Around 2 000 people had by 11am assembled at Alexandra Stadium, north of Johannesburg, ahead of a civil society march on the Sandton Convention Centre where the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) is being held.
The march will be preceded by a rally expected to be addressed by South African President Thabo Mbeki.
The groups who will take part in the march under the banner of the Global People’s Forum, include the African National Congress (ANC), the SA Communist Party, the Congress of SA Trade Unions and the SA National Civics Organisation.
ANC Gauteng chairman and premier, Mbhazima Shilowa, told the crowd that buses were still coming from Nasrec, Diepsloot informal settlement near Pretoria and other places.
”We are not marching in anger, we are saying we are marching in ‘sustainable development is possible’ (sic), but there are certain things we want our leaders to do to work on it,” he said.
The premier said the United Nations system at the summit defined political parties, such as the ANC and its alliance partners, as non-government organisations.
Communities in South Africa had concerns around housing, water, electricity and health.
”Even as our government is inside negotiating change, pushing these issues, including free trade, we need to ensure that we mobilise outside to back those positions.”
The march, which is expected to attract some 10 000 people, including delegates from Cuba and Palestine, comes ahead of the arrival of heads of state and governments in Johannesburg for the final session of the WSSD.
Negotiators were still trying to bridge the divide on a number of contentious issues and conclude an action plan to cut poverty, while protecting the environment, on Saturday morning.
They had deadlocked on targets for renewable energy and sanitation as well as agricultural subsidies in Europe and the United States.
The demonstrators carried banners that read ”Tony Blair don’t beat about the Bush”, ”Boycott Israel now”, ”Stop Israel’s nuclear programme” and curiously ”Israel, stop polluting Africa”.
Police were keeping a strong, but discreet presence in Alexandra. – Sapa