The South African Diagram

647 Pages·2013·4.77 MB·English

The South African
Diagram

The governmental machine and the
struggles of the poor

Ahmed Veriava

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Johannesburg, January 2013
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Abstract

The thesis focuses on the relations and complex interplay between forms of resistance
and governmental practice. It takes as its starting point the questions, ‘how do forms of
resistance impact upon the government of the state?’, and ‘how does the government of
the state impact upon forms of resistance?’ In this respect, the thesis sets out the results
of a research project that moves from a set of abstract theoretical statements and
questions, to ever more concrete forms determining the character of contemporary
political struggles. Methodologically it can be described as an ‘extended’ case study
focused on the relation between social movement resistance and the restructuring of the
delivery of water in Johannesburg. Following Burawoy in making theory an important
support in intellectually grappling with different contexts, and a subject of our research
in its own right, my approach to the questions this work takes up is underpinned by a
reading of Foucault’s work on power. Rather than standing as a static theoretical
framework, however, the presentation of Foucault’s approach to power becomes the site
of reconstructions which draw on multiple sources in presenting a theoretical perspective
on the relations between resistance and power in the state that is open to ‘our’ difference.
At its most basic, then, this thesis presents a perspective on the restructuring of the
delivery of water in Johannesburg, showing how it came to be shaped by ‘a double
movement between neoliberal governmentalisation and resistance’. However, if this
implies the importance of understanding the development of state practices in relation to
the forms of resistance it finds itself having to contend with, I also show that many of
the pitfalls of contemporary social movement strategies and mobilisations come into
view with an appreciation of this dynamic as well.

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Declaration

I declare that this thesis is my own unaided work. It is submitted for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not
been submitted before for any other degree or examination in any other university.

Ahmed Veriava

_______________________________________

_________day of ____________________, 2013.

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Dedication

This thesis is dedicated to my mother, Maymoona Veriava.
(Sorry it couldn’t come sooner)

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Acknowledgements

Inspiration1, as well as a lot of help, made this thesis possible. There are, in fact, far too
many debts to be counted up, let alone settled, here. But, at the very least I should
acknowledge:

The people of the Anti-Privatisation Forum under whose collective guidance I learned
about doing politics, as well as the many people that I have worked with, and even
fought with, about politics.

For helping me think like a ‘student’ I am grateful to everyone who put up with me at
our Brixton house reading groups (Antina, PP, Nic, Prishani, Molefi, Claire, Andy; and
then also Trevor, Rob and Patrick). Within the specific context of the academy, and my
formal research project, I also need to thank Patrick Bond and Ashwin Desai, who in
different ways played a part in my initial attempts to transform a set of political questions
into a more formal academic project. For my time at Wits University, I am especially
grateful to my rabbis, Noor Nieftagodien and Eric Worby, for helping me survive Wits;
Tawana Kupe & Shahid Vawda for the formal assistance I received in bringing this thesis
to completion; Anthony Butler, Rupert Taylor and Daryl Glaser for leading me through
official channels; Shireen Hassim and Antje Schuhmann for encouragement and advice;
Shireen Ally for explaining Wits to me; Kelly Gillespie for keeping her door open; Gillian
Renshaw for organising just about everything; Karl Von Holdt and Michael Burawoy for
organising the Polanyi seminars; and Achille Mbembe for his encouragement. Thanks
also to my fellow postgraduate students; Leigh Anne Naidoo, Natasha Vally, Danai
Mupotsa, Heidi Yung, Kate Joseph, Emily Craven, Caroline Tagny, Lindiwe Makhunga
and Veerle Dieltiens.

Moving beyond Wits, I am also grateful to Ulrike Kistner, Michael Hardt and Gillian
Hart for being available to listen to and talk about my ideas. Claire D, Shannon, Claire C,
Melanie S, Antina, Stephen G, Salim, Ravi (Influxis), Franco, Angela (S0metim3s), and
others also formed part of a network of friends with whom I have had important
conversations that shaped my thinking. Jaysen, Hein, Nic, Bettina, James P, Dale, Peter
VH, Lwazi, Bridget, Mbuyiseni, Komnas, Sader, Andy, Khalid, Daniel, Niven, Leon,
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Joey, Rehad, Aldin, Yumna and Shiraaz, constantly schooled and helped prepare a
disposition (for whatever its worth). So, I grateful for having bras.

For their direct assistance, I want to thank Jabu Molobela who gave me my Soweto
orientation and served as a research assistant during a 2006 project that helped inspire
this thesis; Nicolas Dieltiens, who not only gave me tremendous (and undeserved)
encouragement, but also helped check references for me; and Dale McKinley, who not
only served as an influential collaborator in previous intellectual projects, but who also
made his entire archive (of interviews and documents) available to me.

