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'''Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front''' ('''ZACF''', formerly the '''Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front''' or '''ZabFed''') is a federation of [[anarchism|anarchist]] groups in [[South Africa]]. The '''ZACF''' was inspired by the ''Organisational Platform of the Libertarian Communists''.
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The '''Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front''' ('''ZACF''', also known as '''ZabFront''' or simply as '''Zabalaza'''), \known as the '''Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation''' ('''ZabFed''') until 2007, is a [[Especifismo|specifically]] [[Anarchism|anarchist]] [[political organisation]] in [[South Africa]] based primarily in [[Johannesburg]]. The word "Zabalaza" means "struggle" in [[Zulu language|isiZulu]] and [[Xhosa language|isiXhosa]]. Although when known as ZabFed it had been a federation of collectives, it is now a unitary organisation and describes itself as a "federation of individuals" whereby membership is on an individual basis only. The ZACF is inspired by the ''[[The Organisational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists (Draft)]]'', by the [[Dielo Truda]] group, but does not accept the document uncritically. The ZACF is also inspired by the pamphlet "Towards a Fresh Revolution", written by the ''[[Friends of Durruti]]'' group of [[Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo|CNT]] members during the [[Spanish Revolution]], as well as by [[Georges Fontenis]]' [[post-war period|post-war]] pamphlet ''Manifesto of Libertarian Communism''.
  
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The '''ZACF''' consists of
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ZACF members are expected to be committed, convinced [[Anarchist communism|anarchist communist]] [[militant|militants]] who must be in general agreement with the [[Platformism|platformist]] principles of [[theoretical unity|theoretical]] and [[tactical unity]], [[collective responsibility]], and [[federalism]]. Its activities include study and theoretical development, anarchist [[agitation]] and participation in [[class struggle]] activism.<ref name="ZabFront Info">[http://zabalaza.net/organise/what-is-the-zacf/ ZabFront], "What is the ZACF?", retrieved 4 January 2012</ref>
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* '''[[anarchist black cross|Anarchist Black Cross]]''' [http://www.zabalaza.net/abc]
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* '''Bikisha Media Collective'''
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* '''Black Action Group'''
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* '''Zabalaza Action Group'''
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* '''Zabalaza Books''' [http://www.zabalaza.net/zababooks/]
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* and range of individual [[anarchist]] [[militant]]s from [[township]]s across SA
+
  
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'''ZACF''' members share a basic agreement in terms of [[theory|theoretical]] and [[tactic]]al [[unity]], collective responsibility, and [[federalism]] as suggests by the "[[Anarchism#Anarcho-communism|Platform]]". In [[history|historical]] terms the platformist tradition starts with ''The Organizational Platform of the Libertarian Communists'' written by [[Nestor Makhno]], and includes the ''[[Friends of Durruti]]'' grouping of [[Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo|CNT]] members during The [[Spanish Revolution]] who wrote ''Towards A Fresh Revolution''. In the [[post-war period]] many include documents like the [[Georges Fontenis]]' pamphlet ''Manifesto of Libertarian Communism''.
+
As a platformist, especifista organisation, the ZACF subscribes the the idea of an "active minority". This means that the ZACF, unlike [[Anarcho-syndicalism|anarcho-syndicalist]] organisations, does not seek to build a mass anarchist movement; nor does it seek to turn existing [[social movement]]s into anarchist movements. Rather, in the tradition of [[social insertion]] championed by FARJ (''Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro'', or the ''[[Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janeiro]]''), the ZACF seeks to work within existing movements in order to fight for the "leadership of anarchist ideas" and the implementation of anarchist principles within such movements. This is because the ZACF holds that the strength of [[trade union]]s, social movements and other organisations of the [[working class]] lies in their ability to unite the greatest number of workers regardless of their political, religious or [[Ideology|ideological]] affiliations.<ref name="ZabFront Info"/>
 +
 
