioning or fans - and, in some cases, 
without water, as electric pumps failed.
More than 250 people had been detained and charged with rioting, Srivastava 
said.
In Gorakhpur, which had been without electricity for more than 24 hours, 
protesters stormed an office of the electricity board, taking several 
workers hostage and beating a few. They also set a nearby electricity 
transformer ablaze in the town, 300 kilometers (190 miles) southeast of the 
state capital, Lucknow.
As police tried to disperse the crowd, many of the men - clad just in their 
underwear to beat the heat - taunted police, challenging them to open fire, 
Srivastava said.
State Power Minister Ram Veer Upadhaya said he expected the power crisis to 
continue for at least the next two years.
"There is a big gap between the demand and supply. Our power stations do not 
generate required electricity," he said.
India faces chronic power shortages amid growing demand, spurred by its 
rapid economic growth, and a lag in building enough new power stations.

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=353548

Candlelight march held to protest Jharkhand power crisis

IANS     Tuesday 29th April, 2008
Over a hundred people staged a candlelight march here to protest against 
poor electricity supply in Jharkhand even as a group of activists is 
planning to gift the chief minister a lantern to draw his attention to the 
problems arising from frequent power cuts.

Protestors, under the banner of Nagrik Yuva Vikas Manch (NYVM), hit the 
streets of Ranchi Monday night.

'Jharkhand is gradually plunging into darkness. Ranchi witnesses 10 to 12 
hours of load shedding everyday. Our children have to study using candles 
and lanterns,' said Sanjay Kumar, a NYVM member.

The Jharkhand Yuva Sangharsh Samiti said it has decided to gift a lantern 
each to Chief Minister Madhu Koda and other state ministers to draw their 
attention to the problems faced by people due to power shortage.

Even government officials have joined the chorus of demand for regular power 
supply.

Sources said that in a letter to the chief minister, Jamshedpur Deputy 
Commissioner Nitin Kulkarni spoke of his district witnessing a scorching 
summer with the mercury already touching 44 degrees Celsius. The poor power 
supply has compounded the people's problems.

Jharkhand High Court Monday reprimanded Jharkhand State Electricity Board 
(JSEB) for the poor electricity supply. The court also sought a status 
report of generation and consumption of power in the state and steps taken 
by the board to improve the situation.

Jharkhand needs about 800 mw of power everyday. The power plants in the 
state generate about 200 mw per day, while Jharkhand purchases about 200 mw 
of electricity from the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) and National 
Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

The erratic power supply has also affected the water supply in the state.

'People should restrict their consumption of electricity. The JSEB will cut 
connections to display hoardings to save on power,' said the chief minister.

'DVC does not supply power properly. Every summer, it diverts electricity 
meant for Jharkhand to West Bengal, putting the state in a power crisis,' 
said a JSEB official.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=109663

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
HYDERABAD: The citizens are facing immense difficulties in many localities 
of Hyderabad that are currently undergoing massive power breakdowns of long 
durations and voltage fluctuation also deprived them of electronics goods.

Residents of different localities complained that their areas remain without 
power supply for more than five hours on a regular basis that disturbs their 
normal life.

They said officials of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) are not 
approachable at the time of power failure to inform the consumers as to when 
the electricity would be restored.

Residents of Gadi Khata, Saddar, Cantonment, Mumtaz colony, Latifabad and 
other rural areas complained of massive power breakdowns well before peak 
hot hours and they remain without power without any intimation.

Enraged protesters on Monday alone ransacked two sub-divisional offices of 
Hesco to press the authorities for meeting their demand for restoration of 
power supply.

The citizens are of the opinion that peak summer is yet to start and massive 
and long-duration power outages have already affected their normal life. 
They called upon the minister for power and water to take notice of the 
situation in Hyderabad before things go out of control of authorities.

