The Struggle Continues – More Fires, More Threatened Evictions…

Abahlali continue to win excellent press coverage locally and nationally in English and Zulu media. The press releases below, from the Motala Heights settlements, the first settlement in the nearby industrial town of Pinetown to join Abahlali, are about threatened evictions. The community there is very well organised and have twice forced off the officials, accompanied by police and private security, who have come to mark their homes slated for eviction. Their pistol wielding cowboy councillor is in league with a local tycoon who wants to develop gated housing for the middle class on their land. They got good media coverage too and there is currently a stalemate. The state has promised to ‘clear the slums in time for the 2010 Football World Cup and is now looking to set up a paramilitary force to control shack dwellers. An article from the Mail & Guardian newspaper reflects on this development. There is also a press release and article about another person taken by the fire in Kennedy Road, this time an old man.

Two Motala Heights Press Releases (and pictures on IndyMedia):
motala_heights.doc  510.5 KB
Motala_Heights_Press_Release4.doc  1.09 MB
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/10972.php

‘Human Beings are Living There’ – article from the Mail & Guardian:
M&G_edit1.DOC  29 KB

Press Release for the Memorial for Baba Dhlomo:
Dhlomo_Memorial.DOC  26 KB

‘Shack Fire Takes Life, eThekwini Municipality Electrification Policy Takes Soul’ by Shantel Vachani:
shantal_article.DOC  34 KB

‘Shack Fire Leads to More Mass Action’ by Kerry Chance (with pictures of the Baba Dhlomo Memorial):
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/10998.php

Previous Fires

The Lacey Road Fire:
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2006/04/10308.php
The Jadhu Place Fire:
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/10980.php
The Quarry Road Fire:
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/10808.php