 +
Prior to becoming a unitary organisation, the organisations which formed the ZACF were:
 +
* The '''[[anarchist black cross|Anarchist Black Cross]]'''; [http://www.zabalaza.net/abc]
 +
* The '''Bikisha Media Collective''';
 +
* The '''Black Action Group''';
 +
* The '''Zabalaza Action Group'''; and
 +
* '''Zabalaza Books''' (which remains in existence as a branch of the ZACF) [http://www.zabalaza.net/zababooks/]
 +
 
 +
==History==
 +
The ZACF is the latest in a line of anarchist organisations stretching back to the [[1990s]]; from which it has inherited many members. Following the destruction of the [[Syndicalism|syndicalist]] [[Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union]] of Africa (ICU) in the [[1930s]],<ref name="New History of SA">Giliomee, H. and Mbenga, B. 2007. New History of South Africa. Cape Town: Tafelberg. pp. 248-250</ref><ref name="Black Flame">Schmidt, M. and van der Walt, L. 2009. [[Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism (Counter-Power vol. 1)]]. Edinburgh: [[AK Press]]. pp.164-170</ref> anarchism only began to re-emerge as a movement in South Africa with small anarchist collectives, established primarily in [[Durban]] and Johannesburg, in the 1990s. In 1993, the Anarchist Revolutionary Movement (ARM) was established in Johannesburg. In 1995, a larger movement, the Workers' Solidarity Federation (WSF), replaced ARM. The WSF incorporated a Durban-based collective which published the journal ''Freedom''; it also produced its own journal entitled ''Workers' Solidarity''. The WSF was plaformist, and focused mainly on work within Black working class and student struggles. It established links with anarchist individuals and small anarchist collectives in [[Zimbabwe]], [[Tanzania]] and [[Zambia]]; and helped to establish a short-lived Zambian WSF. In 1999, for a range of reasons, the WSF dissolved. It was succeeded by two anarchist collectives: the Bikisha Media Collective and Zabalaza Books. These two groups co-produced ''Zabalaza: A Journal of Southern African Revolutionary Anarchism'',<ref name="Struggle Archives SA">[http://www.struggle.ws/africa/safrica.html South African Anarchism], "Anarchism, revolutionary syndicalism and anti-authoritarian movements in South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland ", retrieved 4 January 2012</ref> which has since become the journal of the ZACF.<ref name="ZabFront Constitution">[http://zabalaza.net/organise/constitution-of-the-zacf/ ZabFront], "Constitution of the ZACF", retrieved 4 January 2012</ref>
 +
 
 +
On [[International Workers' Day|May Day]] in 2003, the ZACF was formed; initially as the Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation. The ZACF has since become heavily involved in the so-called "new social movements" which have formed in South Africa in response to the perceived failures of the [[African National Congress]] government post-[[Apartheid in South Africa|apartheid]].<ref name="ZabFront Info"/> The ZACF has been involved in the campaigns of the [[Anti-Privatisation Forum]] and the [[Landless People's Movement]]. It has also been involved in solidarity work with [[Abahlali baseMjondolo]] and the [[Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign]].<ref name="CNT article">[http://www.cnt.es/sites/default/files/cnt_381_web.pdf Zabalaza: A Voice for Organised Anarchism in South Africa], [[Confederación Nacional del Trabajo|CNT]], retrieved 4 January 2012</ref> Following the formation of the [[Democratic Left Front]] (DLF) in 2011, the ZACF has become a member organisation of the DLF, although it is critical of the mostly middle-class composition of the DLF's leadership, and of the electoral ambitions of some DLF affiliated organisations.<ref name="Anarkismo DLF">[http://www.anarkismo.net/article/18858 Anarkismo.net], "The 'Democratic Left': A Small Step Towards United Working Class Struggle", retrieved 4 January 2012</ref>
  
 
==Membership==
 
==Membership==
Line 21: Line 27:
  