They demanded that inquiry should be conducted into long-duration power and 
continuous faults at the grid stations, adding that they have been deprived 
of electronics goods because of fluctuation of power supply and dropping of 
voltage. The power breakdowns also affected the business activities in 
markets but the Hesco authorities have yet not taken any notice.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161314184

Fiery protest for third day
Carolyn Kissoon South Bureau

Thursday, April 24th 2008

FED UP: Villagers of Salt Mine Trace, Fyzabad, protest over poor road 
conditions yesterday. -Photo: Trevor Watson

BURNING tyres lined the entrance to Salt Mine Trace, Fyzabad, yesterday, as 
villagers entered their third day of protest for improved roads.
They blocked motorists from leaving and entering the village, preventing 
school children from reaching to classes on time.
Firemen put out the fires and police assisted in clearing the debris from 
the road. Several backhoes from the Siparia Regional Corporation picked up 
the debris.
Villagers said their roads had not been paved in 15 years and the potholes 
have expanded across the roadway. On Monday, firemen were called out to put 
out fires and remove debris to clear the roadway.
Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma and both the People's National Movement (PNM) 
and the United National Congress-Alliance (UNC-A) local representatives 
visited the site. Eventually, a meeting between senior officials of the 
council and village representatives was organised for 9 a.m. today.
In a letter to the corporation, the villagers promised to continue the 
protest until the road repair starts. "We are faced with hefty sums to 
repair vehicles, high prices by school vans and taxis, while pedestrians are 
faced with dust when the place is dry and mud when rain falls."
Sharma said he met Minister of Local Government, Hazel Manning, last Monday 
and discussed villagers' concerns. He said the minister promised to address 
the matter.
"The minister said there were many similar problems throughout the country. 
She said a hands on approach was needed," he said.
Meanwhile, an official at the Siparia Regional Corporation said they were 
strapped for labour and finances.
"We have not been getting the resources from the ministry. There is a lot of 
red tape to go through before getting finances from the ministry and that is 
keeping us back," he said.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161328690

Cushe residents in fiery protest for water
Phoolo Danny-Maharaj South Bureau

Tuesday, May 27th 2008

PLAGUED by persistent water shortages and unsympathetic responses from the 
Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), residents of Cushe Village, near Biche, 
set fire to debris they piled across roads yesterday, bringing traffic to a 
halt for several hours.
The early-morning protest by angry villagers brought almost immediate 
response from WASA, with the distribution of a truckborne water supply.
Now, however, protesters and villagers in other nearby areas who do not 
receive pipe-borne supply are threatening to extend the protest to other 
areas.
"It seems that is only when we protest that we will get some water. So if is 
protest WASA want, we will have to continue the protests," several villagers 
said yesterday.
The water woes were raised by Rio Claro/Mayaro Regional Corporation chairman 
Ramlochan Panchoo, during a Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) public 
consultation recently at the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) 
headquarters in San Fernando.
He spoke about water bandits, who held up distribution trucks and forced 
drivers to deliver water to their areas.
Panchoo said while the corporation supplied water daily to the areas that 
had no water lines, "WASA does not distribute its water evenly".
Councillor Glen Ram yesterday said the villagers of Cushe went to WASA to 
try to talk to officials to find out about truckborne water supplies, "but 
nobody bothered with them".
He said WASA had only four trucks to distribute to thousands of people in 
the Biche, Cushe, Charuma, Ecclesville and Rio Claro areas.
He said whenever WASA trucks delivered water to the villagers, "they are 
unable to deliver to the schools, and the pupils are sent home early".
Ram said WASA dropped pipelines in some areas before last December's general 
elections, but "they took up the pipes after elections and never came back 
in the area".
The corporation runs a six-day-a-week service to the areas that had no water 
lines, he said.
WASA officials said they would try to send more trucks into the area.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161317225

Broken bridge, lack of water spark protest
Phoolo Danny-Maharaj pdanny at trinidadexpress.com

Thursday, May 1st 2008

CLEANING UP: A fire officer washes away burnt debris which villagers of 
Chrysostom Trace, Mafeking, Mayaro used to block the main road yesterday. 
The residents were protesting over a broken bridge and the lack of pipeborne 
water in the area. - Photo: TREVOR WATSON

