Rural Network UnFreedom Day Statement

STATEMENT BY THE RURAL NETWORK: UN-FREEDOM, APRIL 27, 2010

The event is called “Un-Freedom Day”. We call it “Un-freedom Day” because we feel like we are still oppressed by poverty, underdevelopment and injustices directed to us as marginalized communities living in the rural and farming areas. We say that apartheid used racism to exclude the majority of the South Africans, especially indigenous South Africans from accessing economic resources and from participating in the politics of the country. Today we witness class, gender, race and geographical location to exclude the majority of South Africans from participating fully in our democracy. Those of us who live in the rural areas do not have access to our own ancestors’ land, proper education, water and health facilities.

We reckon that we suffer because we do not count. We do not count because we are poor, rural and most of us are under-educated. It is easier for the government to neglect us when we are being murdered by the white farmers but the wheels of justice roll swiftly when the white farmers suffer similar brutality. This is clearly evidenced when one compares the murder case of a white supremacist group leader Eugene Terreblanch, or the case of David Rutrey (historian who was murdered a few years ago) with the murder of Solomon Mbuyisa (who was murdered by white farmers and police officers) and murder of Mr. Nko Dlamini (of Eston) and grandmother Irene Masikane, to name but a few. When local farmers abuse indigenous black women living on farming areas, such as Mrs. Florence Zondi (83 year old grandmother) and Fikile Masikane, and manipulate the police and justice system the government turn a blind eye. Why? Simply because we do not count. So how can we celebrate Freedom Day? That is why we hold a commemoration called “Un-Freedom Day” on April 27, 2010.

While race was used as one of the criteria to decide who lives where, attend what schools are attended and who and how can be developed economically and socially but LAND was always at the epicentre of the liberation struggle. The apartheid government evicted people from their land, under forced removals, in order to squeeze them in to a tiny 17% of national land which was inerrable and remote. These forced removals resulted in the destruction of people’s fabric of their social system, structures, culture and loss of identity. The indigenous people were systematically turned into cheap labour for mining companies and to work on farms as farm labourers or slaves (we say slaves because they worked without being paid). Unfortunately, these forced removals are perpetrated even today, all over South Africa. For example, the story of the Macambini traditional community where the KIN government tried to evict 8500 families in order to allow an Arab estate development company to come and take over their land. When the Macambini traditional community resisted they were met with rubber bullets, tear gas and arrests.

1994 marked a historical moment in the history of South Africa as we (South Africans) held our first democratic elections that were supposed to mark the beginning of freedom. Unfortunately, 15 years down the line the majority of South Africans are still oppressed and systematically marginalized. Some of us are even worse off than we were during the apartheid period. Continuation of evictions that lead to internal displacement, demolishing of people’s houses, denial of access to justice and harassment of landless communities by the landed all show how this dream of ‘freedom for all’ remains a far fetched one. It is because of this lack of freedom that we the marginalized communities coming from rural/farming areas around kwaZulu-Natal province and the urban areas will be hosting this annual event which we call “UN-FREEDOM DAY” to remind ourselves that we are still oppressed and alienated in our own homeland.

Aluta Continual!!/The struggle continues!!!

Rural Network