 
==Links to other organisations==
 
==Links to other organisations==
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From the [http://www.zabalaza.net/phorum/read.php?f=2&i=272&t=272#reply_272 Black Flag interview]:
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The ZACF, at the time still known as ZabFed, was involved in the [[International Libertarian Solidarity]] (ILS) network.<ref name="Broadleft.org">[http://www.broadleft.org/anarchis.htm Broadleft.org], Anarchist Organizations, retrieved 4 January 2012</ref> Prior to the founding of the ZACF, the Bikisha Media Collective and Zabalaza Books had also been members of the ILS.<ref name="InterActivist Info Exchange">[http://interactivist.autonomedia.org/node/1204 InterActivist Info Exchange], "South African Anarchists Join International Libertarian Solidarity Network", retrieved 4 January 2012</ref> Following the disbanding of the ILS, the ZACF became part of its successor, the [[Anarkismo.net|Anarkismo]] network.<ref name="ZabFront Anarkismo">[http://zabalaza.net/organise/the-anarkismo-network/ ZabFront], Anarkismo Network, retrieved 4 January 2012</ref>
 +
 
 +
As such, the ZACF has close links to the member organisations of the Anarkismo network; particularly with the [[Workers' Solidarity Movement]] (WSM) in [[Ireland]], [[Common Struggle|Common Struggle — Libertarian Communist Federation]] (formerly NEFAC) in the [[United States]], the Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janeiro (FARJ) in [[Brazil]], the [[Federation of Anarchist Communists]] (FdCA) in [[Italy]], the [[Confederación General del Trabajo]] in [[Spain]] and [[Alternative libertaire|Alternative Libertaire]] (AL) in [[France]]. It has also had intermittent contact with the [[Awareness League]] in [[Nigeria]] and with numerous smaller anarchist collectives in [[Africa]].<ref name="About Anarkismo">[http://anarkismo.net/about_us Anarkismo.net], About Us, retrieved 4 January 2012</ref><ref name="African Struggle Archive, WSF">[http://www.struggle.ws/africa/ African Struggle Archive], Anarchism in Africa, retrieved 4 January 2012</ref>
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 +
In a [http://www.zabalaza.net/phorum/read.php?f=2&i=272&t=272#reply_272 Black Flag interview] when the organisation was still known as ZabFed, the ZACF's international links were summarised as follows:
 
: In Africa we have had intermittent contact with the [[Awareness League]] in [[Nigeria]] although this is hard to maintain, as is the case throughout the [[third world]], due to the lack of access to [[communication]]. We have also recently established contact with the [[Anti-capitalist Convergence of Kenya|ACCK]] in [[Kenya]] and anarchists in [[Uganda]] as well as members of the [[SWAYOCO]] in [[Swaziland]]. Internationally the ZACF is a member of the [[International Libertarian Solidarity]] (ILS) network and has links with other ILS affiliates across [[Latin America]], [[North America]], Europe and the [[former USSR]]. Historically, our closest international links have been with the [[Workers Solidarity Movement]] (WSM) of [[Ireland]], with the [[Swedish Workers Central Organisation]] (SAC), with both the [[CNT-AIT]], the CNT-Vignoles and the [[Francophone Anarchist Federation]] in [[France]] and the [[Confederación General del Trabajo (Spain)|CGT]] in [[Spain]]. In recent years, closer ties have been established, often via the ILS, with the [[Northeastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists]] (NEFAC) of the [[USA]]/[[Canada]], the [[Anarchist Communist Federation]] (FdCA) in [[Italy]], [[Auca|Rebel (Auca)]] of [[Argentina]], the [[Gaucha Anarchist Federation]] (FAG) and their associates in [[Brazil]], [[Tinku Youth]] of [[Bolivia]], the [[Uruguayan Anarchist Federation]] (FAU) and the [[CIPO-RFM]] of [[Mexico]]. We are in contact with the [[Cuban Libertarian Movement in Exile]] (MLCE) in [[Mexico]] and in France, with the [[Iran]]ian underground and the [[Iraq]]i [[exile]] movement -and with numerous other organisations - including [[Anarchist Black Cross|ABC]]s - spanning the globe from [[Costa Rica]] to [[New Zealand]], from [[Chile]] to [[Russia]].
 
