INTRODUCTION TO THE PHOENIX WORKING COMMITEE
The Phoenix Working Committee is 25 years old this year (2003). It’s an amazing story.
It is a story of humble beginnings, big dreams, trials, tribulations, decades of struggle, victories, setbacks, lifelong friendship and comradeship, and a myriad happy memories.
This is the organisation we celebrate today. These are the heroes, ordinary and extraordinary extraordinary men, women, children that we honour. Twenty-five years is a long time by any measure. It is an era which spanned many personal many and political milestones. During that time, people graduated from school and other institutions, entered the job market if they were lucky, fell in love, got married, had babies, and did all sorts of interesting things with their lives.
We have had weddings, birthdays, funerals, celebrations, tragedy, joy and sorrow. People have joined us in our work, left the organisation, and returned to make their contribution.
Through all of these events, we have always had the PWC. The thread that held us all together. Our rock, our point of reference, our inspiration.
The first meetings of the PWC took place in a small room in a semi-detached house in Greenbury. Our general meetings were held at the Whitehouse Hotel. Our first community contact with the people in Phoenix was in Clayfield and Stonebridge. We trudged the muddy pathways, in the dark, and knocked on doors, spoke with the people, organised and mobilised them into action.
These were life-changing experiences for so many people. It’s what we wanted to do. It’s what we had to do. The PWC made us do it!
This brochure attempts to reflect on that quarter of a century of the organisation, the people whose lives it touched, the issues, campaigns and activities it undertook, and some of the many people and personalities who breathe life into the organisation.
We dedicate this publication to all the volunteers, members, activists, leaders, and the people of Phoenix who played their role in our community.
We hope this brochure will serve as a monument especially to those dear friends and comrades who have passed on, who were not as fortunate as ourselves to enjoy the fruits of our struggles.
25 Fighting Years !
Before the 1970`s it was just one vast tract of sugar can fields extending northwards from Mount Edgecombe. It was to become the home of Durban`s unwanted people- the thousands of families evicted by the apartheid government under the Group Areas Act, from settled by communities in Clairwood, Riverside,Spingfield,Cato Manor and many other areas.
Tin Town floods come to Phoenix !
Among the first residents to settle in the stonebridge and Clayfield areas were those affected by the flooding of the banks of Umgeni river in Tin Town during 1975. The emergency created by this disaster, together with pressure from community groups, forced the Durban City Council to speed up the housing development and make homes available to the affected families from 1976. One of the earliest residents was the late Mr JM Singh, who served the community as chairperson of the PWC and various other bodies for many years.
Phoenix Working Committee formed
Typical of most black townships , Phoenix residents experienced problems such as high rentals, inadequate facilities ,housing defects and high transport costs. From the inception of the township,residents had been aware of these issues and the need to organise themselves to tackle them. As each unit was developed and occupied residents associations were formed to take up the grievances of the people. As the people in different units faced similar civic problems, the need for greater co-ordination of their efforts became evident. In January 1978, an umbrella civic organisation incorporating all the existing residents associations was formed. Thus the Phoenix Working Committee was formed, with Roy Sukuram as its first chairperson.
Autonomy given the Boot !
Almost immediately, the PWC launched into one of the biggest and most ambitious civic campaigns ever mounted against local government at the time – the anti-autonomy campaign . This was in response to the devious scheme of the Durban City Council to grant autonomy to Phoenix-so called independence to run its own affairs, which in reality meant that the council escaped responsibility for developing and maintaining the township. Through the successful mobilisation of the community, through protests and demonstrations and through legal action, the PWC succeeded in having autonomy rejected.
Message from the First Chairperson of the PWC
Roykumar Sukuram
This is the Golden thread which links people of different faiths…
This creed was epitomized by the emergence of the PWC in the tumultuous decades before the liberation of SA.
PWC unified the people of Phoenix in the fight against the injustices of Apartheid and won…
The success of the PWC was the result of collective community action.
However, I would like to pay special tribute to the late Mr. M. J. Naidoo of the Natal Indian Congress and Mr. J. M. Singh PWC Exco member and President of the Clayfield Residents Association for their contribution to the broader struggle in our country and their untiring efforts for the people of Phoenix.
My humble request on this auspicious day is to implore the PWC to continue with the spirit and determination that is evident here today.
Let us ensure that when the next elections take place, Phoenix will be more representative of the values, principles, courage and selflessness of the late Messrs M. J. Naidoo and J. M. Singh. The challenge of the PWC is to nurture such leaders.
Message from Founder Member of the PWC
Mr. R.E. Naidoo
The 25 year anniversary of any organization is always a historic and momentous occasion that brings with it not only a great sense of achievement but also gives a renewal of hope and strength for the future.
When I look back to my involvement with the PWC in 1977/8, I can proudly say that I was part of the building of a dynamic civic association in Phoenix. I remember the numerous community meetings we held under the marquees because there were no halls in Phoenix at that time. I also remember visiting people in their homes to talk about their problems and the numerous demonstrations we held to highlight our plight. It was so very exciting to be part of the movement for change in Phoenix.
The highlight of my involvement was my participation in the struggle for public transport
and the building of schools in Phoenix. We put up a tremendous fight and through the efforts of the PWC, these matters were resolved.
