Tomorrow We Oppose Mass Evictions in the High Court

13 March 2025
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Tomorrow We Oppose Mass Evictions in the High Court

Tomorrow, Abahlali baseMjondolo will be in the Pietermaritzburg High Court to defend an attempt to evict the poor by the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association, acting together with the KwaDukuza Municipality.

The poor are under attack by an unholy alliance formed between the ANC in KwaDukuza, who openly say that the poor should not be allowed to live on ‘prime land’, and a group of rich white racists who do not want poor black people to live with them.

A racist video released by the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association refers to black people who are living in Ballito as polluters who bring crime to the area and chase away tourists. We produced this video in response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUqykK24KYc&t=236s

The Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association wants us to work in their homes and businesses for low wages but not to live with them. Our humanity is being denied. This racism is very painful, and we will resist it.

The alliance between the KwaDukuza Municipality and the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association is asking the court to forcibly remove 980 families to a human dumping ground far from where they now live, close to their jobs and schools.

We are aware that the legal fees for this case are not paid by the municipality but are paid by these rich racists who have built gated communities for themselves. They have paid a fortune to separate themselves from other people, and now they want to get rid of the poor black people who have come to live in the same areas.

After 30 years of fake freedom, the black poor and working class continue to be pushed away from the areas where we live and work. We are seeing a new form of apartheid where segregation is no longer only about the colour of one’s skin but also about how wealthy you are.

This case shows clearly that the ANC does not want to redress the injustices of the past and is, in fact, creating new injustices in the present. They are now working with the rich—many of whom are racists—to force poor black people off what they call ‘prime land’ and into human dumping grounds in the middle of nowhere.

This is not justice. This is not freedom. This is an updated form of apartheid.

We will resist.

📞 Thapelo Mohapi – 084 576 5117
📞 Mqapheli Bonono – 073 067 3274