: In Africa we have had intermittent contact with the [[Awareness League]] in [[Nigeria]] although this is hard to maintain, as is the case throughout the [[third world]], due to the lack of access to [[communication]]. We have also recently established contact with the [[Anti-capitalist Convergence of Kenya|ACCK]] in [[Kenya]] and anarchists in [[Uganda]] as well as members of the [[SWAYOCO]] in [[Swaziland]]. Internationally the ZACF is a member of the [[International Libertarian Solidarity]] (ILS) network and has links with other ILS affiliates across [[Latin America]], [[North America]], Europe and the [[former USSR]]. Historically, our closest international links have been with the [[Workers Solidarity Movement]] (WSM) of [[Ireland]], with the [[Swedish Workers Central Organisation]] (SAC), with both the [[CNT-AIT]], the CNT-Vignoles and the [[Francophone Anarchist Federation]] in [[France]] and the [[Confederación General del Trabajo (Spain)|CGT]] in [[Spain]]. In recent years, closer ties have been established, often via the ILS, with the [[Northeastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists]] (NEFAC) of the [[USA]]/[[Canada]], the [[Anarchist Communist Federation]] (FdCA) in [[Italy]], [[Auca|Rebel (Auca)]] of [[Argentina]], the [[Gaucha Anarchist Federation]] (FAG) and their associates in [[Brazil]], [[Tinku Youth]] of [[Bolivia]], the [[Uruguayan Anarchist Federation]] (FAU) and the [[CIPO-RFM]] of [[Mexico]]. We are in contact with the [[Cuban Libertarian Movement in Exile]] (MLCE) in [[Mexico]] and in France, with the [[Iran]]ian underground and the [[Iraq]]i [[exile]] movement -and with numerous other organisations - including [[Anarchist Black Cross|ABC]]s - spanning the globe from [[Costa Rica]] to [[New Zealand]], from [[Chile]] to [[Russia]].
  
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==Zabalaza Books==
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==Publications==
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'''Zabalaza Books''' is an organisation within '''Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front'''. It is an [[anarchist]] [[literature]] mail order project that publishes and distributes classic and contemporary anarchist books, pamphlets, music, and videos in the [[Southern Africa]]n region. It originated as underground collective a [[1990s|decade ago]] at the end of [[apartheid]]. The topics covered include: [[Anarchism]], [[Revolutionary Unionism]] ([[Anarcho-Syndicalism]]), [[Women's Liberation]], [[Eco-anarchism|Anarchism and Ecology]], Revolutionary [[History]] and many others. It distributes much of the literature in a [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] format on its website.
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The ZACF publishes ''Zabalaza: A Journal of Southern African Revolutionary Anarchism''. This journal is the organisation's theoretical journal and contains ideological and analytical articles aimed to benefit the anarchist communist movement in general, as well as in South Africa. Additionally, it publicises and promotes the official line of the ZACF as determined by the organisation's membership at its annual congress. The ZACF's other major publication is the ''Zabalaza.net'' website, the official website of the organisation.<ref name="ZabFront Constitution"/>
  
