South African grassroots anti-poverty network organises real world cup tournament

Coinciding with the 13th June kick-off of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign (AEC) has brought together local Cape Town communities for the first Poor People’s World Cup. The message behind the tournament is clear: ‘While the poor people in Cape Town and in South Africa as a whole are suffering, the rich are enjoying themselves in the expensive stadiums at the expenses of the poor.’ The Poor People’s Tournament ‘is not only for soccer teams, bit also for the whole community and for the people who struggle everyday against water and electricity cut-offs and against evictions from their homes and working places’.

‘All the traders and communities – that were negatively affected by FIFA related urban renewal projects and by the implemented by-laws – were invited to this tournament: a tournament that is FREE and open to everybody.’ Everybody, that is, except the international corporations who collaborated with FIFA to regenerate Cape Town. The organisers have invited journalists, professional football teams and tourists to see first-hand that sports can avoid nationalist ends and exploitative means. This is a contra-World Cup ‘for the poor communities by the poor communities that is not exploiting people or marginalizing people, but involving people and creating new spaces of exposure and participation’.

On 23rd June, 1500 residents from Blikkiesdorp and surrounding areas marched to Dan Plato (Mayor of Cape Town) inviting him and FIFA to the Poor People’s World Cup finals on 4 July. The march highlighted the disastrous effect of the World Cup on Cape Town’s poorer residents. ‘The displaced communities are now living in Blikkiesdorp as a result of World Cup regeneration projects. Many of these residents were promised proper houses before moving to this “concentration camp” with tin can structures – far away from the city centre and from job opportunities, good education, their social networks, etc.’  In solidarity with those living in the relocation area soccer teams, coaches, and spectators participating in the Poor People’s World Cup joined the march.

If you know tourists in Cape Town for the World Cup, the invitation to the tournament and the 4 July finals has been extended ‘don’t stay only in the controlled spaces bounded by FIFA rules and regulations, but move beyond these areas to experience the true spirit of what the game of soccer is all about!’

The AEC was formed on November 2000 with the aim of fighting evictions, water cut-offs and poor health services, obtaining free electricity, securing decent housing, and opposing police brutality, and currently acts as an umbrella body for over 15 community organisations, crisis committees, and concerned residents movements who have come together to organise and demand their rights to basic services.

For more information, visit http://antieviction.org.za or follow on Twitter http://twitter.com/antieviction