WHAT IS the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC)?
“The SECC was formed in May 2000 when the various communities in Soweto township near Johannesburg decided to unite to fight electricity cutoffs. Incredibly, Sowetans paid more per kilowatt than rich people who live in the smart suburb of Sandton. “The structure of tariffs in Johannesburg looked like this at the time: Soweto 26 cents per kilowatt hour; Sandton 18 cents per kilowatt hour; businesses 7 cents per kilowatt hour. The SECC made a name for itself with its daring defiance campaign, “Operation Khanyisa”. This means “to light up”. “When ESKOM, the electricity company, cut people off, the SECC sent its struggle-trained technicians to reconnect the power supply. This was done under the slogans “Electricity is a right not a privilege” and “It is better to break the law than to break the poor”. “Many of Soweto’s 40-plus township areas soon had an Operation Khanyisa team. The SECC’s bold campaign soon caught the national imagination and its campaign became prime time viewing. This ca