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==Zabalaza journal==
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The following is a list of all editions of the ''Zabalaza'' journal:
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The ZACF is publishing "Zabalaza, A Journal of Southern African Revolutionary Anarchism". So far three issues have been printed:
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* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza01.pdf ''Zabalaza 1'' (April 2001)]
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* [http://www.zabalaza.net/pdfs/sapams/zab1.pdf April 2001]
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* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza02.pdf ''Zabalaza 2'' (March 2002)]
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* [http://www.zabalaza.net/pdfs/sapams/zab2.pdf March 2002]
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* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza03.pdf ''Zabalaza 3'' (August 2002)]
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* [http://www.zabalaza.net/pdfs/sapams/zab3.pdf August 2002]
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* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza04.pdf ''Zabalaza 4'' (June 2003)]
 +
* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza05.pdf ''Zabalaza 5'' (May 2004)]
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* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza06.pdf ''Zabalaza 6'' (April 2005)]
 +
* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza07.pdf ''Zabalaza 7'' (December 2006)]
 +
* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza08.pdf ''Zabalaza 8'' (February 2008)]
 +
* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza09.pdf ''Zabalaza 9'' (September 2008)]
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* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza10.pdf ''Zabalaza 10'' (April 2009)]
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* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/zabalaza11.pdf ''Zabalaza 11'' (October 2010)]
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* [http://zabnew.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/zabalaza12.pdf ''Zabalaza 12'' (July 2011)]
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 +
==Zabalaza Books==
 +
Zabalaza Books is an anarchist publishing project linked to the ZACF. It is an [[anarchist]] [[literature]] mail order project that publishes and distributes classic and contemporary anarchist books, pamphlets, music, and videos in the [[Southern Africa|southern African]] region. It originated as underground collective in the [[1990s]] at the end of [[apartheid]]. The topics covered include: [[anarchism]], [[Revolutionary Unionism|revolutionary unionism]] ([[anarcho-syndicalism]]), [[women's liberation]], revolutionary [[history]] and many others. It distributes much of the literature in a [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] format on its website.<ref name="About Zabalaza Books">[http://zabalazabooks.net/about-zabalaza-books/ Zabalaza Books] About Us, retrieved 4 January 2012</ref>
  
 
==Contact info==
 
==Contact info==
Line 47: Line 68:
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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* [http://www.zabalaza.net/ Official website]
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==External links==
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* [http://zabalaza.net/ Official website]
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* [http://zabalazabooks.net/ Zabalaza Books]
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* [http://zabalaza.net/organise/theoretical-positions-of-the-zacf/ Theoretical positions of the ZACF]
 
* [http://nefac.net/node/1374 NEFAC Interview: Anarchism in South Africa]
 
* [http://nefac.net/node/1374 NEFAC Interview: Anarchism in South Africa]
 
* [http://www.zabalaza.net/phorum/read.php?f=2&i=272&t=272#reply_272 Black Flag interview]
 
* [http://www.zabalaza.net/phorum/read.php?f=2&i=272&t=272#reply_272 Black Flag interview]
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==References==
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{{Reflist}}
  
 
[[Category:African politics]]
 
[[Category:African politics]]

Revision as of 05:36, 6 January 2012

The Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF, also known as ZabFront or simply as Zabalaza), \known as the Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation (ZabFed) until 2007, is a specifically anarchist political organisation in South Africa based primarily in Johannesburg. The word "Zabalaza" means "struggle" in isiZulu and isiXhosa. Although when known as ZabFed it had been a federation of collectives, it is now a unitary organisation and describes itself as a "federation of individuals" whereby membership is on an individual basis only. The ZACF is inspired by the The Organisational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists (Draft), by the Dielo Truda group, but does not accept the document uncritically. The ZACF is also inspired by the pamphlet "Towards a Fresh Revolution", written by the Friends of Durruti group of CNT members during the Spanish Revolution, as well as by Georges Fontenis' post-war pamphlet Manifesto of Libertarian Communism.

ZACF members are expected to be committed, convinced anarchist communist militants who must be in general agreement with the platformist principles of theoretical and tactical unity, collective responsibility, and federalism. Its activities include study and theoretical development, anarchist agitation and participation in class struggle activism.[1]

As a platformist, especifista organisation, the ZACF subscribes the the idea of an "active minority". This means that the ZACF, unlike anarcho-syndicalist organisations, does not seek to build a mass anarchist movement; nor does it seek to turn existing social movements into anarchist movements. Rather, in the tradition of social insertion championed by FARJ (Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro, or the Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janeiro), the ZACF seeks to work within existing movements in order to fight for the "leadership of anarchist ideas" and the implementation of anarchist principles within such movements. This is because the ZACF holds that the strength of trade unions, social movements and other organisations of the working class lies in their ability to unite the greatest number of workers regardless of their political, religious or ideological affiliations.[1]