MAYARO residents yesterday burned debris in the middle of roads, creating 
traffic jams and preventing workers and pupils from going to work and 
school.
Spokesperson Stacy Dinanath said the wooden bridge at Chrysostom Trace, 
Mafeking Village, "broke years ago, and a wooden makeshift walkway was 
built. Now people are tired of walking more than quarter mile to their homes 
from that bridge and they want it fixed".
She said there were about 13 homes after the bridge, and most villagers had 
cars, "but they have to leave their vehicles on the other side and walk half 
mile and more to their homes."
Dinanath said the villagers , including the elderly and the sick, "walk with 
their goods over the makeshift bridge."
Another problem, she said, was the absence of pipeborne water and "still 
WASA does not deliver water to the residents. We have to pay $300 for 
water."
She added that Mafeking Road had standpipes, "but the water supply is 
scarce". She said villagers intend to keep up the protest until they get 
some positive action.
Rio Claro/Mayaro Regional Corporation chairman Ramlochan Panchoo, said the 
bridge was earmarked to be rebuilt by the Ministry of Local Government, "but 
we have pulled it under the corporation's development programme. The 
project, for which $800,000 has been allocated, is out for tender and that's 
where it's at," he added.

http://www.sabcnews.com/africa/southern_africa/0,2172,170104,00.html

Protests disrupt traffic between SA and Botswana

The group said they were protesting against lack of service delivery by the 
district municipality
May 23, 2008, 06:30
Traffic between Botswana and South Africa was severely disrupted last night 
at Ramatlabama border post near Mafikeng in North West Province, when a 
group of people from nearby Miga village, barricaded the main road. The 
group said they were protesting against what they called lack of service 
delivery by the district municipality.

Heavy duty vehicles carrying goods, as well as passenger vehicles going to 
and from Botswana were turned around by the toyi toying crowd. The R503 road 
is one of the busiest linking the two countries.

The group comes from nearby Miga village situated along the border, and 
started barricading the road with burning tyres, stones, poles and road 
signage just hours before the official closure of the border post. Trucks 
and motorists that were travelling between the two countries were turned 
back.

A locomotive travelling from Botswana to South Africa, to haul a luxury 
train destined for the Victoria Falls, was pelted with stones and had its 
windows shattered. A Botswana citizen driver and his assistant sustained 
minor injuries.

Protests expected to continue
The protesters, mainly young people, vowed to continue with their protest 
action until the district municipality addresses their concerns which 
include the installation of electricity in their village. This is the second 
protest action in less than two weeks after the villagers gave the district 
municipality a memorandum of grievances.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/24/europe/EU-GEN-Italy-Garbage-Clash.php

Protesters clash with police in latest demo over dump sites near Naples

The Associated Press
Published: May 24, 2008
ROME: Tensions remained high Saturday after a night of clashes between 
police and protesters furious at plans by the Italian government to dump 
mountains of trash from nearby Naples in their towns.
Police in riot gear watched but did not intervene Saturday when a protester 
threw what appeared to be a firebomb near the town of Chiaiano, a suburb of 
Naples. Demonstrators also hurled cans and other garbage at police. A few 
hours later, police chased protesters, who scattered and then regrouped.
A protest march through Chiaiano was scheduled for Saturday evening, SKY 
TG24 news reported.
The site near Chiaiano is one of 10 selected by Premier Silvio Berlusconi's 
new government to receive some of the tons of stinking garbage that has 
piled up uncollected in Naples and surrounding areas.
Police and protesters clashed overnight after authorities tried to move an 
empty bus demonstrators were using to block a road leading to the planned 
dump site.
Several injuries were reported on both sides. Police arrested three people, 
the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Earlier this week, Berlusconi led a Cabinet meeting in Naples to show that 
his government was serious about tackling Naples' garbage problem. He 
pledged to deploy the military to protect the dump sites.
"Neapolitans have a lot of imagination, but they haven't invented a new way 
to get rid of garbage," Infrastructure Minister Altero Matteoli, told SKY in 
a telephone interview.
The local protests will not change the government's plans, the minister 
said.
Guido Bertolaso, the civil protection official named by Berlusconi to be 
garbage crisis commissioner, was quoted as estimating it will take 2 1/2 
years to solve Naples' trash problem.
"Thirty months, a lot of working together, a lot of determination and a lot 
of humility" will be needed, ANSA quoted Bertolaso as saying.
Naples' latest garbage crisis began in December, when trash collectors said 
they had run out of dump sites.
The recurring problem is blamed on decades of poor local government, 
residents' resistance to new dump sites or incinerators and what authorities 
say is organized crime's infiltration of the trash business.
With summer approaching, the stench of garbage piled up on sidewalks and 
piazzas has become overpowering, and the tourist industry is worried it will 
hurt business.
But local leaders vowed to thwart the national government's plans to move 
the rubbish to dumps in their areas.
"I won't give up easily," ANSA quoted Marano mayor Salvatore Perrotta as 
saying. Marano is situated next to the planned Chiaiano dump. Perrotta said 
he would wage a legal battle to try to prevent it from opening.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=105504

