Reference no: EM133220593

"Privatization is a new kind of apartheid. Apartheid separated Whites and Blacks. Privatization separates the rich from the poor."Richard "Bricks" Mokolo,

Orange Farm Water Crisis Committee, South Africa

Throughout South Africa, ordinary people are turning to civil disobedience. They have disconnected water meters, reconnected pipes, and left bills unpaid. Why?

The new South Africa still carries a heavy debt burden inherited from the previous regime. Not willing to risk the wrath of international markets, the government did not renounce that debt and, in addition, accepted structural adjustment (SAP) conditions. Privatization of public services is one of the top priorities of SAPs. Before long, water services in the more profitable urban areas were being turned over to foreign corporations. In some cases, partnerships between large private companies and public service providers were struck. And in other areas, the South African government itself began a "fee for service" arrangement that the poor majority could not afford, even though the new constitution spells out access to water as a right.

Apartheid was built on huge inequalities. These continue. Even though more people are technically hooked up to water services, water access is not assured for many people in South Africa. With the poverty level remaining so high, applying more than 5% of their daily income to accessing water is difficult. Many people have been pushed to pay over 20% of their income on water. When they cannot afford it, their access is cut off.

Some people refused to pay or simply could not afford to. To avoid confrontation while recovering costs, both the government and some corporations began to install individual water meters that cut off the flow when people fell behind on their bills. People were effectively forced to cut off their own water. One region of the country saw an outbreak of cholera when people were forced to return to polluted (though free) sources of water. 250,000 people were affected. South Africans are fighting back. The apartheid struggle continues in a new form.