Prior to becoming a unitary organisation, the organisations which formed the ZACF were:

  • The Anarchist Black Cross; [1]
  • The Bikisha Media Collective;
  • The Black Action Group;
  • The Zabalaza Action Group; and
  • Zabalaza Books (which remains in existence as a branch of the ZACF) [2]

History

The ZACF is the latest in a line of anarchist organisations stretching back to the 1990s; from which it has inherited many members. Following the destruction of the syndicalist Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union of Africa (ICU) in the 1930s,[2][3] anarchism only began to re-emerge as a movement in South Africa with small anarchist collectives, established primarily in Durban and Johannesburg, in the 1990s. In 1993, the Anarchist Revolutionary Movement (ARM) was established in Johannesburg. In 1995, a larger movement, the Workers' Solidarity Federation (WSF), replaced ARM. The WSF incorporated a Durban-based collective which published the journal Freedom; it also produced its own journal entitled Workers' Solidarity. The WSF was plaformist, and focused mainly on work within Black working class and student struggles. It established links with anarchist individuals and small anarchist collectives in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Zambia; and helped to establish a short-lived Zambian WSF. In 1999, for a range of reasons, the WSF dissolved. It was succeeded by two anarchist collectives: the Bikisha Media Collective and Zabalaza Books. These two groups co-produced Zabalaza: A Journal of Southern African Revolutionary Anarchism,[4] which has since become the journal of the ZACF.[5]

On May Day in 2003, the ZACF was formed; initially as the Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation. The ZACF has since become heavily involved in the so-called "new social movements" which have formed in South Africa in response to the perceived failures of the African National Congress government post-apartheid.[1] The ZACF has been involved in the campaigns of the Anti-Privatisation Forum and the Landless People's Movement. It has also been involved in solidarity work with Abahlali baseMjondolo and the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign.[6] Following the formation of the Democratic Left Front (DLF) in 2011, the ZACF has become a member organisation of the DLF, although it is critical of the mostly middle-class composition of the DLF's leadership, and of the electoral ambitions of some DLF affiliated organisations.[7]

Membership

In a Black Flag interview this was said about the class/social composition of the ZACF's membership:

The Front's groups are made up of both blacks and whites who are majority working class, some of whom are unemployed or students. Current membership is pretty equally divided between black and white, but there are far more black people living in "squatter camps" and townships who have expressed a genuine interest in anarchism than white people living in suburbs. A typical member would be in their early 20s, casually employed and male. We expect female membership to climb as our community projects prove their worth and also hope to attract indigenous*, Asian and coloured activists. (*NB: "indigenous" refers to Bushmen, Griquas, Khoekhoen and other self-described "yellow" First Peoples who lived in South Africa before black people arrived).

Later on the Zabalaza Debate Forum it was stated that

The ZACF is comprised of "black" and "white" members in roughly a 50/50 mix, with a presence in the "black" townships of Motsoaledi (Soweto), Dlamini (Soweto) and Umlazi (Durban). We do not currently have any "Indian" membership. As for our activities on the ground, I refer you to our announcement, posted today to this forum entitled "ZACF restructured."

Links to other organisations

The ZACF, at the time still known as ZabFed, was involved in the International Libertarian Solidarity (ILS) network.[8] Prior to the founding of the ZACF, the Bikisha Media Collective and Zabalaza Books had also been members of the ILS.[9] Following the disbanding of the ILS, the ZACF became part of its successor, the Anarkismo network.[10]

As such, the ZACF has close links to the member organisations of the Anarkismo network; particularly with the Workers' Solidarity Movement (WSM) in Ireland, Common Struggle — Libertarian Communist Federation (formerly NEFAC) in the United States, the Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janeiro (FARJ) in Brazil, the Federation of Anarchist Communists (FdCA) in Italy, the Confederación General del Trabajo in Spain and Alternative Libertaire (AL) in France. It has also had intermittent contact with the Awareness League in Nigeria and with numerous smaller anarchist collectives in Africa.[11][12]