Naples locals block site to protest rubbish dumping
Monday, May 26, 2008
ROME - Agence France-Presse
Angry locals in a Naples suburb continued yesterday blocking a site chosen 
by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government to dump waste in order to 
solve an ongoing crisis over rubbish removal.
At least 12 people were injured in clashes with police this weekend during 
mass demonstrations by hundreds in the suburb of Chiaiano, with citizens 
resisting the choice of their area for a dumping ground.
Commentators said the confrontation began to look like a standoff between 
the government and just one local community that could threaten Berlusconi's 
plans for solving the 14-year Naples rubbish crisis.
But Berlusconi was adamant that the controversial new measures must go ahead 
whatever the locals felt.
"The state cannot give in," he said Saturday. "The problem of waste must be 
resolved. We musn't give way, not a centimetre."
Waste has been piling up in Naples all these years for various reassons. The 
local mafia has been accused of responsibility because it has infiltrated 
the lucrative waste disposal market over the last 20 years, say experts.
But other reasons for the chronic overflow include lack of disposal dumps, 
the absence of an incinerator in the Campania region, and almost no system 
for sorting recyclable waste.
The Naples mafia, known as the Camorra, are best known for drug trafficking, 
but experts say the highly lucrative clandestine trade in industrial waste 
is their second source of revenue.
Undercutting competitors and subverting safety procedures, the "ecomafia" 
ship industrial waste from the north and dump it illegally in and around 
Naples.
Since Friday demonstrations have been ongoing day and night in Chiaiano with 
locals blocking access to disused quarries requisitioned by government 
decree, along with nine other sites elsewhere to absorb 35,000 tonnes of 
rubbish that have piled up in Naples and surroundings.

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/30/stories/2008053051200300.htm

Residents block Sathy Road to protest against irregular water supply
Staff Reporter
Protestors say that it has been nearly 10 days since they received water

Photo: M. Govarthan

Protest: Residents of Ward Nos. 6 and 7 of Periyasemur Municipality blocking 
the arterial Sathy Road, demanding regular water supply, in Erode on 
Thursday. -
ERODE: Residents of Ward 6 and 7 of Periya Semur Municipality took to the 
streets on Thursday morning protesting against irregular water supply.
Residents from Kothukaran Thottam, Iyyangadu, Sukramani and other places 
blocked the arterial Sathy Road, near Chikkaiah Naicker College. The women 
said it had been nearly 10 days since they received water.
The only other water source the 500-odd families of the area had was a lone 
hand pump.
They wanted to know why the Municipality, which levied a fine of Rs. 10 if 
water tax payment was delayed by a day, could not ensure proper and adequate 
water supply.
Police pacified the agitators and cleared the road.
Chairman of the Municipality S. T. Prabakar said the civic body could not 
ensure adequate and timely supply of water because squalls in the last few 
days had disrupted power supply to the pumping station.
"Electricity poles transmitting power to the pumping station in Soolai fell, 
which is the reason for not supplying water. There are six poles all of 
which have now been erected and water supply will resume by Thursday 
evening," he said.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100016_11/08/2008_99425

TWO ARRESTS
Youths clash with police in protest against landfill
A group of youths clashed with riot police on the island of Corfu late on 
Saturday as they protested against a new landfill being built in the area of 
Lefkimi, authorities said yesterday. Clashes then took place outside the 
police station in Lefkimi where the youths threw stones and firebombs at 
police. Soon afterward two men were arrested, including a priest, in 
connection with the violence and were expected to face charges yesterday. 
There were no reports of injuries.