I have to also thank my supervisor, Peter Hudson, for his style and for helping me get to
the end of this intellectual journey.

Thanks also to my family whose lessons, support, love and unintended pressure helped
me get this done: my sisters, Faranaaz and Tamara; my other sisters, Sans and Nish; my
brother, Zain; my stepmother, Phillipa; Dilly and Poonie Naidoo; Kenneth; Gina; Ike;
Surie; Rooha (who taught me philosophy); Sadeque (who taught me politics); and my
father, Yosuf, who insisted I think for myself (even when he disagreed with what I
decided to think).

Finally I want to thank Prishani, my partner, collaborator, supervisor and best friend,
who not only helped me get started, but who also gave me the courage to finish.
Everything good in here begins with you.

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Table of Contents
Abstract 2
Declaration 3
Dedication 4
Acknowledgements 5
Table of Contents 7
List of Figures 9
List of Tables 10
List of Appendices 11
List of Abbreviations 12
Introduction 16
Chapter 1: Problematic - Questions – Methods 27
1.1. Problematic: Moving from the Question of Resistance to the Question of Escape (Or the
intellectual becoming militant) .......................................................................................................................................... 27
1.2. Questions and Method ................................................................................................................................................... 47
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Dossier on Critique ........................................................................................................................................................................... 67
Chapter 2: Post-Apartheid Politics and the Emergence of New Social Movements 112
2.1. NDR and the State .......................................................................................................................................................... 114
2.2. Becoming - The Emergence of the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) ....................................................... 127
Conclusion: An Image of the Past and An Idea of the Future .............................................................................. 160
Dossier On (bio)Power................................................................................................................................................................. 164
Chapter 3: Hypnos and Thanatos - The Two Economies Thesis and ‘Government’s’ Shifting Tactical
Approach 212
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 212
3.1. Lines of Critique and Acclamation ........................................................................................................................ 219
3.2. The Problem of the “underclass” ........................................................................................................................... 229
3.3. Commodification and the Government of the Poor ..................................................................................... 246
3.4. The Post-apartheid Promise .................................................................................................................................... 275
Dossier on Government & Sovereignty .................................................................................................................................. 285
Chapter 4: The Capacity for Government 324
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................. 324
4.1. Apartheid and the Subject In-between ................................................................................................................. 325
4.2. In the name of the norm .............................................................................................................................................. 350
4.3. On One Side of the Governmental Machine ........................................................................................................ 371
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................. 383
Dossier on Fire & Water .............................................................................................................................................................. 385
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Chapter 5: Containing the Poor - Operation Gcin’amanzi, The Problem of ‘Unaccounted-for-Water’,
and The Apparatus of Security 402
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 402
5.1. Counting up Soweto’s UFW ...................................................................................................................................... 403
5.2. Soweto’s Water Losses and the Shifting Paradigm of Water Auditing ............................................... 419
5.3. The Securitisation of Water Delivery in Soweto ............................................................................................ 439
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................. 472
Dossier on the Diagram and the Apparatus ....................................................................................................................... 474
Chapter 6: Water Warriors, the Apparatus & the Everyday 476
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 476
6.1. Prototyping ...................................................................................................................................................................... 477
6.2. From Warfare to Lawfare ........................................................................................................................................... 523
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................................. 546
Conclusion 547
Appendix 1: Questions from the Post-apartheid Political Realm: a review of literature on select
themes from social theory 554
List of References 580
Notes 607

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Double movement slide; source: Burawoy 2010 ............................................................... 18
Figure 2 - Source: Smith 2006 .............................................................................................................. 416
Figure 3 - Source: JW 2001 ................................................................................................................... 434
Figure 4 - Source: ibid; see also Agarwal et al., 2000 ........................................................................ 452
Figure 5 - Liemberger & McKenzie 2005: 6-7 .................................................................................. 462
Figure 6 – JW billboard. ........................................................................................................................ 499
Figure 7 - JW Mural. ............................................................................................................................... 500
Figure 8 - Phiri Mural. ............................................................................................................................ 500
Figure 9 - Phiri Mural 2. ........................................................................................................................ 501
Figure 10 - JW bucket. ........................................................................................................................... 501
Figure 11 - JW billboard 2. .................................................................................................................... 502

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List of Tables
Table 1 – Source: Masondo n.d. .......................................................................................................... 381
Table 2 - Source: Masondo n.d. ........................................................................................................... 381
Table 3 - Source: Smith 2006: 19; based on information provided by JW to CoJ CMU .......... 416
Table 4 – My formulation ..................................................................................................................... 427
Table 5 - Source of Data JW ................................................................................................................ 433
Table 6 - My calculations based on JW’s data ................................................................................... 438
Table 7 - Source: ibid ............................................................................................................................. 461
Table 8 - Source of data: JW Project Reports ................................................................................... 518

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