In a Black Flag interview when the organisation was still known as ZabFed, the ZACF's international links were summarised as follows:

In Africa we have had intermittent contact with the Awareness League in Nigeria although this is hard to maintain, as is the case throughout the third world, due to the lack of access to communication. We have also recently established contact with the ACCK in Kenya and anarchists in Uganda as well as members of the SWAYOCO in Swaziland. Internationally the ZACF is a member of the International Libertarian Solidarity (ILS) network and has links with other ILS affiliates across Latin America, North America, Europe and the former USSR. Historically, our closest international links have been with the Workers Solidarity Movement (WSM) of Ireland, with the Swedish Workers Central Organisation (SAC), with both the CNT-AIT, the CNT-Vignoles and the Francophone Anarchist Federation in France and the CGT in Spain. In recent years, closer ties have been established, often via the ILS, with the Northeastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC) of the USA/Canada, the Anarchist Communist Federation (FdCA) in Italy, Rebel (Auca) of Argentina, the Gaucha Anarchist Federation (FAG) and their associates in Brazil, Tinku Youth of Bolivia, the Uruguayan Anarchist Federation (FAU) and the CIPO-RFM of Mexico. We are in contact with the Cuban Libertarian Movement in Exile (MLCE) in Mexico and in France, with the Iranian underground and the Iraqi exile movement -and with numerous other organisations - including ABCs - spanning the globe from Costa Rica to New Zealand, from Chile to Russia.

Publications

The ZACF publishes Zabalaza: A Journal of Southern African Revolutionary Anarchism. This journal is the organisation's theoretical journal and contains ideological and analytical articles aimed to benefit the anarchist communist movement in general, as well as in South Africa. Additionally, it publicises and promotes the official line of the ZACF as determined by the organisation's membership at its annual congress. The ZACF's other major publication is the Zabalaza.net website, the official website of the organisation.[5]

The following is a list of all editions of the Zabalaza journal:

Zabalaza Books

Zabalaza Books is an anarchist publishing project linked to the ZACF. It is an anarchist literature mail order project that publishes and distributes classic and contemporary anarchist books, pamphlets, music, and videos in the southern African region. It originated as underground collective in the 1990s at the end of apartheid. The topics covered include: anarchism, revolutionary unionism (anarcho-syndicalism), women's liberation, revolutionary history and many others. It distributes much of the literature in a PDF format on its website.[13]

Contact info

Address

ZACF
Postnet Suite 153
Private Bag X42
Braamfontein
2017
South Africa

See also

External links

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ZabFront, "What is the ZACF?", retrieved 4 January 2012
  2. ↑ Giliomee, H. and Mbenga, B. 2007. New History of South Africa. Cape Town: Tafelberg. pp. 248-250
  3. ↑ Schmidt, M. and van der Walt, L. 2009. Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism (Counter-Power vol. 1). Edinburgh: AK Press. pp.164-170
  4. ↑ South African Anarchism, "Anarchism, revolutionary syndicalism and anti-authoritarian movements in South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland ", retrieved 4 January 2012
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 ZabFront, "Constitution of the ZACF", retrieved 4 January 2012
  6. ↑ Zabalaza: A Voice for Organised Anarchism in South Africa, CNT, retrieved 4 January 2012
  7. ↑ Anarkismo.net, "The 'Democratic Left': A Small Step Towards United Working Class Struggle", retrieved 4 January 2012
  8. ↑ Broadleft.org, Anarchist Organizations, retrieved 4 January 2012
  9. ↑ InterActivist Info Exchange, "South African Anarchists Join International Libertarian Solidarity Network", retrieved 4 January 2012
  10. ↑ ZabFront, Anarkismo Network, retrieved 4 January 2012
  11. ↑ Anarkismo.net, About Us, retrieved 4 January 2012
  12. ↑ African Struggle Archive, Anarchism in Africa, retrieved 4 January 2012
  13. ↑ Zabalaza Books About Us, retrieved 4 January 2012
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