Celebrating 15 years of Revolutionary Struggle for Land, Decent Housing and Dignity

Friday, 2 October 2020
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Celebrating 15 years of Revolutionary Struggle for Land, Decent Housing and Dignity

Tomorrow, Saturday, 3 October Abahlali will be holding our first in a number of seminars and reflections under the theme Sifike kanjani la? (How have we come here?). The seminar will bring together 100 cadres from across the country where Abahlali has a presence. It will also bring together friends and comrades of the movement. The aim will be to reflect together on the 15-year revolutionary journey of our movement in order for to deliberate, learn and take stock of lessons of the last 15 years of organisation and struggle to prepare for the revolutionary journey ahead of us. This seminar is one of series of events that we will be holding to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. This process will be filmed and documented as a tool to help Abahlali, and comrades in other organisations in South Africa and across the world with the process of continuous collective reflection that is essential to any revolutionary project. 

Speakers and participants will be coming from Abahlali branches and communities, from comrades in other organisations, and from comrades who have journeyed with us in struggle over the years. All the speakers on the programme have made important contributions to our movement and our struggle. This seminar will connect new comrades with the history of the movement and with the comrades that founded the movement and supported our struggle along the way.

This seminar will start at 9:00am tomorrow at the Diakonia Conference Centre, 20 Diakonia Avenue, Durban.

Sunday, 4th October 2020, marks exactly 15 years since the birth of our movement. Five years ago, we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a mass rally at the Curries Fountain stadium. However, because of the mass restrictions imposed by lock down regulations we have postponed the mass rally to celebrate 15 years of organisation and struggle to early 2021.
However, we will mark the 15th anniversary of our movement with the relaunch of the eKhenana branch. For a branch to remain in good standing it must hold an assembly each year at which it reflects on the journey of the branch, elects a new branch council and recommits to the principles and praxis of ubuhlali.

The eKhenana branch is a land occupation that has survived repeated state attacks, and, despite these attacks, has been able to develop an impressive urban farm and a democratically run collective to run the farm and distribute the fruits of their labour.

We look forward to celebrating 15 years of organisation and struggle on this land occupation, a site of intense and ongoing struggle. The eKhenana branch will provide leadership on what living politic looks like 15 years after we first began our struggle.

The launch will be held at the eKhenana branch in Cato Manor, next to Intuthuko Junction in Durban. We will start at 10:00am.

Land, wealth and power must be shared equally.

Contact:

Lindokuhle Mnguni: 081 491 4027
Busisiwe Diko: 060 305 8224
Nomusa Sizani: 081 005 3686
Zanele Mtshali: 062 437 9077