PASSOP is a small organisation with almost no resources but it has a big name and an even bigger reputation. It is different from all other NGOs I have come across – it is more idealistic, more ‘grassroots’, more intense and more rewarding. All of that is because its founder and director: refugee rights activist Braam Hanekom.
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| Braam at a protest |
Braam founded PASSOP in 2007 (when he was 24..), and it is only through his charisma, leadership and passion that PASSOP became so widely known in township communities and amongst political and media circles in South Africa. The media attention he has received with PASSOP in the last few years through the many protests and campaigns against human rights abuses and the mistreatment of foreigners in South Africa has made him widely known and respected, particularly amongst Zimbabweans. (He has been arrested four different times during protests.) There are between 150,000 and 300,000 Zimbabwean migrants living in the Western Cape Province – I have not once met one that did not know of Braam and PASSOP.
Perhaps the best way to describe Braam is as a South African Che Guevara. He is a socialist through and through; a revolutionary with all his heart and mind. He was born and raised in Zimbabwe and he speaks Shona fluently. He dropped out of high school to campaign for the opposition in Zimbabwe when he was 17 and came to South Africa a few years later and started PASSOP.
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| Braam being celebrated by displaced Zimbabweans |
One usually rather hard-to-impress friend of mine who recently met Braam at my house simply said: ‘That guy is the real deal’. He is one of those special people that can truly captivate an audience with his words and inspire people with his rhetoric. Whenever he starts speaking in townships, crowds of people gather around to listen. A big reason why I have turned down other well-paying jobs over the past half a year and decided to stay at PASSOP is because I know I can learn a lot from Braam.
Yet, for all that Braam (aka ‘El commandante’) has in leadership and charisma, he lacks in the interest and savvy in organising funding. When I joined five months ago, PASSOP consisted of Braam, Tendai (the secretary) and two volunteers and was operating out of a small room in Braam’s mother’s house. The organisation was funded largely by Braam’s generous parents. Donors and other well-wishers would practically have to throw money at him for him to take it. Braam also rarely makes compromises; it’s often his way or none at all. His intense personality and frequent outbursts have led many over the years to shy away from working with him in the long-term.
Despite its small size and limited resources, PASSOP is undoubtedly one of the leading advocates for the rights of refugees and immigrants in South Africa. Not a week goes by when we are not featured in newspapers, radio or on TV. In the past, PASSOP has exposed corruption at Home Affairs offices, time and again highlighted human rights abuses, represented thousands of workers in cases of discrimination and exploitation and represented displaced foreigners after a wave of xenophobic violence swept across the country in 2008 and again in 2009. Braam achieved all of that with next to no financial resources.
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| Braam's idea of 'crowd control' (bottom right, with Che Guevara shirt). |
A lot has changed in the last five months. We managed to get a number of proposals approved that substantially increased our funding. As a result, we were able to move into a spacious office and now there are eight full-time paid staff members and 25 interns and volunteers! Helping to achieve this fast progress is definitely my proudest achievement to date, because I know the far-reaching positive impact that PASSOP is now able to have.
Besides staying vocal against all kinds of human rights violations (i.e. by staging protests) and organising music, sports and other cultural 'reintegration events', we are now able to run a number of on-going projects simultaneously. We have just set up ‘anti-xenophobia help desks’ in various high risk townships around Cape Town where anti-foreigner sentiments are prevalent. The aim of this project is to help bridge the gap between locals and foreigners through the provision of paralegal advice, educational workshops, information campaigns and other services, such as CV-building. It is also a base from which we can monitor township communities for first signs of xenophobic tensions.
We also recently launched a project that assists poor immigrant families who have children with disabilities; are starting a project in a number of High Schools in which PASSOP volunteers go and present and debate issues surrounding stereotypes against foreigners, the social, political and economic realities in the home countries that foreigners flee from and what human rights are; and are in the process of launching a new mass information anti-xenophobia campaign on trains and other public transport.
What I enjoy most about working at PASSOP and what keeps me motivated, is that I can see the direct impact that our work is having on the lives of people who often can’t stand up for themselves. Every single day over a dozen people come into our office with all sorts of labour, documentation or other issues. For example, I often write threatening letters for people who are being severely mistreated and exploited by their employers – the satisfaction I get from hearing how oppressive bosses suddenly pay the overdue wages or change their abusive practices never gets old.