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/24/stories/2008082454530500.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Public health engineers' protest
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Association of Public Health Engineers, Kerala has 
protested against the storming of the JBIC office (Japanese aided water 
supply scheme) in Kozhikode and the destruction of office equipment by a 
group of persons led by the vice-president of the Kuruvattoor panchayat.
In a memorandum to the Water Resources Minister, it demanded action against 
those involved so that such incidents would not be repeated in 
future. -Special Correspondent

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_General&set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=nw20080703112543609C943995

Chesterville poor protest in Durban

     July 03 2008 at 11:28AM

Poor shack dwellers took to the streets of Durban on Thursday to protest 
against low-cost houses "being given" to those not from their area, 
KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Superintendent John Tyala said the group from Chesterville marched from 
Botha's Garden along West Street to the Durban City Hall where a memorandum 
was handed to city councillors.

"The shack dwellers are saying low cost houses are being given to people who 
do not live in their area and that they are not poor," said Tyala.

He said no violence was reported during the protest.

A Sapa reporter at the scene said a 50-strong crowd sang and chanted outside 
the hall under the watchful eye of police.

Some carried banners, with one reading "No money to bribe". - Sapa

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2358532,00.html

Pretoria flat protesters disperse
16/07/2008 14:54  - (SA)

Pretoria - Hundreds of disgruntled Schubart and Kruger Park residents 
dispersed around noon on Wednesday after handing over a memorandum of 
grievances to a senior member of the Tshwane mayoral committee.
Residents demanded that allegations of a lack of service delivery and 
corruption be addressed by mayor Gwen Ramokgopa' within 14 days.
The memorandum was received by Subesh Pillay, Member of the Mayoral 
Committee for public works and infrastructure.
Ramokgopa paid a visit to the flats off Vermeulen street on Monday and told 
the residents they would need to be evacuated from their homes so that 
renovations could be done to the "unliveable" complex.
She said this could not, as the residents wanted, be done in a block by 
block manner as the complex was unsafe.
List of grievances
In their list of grievances, the residents demanded that the city 
investigate the activities of the "illegitimate" Housing Company Tshwane 
which managed the property.
The company must also be charged in terms of the Municipal Management 
Finance Act and be removed with immediate effect for acting irresponsibly 
and "permitting the building to deteriorate to such a state of disrepair".
It further demanded that all evictions should be stopped for non-payment of 
rentals in view of the company's "negligence and incompetence" which had 
resulted in the fire department condemning the building.
"It was illegally forcing and collecting rental from condemned buildings, 
knowingly," the memorandum stated.
The building must also be repaired and renovated to the satisfaction and 
compliance of the sectional title schemes act and once done, all registered 
tenants who had been living in the complex for more than five years must be 
given title deeds free of charge in terms of a benefit discount scheme or 
subsidy.
Units should also be sold to those living in the complex for less than five 
years at cost recovery and new tenants should be allowed to buy units at 
market related prices.
The residents also demanded that block removals or relocations should only 
be done to those who volunteered and that no resident could be forced.
'Lies'
Earlier a spokesperson for the residents, Ronnie Mahlangu, said the mayor 
had "lied" to the people, made "petty excuses" and not kept her promises.
"She betrayed our rights... we want our title deeds, that is our right."
Mahlangu said Ramokgopa had promised to receive the residents' memorandum 
but had not arrived to meet them at her offices.
"She's not around because she's ashamed to face you," he said to the sound 
of vuvuzelas and loud applause.
Mahlangu said residents agreed that renovations needed to take place but 
that this should be done block by block and alternative accommodation in the 
city should be provided for them.
Tshwane councillor Absalom Ditshoke said the flats were rental stock and 
that the people who lived there had to pay rent and did not have to option 
to buy or receive title deeds.
He said that the city was looking into alternative accommodation for the 
elderly and disabled.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080728091105971C573977

Ntuzuma residents protest against housing

    July 28 2008 at 09:33AM

More than 500 people burnt tyres in protest over a lack of housing in 
Durban's Ntuzuma area on Monday.

