New Internationalist. The people, the ideas, the action in the fight for global justice.

Some great news coming out of Johannesburg in the battle against water privatization.

A High Court Judge has ruled the city's controversial usage of prepayment water meters unconstitutional. This is a tremendous victory for those fighting water privatization in South Africa, and particularly for residents of townships such as Soweto where the use of prepayment meters has restricted people's access to water drastically.

With the Climate Camp in the UK now underway, it is a good moment to reflect on some of the stakes involved in climate change activism. For many people, climate change is an abstract 'environmental' issue with little impact on their lives – but there are many people on the front lines who often face a life and death struggle. Such was the story of Sajida Khan, who's battle was not with climate change per se, but with some of its so-called 'solutions'. 

Anti-water privatization activists from all over Africa met today at the World Social Forum to launch a new African Water Network aimed at strengthening co-operation and co-ordinating efforts to ‘oppose water privatization in all its forms’; to work for a participatory model of public control over water; and to assert that water is a fundamental human right. Virginia Setshedi from the South African Coalition Against Water Privatization explained the significance of the event: ‘Today we celebrate the birth of this network to resist the theft of our water, tomorrow we will celebrate access to clean water for all!’