The Phoenix Working Committee (PWC) was and still remains a dynamic organization of which I am delighted to be a member of since it’s inception in 1978.
The people of Phoenix can be very proud of the stalwarts who had the burning desire to serve the oppressed with unselfish commitment and dedication. I applaud their efforts. I have no doubt in my mind that the PWC will grow from strength to strength and would continue to strive to serve the needs of our community.
We have reached an important milestone. Let us together proceed to greater heights and strive to do better.
Message from Former Chairperson of the PWC
Dhaya Rambaran
When my family and I arrived into the Westham area of Phoenix, there were very few families in the area, there were gravel roads, no street lighting; in short the entire place that we were to call our home was under-developed. At night we often had to grope our way home, going to work in the morning especially if it rained meant that we went to work with double soles.
Transport was worse, buses had to drop passengers off in Redfern and residents from Westham did the long trek every morning and evening to and fro from Redfern and Westham. Life was difficult, but we were ordinary people. Later in the year, the area of Westham attracted more and more residents and the City Council saw fit to tarmac the roads and put up the street lights; lighting that was inadequate.
I wanted to complain; but to whom I did not know. I then met Morgan and he introduced me to the PWC. The PWC wanted to talk to people in our area with their problems. My community work started hereafter. Morgan and I met with Mr Singh, Mr Sham Maharaj, Mr Yusuf Vawda, Vidhu and many others together with our neighbours. An interim committee was formed to take up the issues together the PWC and the City Council. We started addressing the issues that were affecting us as a community and these included the Durban City Council and the local bus operators.
The PWC played an active role in trying to resolve all the problems that we were not happy with. I became an active member of the PWC and still remain till today.
Messages from Muni kooblal
The Kooblal Family has played a major role in the development and work of the PWC. Muni Kooblal speaks of the people and events that shaped the PWC.
The first residents moved into Phoenix in 1976. Most people remember them as victims of the Tin Town floods, and people from other areas that were forcibly removed by the Department of Community Development.
The first residents settled in the Stonebridge, Clayfield, Rainham and Greenbury. Most people came from extended family systems and many were not used to paying rent, water and electricity. The residents also experienced other problems viz. lack of schools, transport problems into Durban, lack of road light, hospitals, clinics, shops and parking bays.
The need for community activism was a spontaneous response from dedicated community workers. The first body formed was the Stonebridge Ratepayers and tenants Association with Diloo Ramkurren as chairman and R.E. Naidoo as secretary. House meetings were held and this led to formation of Residents Associations in each of these existing areas.
” House Meetings ” were the main spark for bringing together families in sharing their problems intimately and the common problems were then taken up by the association. These Association took up problems of the residents the most countervail of which was evictions. The evictions list grew from 20 to about 100. Negotiation to save an eviction was a big victory.
These house meetings soon led to ” Mass Meetings” and even marches. These meetings were a very effective way of moblising people. The first community organisations were actually borne out of these ” House Meetings”.
Circulars for meetings were “duplicated” used an old duplicating machine at the late Mr. Jackie Nair’s house in Greenbury. There were no halls, and we used marquees for functions and meetings. At these venues we also used film shows to raise funds. Mr. Jackie Nair provided his old car for fundraising. Mr. Nair and Mr. Benny Maistry were involved in an accident whilst fundraising. Mr. Maistry sustained serious injuries.
Our problems in Phoenix grew and the biggest hurdle tliat faced the community in the early days was that of AUTONOMY. The Stonebridge ratepayers and Tenants Association, Rainham Civic Association, Greenbury Residents Association and Phoenix Working Committee [ PWC ] to fight the issue of autonomy which was being foisted by the Durban Corporation. Autonomy would have meant having your own Town Board and running your own Township. There would have been no rates base as there were no Industries and Phoenix was a poor community.
Roy Sukuran was the first Chairman of PWC and played a pivotal role in taking up numerous issues facing the community. He took up issues for example fines imposed on the” sweet aunties” outside schools to the issue of” Autonomy”. The PWC was also led by the late Mr. J. M. Singh. The Durban Corporation was white controlled and very arrogant. This did not defer the work of the PWC. Members of the Natal Indian Congress {NIC }provided immense support to the PWC in taking up community issues. They provided legal and intellectual expertise. The leading activists that played a very pivotal role included Praveen Gordhan, Yousuf Vawda, Noddy Jinabhai, Yunus Mohamed, Vidhu Vedalanker and Inba Naidoo.
Their expertise contributed to many success stories via battle against autonomy, evictions, high rents water fines, lack of schools, clinics and many other facilities. These activists set a firm foundation for the development of organization and people who up till this day still serve the community of Phoenix viz.Sham Maharaj who presently plays a leading role in the PWC.
The PWC networked with other communities with similar problems viz Chatsworth, Tongaat and Merebank. The PWC gave rise to the Phoenix Rent Action Committee which was afflicted to the Durban Housing Action a Committee {DHAC }. Community activists from the PWC who were welfare inclined banded together to form the Phoenix Child and Family Welfare Society. Shamim Marie who worked for Verulam Child Welfare initiated the embryo society from the local committees of the Verulam Child Welfare in 1980 Phoenix Child Welfare today is one of the largest child welfare society in the country.
Just as the Mythological bird “Phoenix” arose from the ashes, PWC will continue to rise above all adversities.