There was a heavy police presence and crowds had been gathering in F Section 
since 4am.

Numerous protesters carried knobkerries, sticks and banners. One called for 
the resignation of local African National Congress councillor S'khumbuzo 
Ndaba.

People say they are living in mud and zinc structures, and want proper 
housing. - Sapa

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2277533,00.html

Protests continue in North West
26/02/2008 12:00  - (SA)
Johannesburg - Vandalism continued through the night in Tshing settlement 
following Monday's service delivery protest, North West police said on 
Tuesday.
Spokesperson Superintendent Lesego Metsi said two houses belonging to 
municipal employees were vandalised by a group of young people.
"After dispersing at about 16:00 the residents regathered at about 22:00 and 
went to vandalise houses belonging to the municipal employees," Metsi said.
He said shops belonging to Bangladeshi and Pakistani people were burnt and 
goods stolen from their shops.
On Monday, Tshing residents gathered at a local stadium to listen to the 
mayor's report back on the grievances they had given to her on February 9.
The grievances included poor service delivery, lack of opportunities, 
absence of facilities in the area and the poor council management.
When the mayor attempted to address the meeting, residents started singing 
and chanting. The mayor could not address the meeting and was escorted out 
of the stadium by police.
The residents barricaded roads with burning tyres and set fire to a local 
business and the house of a local councillor.
Metsi said 15 people were arrested on Monday. He described the present 
situation as calm, but said police would continue to monitor the area.

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2362789,00.html

Violent protesters released
23/07/2008 17:16  - (SA)
Johannesburg - Ninety six people arrested after a violent protest in 
Vukuzakhe were released for lack of evidence against them, Mpumalanga police 
said on Wednesday.
Superintendent Abie Khoabane said four houses were torched in what was 
believed to be a protest over a rates increase in the town near Volksrust.
Khoabane said police would continue with their investigation into damage to 
property and public violence.
"We have intensified our investigation," he said.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080421120558734C236564

Cops called to quell Joburg riot

    April 21 2008 at 12:23PM

By Bhavna Sookha

Service delivery protests in Lenasia South have left looted shops, a 
burnt-out security vehicle and damaged homes in their wake.

The situation was tense on Monday morning as hundreds of residents from the 
Hospital Hill informal settlement started gathering from around 7am.

Just after 8pm on Sunday night, residents barricaded roads leading to the 
area and looted shops.

'They took everything - the meat and the scales - and broke fridges and 
computers
Hundreds of residents were seen running, breaking
shop windows and stealing whatever they could carry.

Police monitored the situation this on Monday morning as residents once 
again blocked off a road with burning tyres and tree branches. They had 
started gathering at the intersection of Violet and Cosmos streets, just 
outside Southview High School, while singing freedom songs and blowing 
vuvuzelas.

It is believed that an address on Sunday by local councillor Paul Molutsi, 
who was giving residents their quarterly update, sparked the violent 
incidents. Molutsi was addressing residents on service delivery issues and 
the delays in the provision of housing, electricity, water
and sanitation facilities.

Police officers, who had escorted Molutsi into the area for the meeting, 
hastily withdrew him when residents became violent and the crowd was 
dispersed with rubber bullets.

Contrary to reports in earlier editions of The Star, Molutsi's house was not 
burnt down. It is believed the crowd went to Molutsi's home with the 
intention of setting it alight but were stopped by the police before they 
got there.

SAPS spokesperson Inspector Mpho Kgasoane said police were monitoring the 
situation. "There are about 300 people here right now. The situation
is under control."

Hoosein Khan, owner of Khan's Butchery, situated about a kilometre from the 
informal settlement, said this morning that his business was looted last 
night.

When The Star arrived at the butchery on Monday morning the windows were 
shattered with glass lying everywhere and the shelves empty. Khan and his 
employees had gathered outside the shop.

"They threw bricks through the window and broke down the door," he said.

"They took everything - the meat and the scales - and broke fridges and 
computers."

Khan, who said he lost about R100 000, said he was alerted by one of his 
employees and his security company about 10pm on Sunday night.

A bottlestore next door also had windows shattered but it looks as if 
looters were unable to gain entry.

Southview High principal Banks Naidoo allowed pupils to return home early as 
residents were protesting just outside the school. He said he couldn't 
guarantee the pupils' safety.

By mid-morning on Monday the situation was calm, with Joburgad metro cops, 
members of the Crime Combating Unit and Lenasia SAPS at the scene.

Many of the residents have been living in the informal settlement for about 
20 years. At the last count there were at least 3 200 shacks in the area.

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2375762,00.html

Man hurt in Khutsong protest
14/08/2008 10:02  - (SA)
·  6 youths arrested in Khutsong
·  Tensions high in Khutsong
·  Khutsong to stay in North West

Johannesburg - A man was injured and eight people arrested following a 
protest by community members of the Khutsong settlement over poor service 
delivery in Bothaville, Free State police said on Thursday.
Spokesperson Puleng Motsoeneng said the community had a meeting at about 
17:00 on Wednesday. When the meeting ended at 18:00 they started throwing 
stones at shops in the area, damaging seven properties.
It is believed the community was angry with the municipality and the mayor 
over poor service delivery, said Motsoeneng.
The crowd also threw stones through the windows of the mayor's house and at 
police vehicles. The protesters dispersed after the police fired rubber 
bullets at them, which injured one man.
Eight people were arrested for malicious damage to property and will appear 
before the Bothaville Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080811114827816C388687

Protesters show solidarity with accused

    August 11 2008 at 11:58AM

Demonstrators marched peacefully to the Volksrust magistrate's court on 
Monday in solidarity with Mandla Shabangu who was arrested following violent 
protests in Vukuzakhe township, Mpumalanga police said.

Superintendent Abie Khoabane said the demonstration was peaceful and that no 
injuries or incidents of violence had been reported.

On July 21 four houses in Vukuzakhe were burned down and one councillor's 
vehicle and a police vehicle were damaged during the protest by community 
members.

Ninety six people were arrested after the protest but were released for lack 
of evidence against them. Police continued their investigations and arrested 
thirteen people, Shabangu among them.

The Vukuzakhe protest was believed to have been sparked by a possible 
municipal rates increase in the town.

On July 14 residents marched to the Vukuzakhe council's offices and handed 
over a memorandum raising their concerns. - Sapa

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2373676,00.html

5 000 protesters torch 10 buses
11/08/2008 11:11  - (SA)
Johannesburg - About 5 000 protesters set 10 Putco buses alight early on 
Monday on the Moloto road in Cullinan, Gauteng police said.
Sergeant Miranda Stoltz said the protesters burnt the buses in Cullinan 
following confusion about tickets.
"Apparently they got the wrong information about the tickets. Putco buses 
sent out a message stating that no tickets were on sale, so they could use 
the buses for free, but someone sent out the wrong message."
No one was injured and no arrests had been made.
The Moloto road in Cullinan leading to Umhlanga was closed to traffic. 
Thousands of commuters were left stranded.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=nw20080808152034611C417310

Merafong residents protest against services

    August 08 2008 at 03:25PM

About 500 residents of Khutsong in Merafong near Carletonville marched to 
the municipal offices on Friday in a protest over service delivery, police 
said.

Spokesperson Superintendent Lesego Metsi said the protesters also handed 
memoranda to banks in Carletonville.

SA Communist Party treasurer in Khutsong Paul Ncwane said the protest was 
triggered by a municipal decision to deduct money from residents every time 
they bought electricity coupons.

The deducted money was said to be used to pay for water.

"They do this to all residents including pensioners. We want this council to 
dissolved," Ncwane said.

He said residents wanted the municipality to separate water and electricity 
billing.

Memoranda delivered to banks demanded an end to the blacklisting of debt 
defaulters, Ncwane said. - Sapa