Laura Huss: Internal & External Activism: Working Together at Kennedy Road

Internal & External Activism: Working Together at Kennedy Road

by Laura Huss
Spring 2006

I prepared a study to look deeper into the community of Kennedy Road and what is being done by those who live there. Be it the red, spray-painted numbers on the doors of the shacks or the growing numbers of people having to dwell in Kennedy Road, what can often be overlooked is the truth and reality of the situations of the humans, the individuals, who live in these shacks and who are labeled by the numbers and statistics. In an attempt to look into the lives of some of these individuals, it is necessary to see what it is they are doing for themselves to better the lives of their selves and their neighbors. So while the government is not providing houses for its citizens, the communities are raising awareness, and simultaneously furthering their daily needs.

While the struggle for better housing cannot be separated from the daily routines of life, activism, in many forms, is something that is ever present in the community. There exist various forms of activism and my study looks at two types being carried out by inhabitants of Kennedy Road. The community initiated and run crèche and their participation in the April 27th UnFreedom Day Rally with other community organizations and NGOs are two forms of activism working for change on different levels and for different individuals, but yet with a similar motivation of attempting to provide a better life for the poor. My topic engaged in these two types of activism to understand them more deeply as well as the shack dwellers movement beyond the micro level. During the process, what it is that many members of the community want and need from the government has become obvious in what they are doing for themselves in these living conditions.

Background

During a formal interview with S’bu Zikode, a resident and active member of the Kennedy Road community, I asked him why he does the work that he does for his community and he responded by saying, “…that is simple, I am natural, I am not for myself, I am for my community and for my country.” This mindset and reasoning is something that is present all throughout the Kennedy Road community, a mindset that is readily seen in the shack dwellers’ movement and the movement of those who feel unfree in the country of South Africa. After spending time at Kennedy Road the true nature of the passion in many of the active people in the community became quite obvious to me and I was able to see the number of community movements and organizations that have risen out of the daily struggles of the individuals.

The shack settlement of Kennedy Road is one that has come into the media and literature very recently as a result of the beginning work of Abahlali baseMjondolo. Abahlali baseMjondolo is a movement made up of 16 shack settlements in and around Durban, South Africa, but which has been continually growing with more and more supporters joining. One of the main conditions that must be understood about Abahlali baseMjondolo and the work that it does is that it is outside of the government sphere because individuals living in shack settlements know the vast separation between their own selves and those in power: “the government is too high to see what is happening at the grassroots level…they are so blind to see what we see.”

In 1993, very soon before Nelson Mandela’s democratic election as President, the South African government in waiting made an outreach to people living in shack settlements. This attempt was in the form of a meeting where Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress (ANC) leaders would be present to listen to the views of those living in shacks in Durban: “The ANC calls on all people living in squatter areas to make their voice heard! ‘Your Problems are My Problems. Your Solution is My Solution.’ says President Nelson Mandela.” The ironic element of the press release that advertised this meeting is that the beginning summarizes the housing crisis and the problems it is creating for many people, yet making it known that it is a result of apartheid: “The crisis in housing in South Africa is a matter which falls squarely at the door of the National Party regime and its surrogates…This is the result of apartheid.” This is something that in 1993 was not a dispute, but today, twelve years after freedom has supposedly been granted to all those living in South Africa, the problem lies in the hand of those who now have the power, the ANC. Organizations like Abahlali baseMjondolo know this and are now taking steps to prove to the government that they have neither listened to their views nor granted them proper living conditions. But, the attempts to listen to the shack dwellers have not been followed through with action, yet the same propaganda and media sympathy continues as it existed in 1993: “The project of overthrowing apartheid is only partially complete.”

The government of South Africa and the city of Durban may see their Slum Clearance Project of 2001 to be beneficial and a promising answer to the unlivable situations of many people in Durban, but the neither the rate or form of is acceptable to most shack dwellers. Kennedy Road is a settlement that has been a home for many since the 1970s and with each person I conversed with and interviewed, all emphatically declared a profound absence of development. And while the eThekwini Municipality was granted with “…the Kwazulu-Natal Local Authority of the Year for 2003 in recognition of…its significant contribution to the rapid delivery of housing for families living in unhygienic and life threatening environments,” children are dying and families are being greatly affected from the “life threatening environments” where they are still living in 2006.

In 2005, a shack fire, a common problem in settlements in the winter due to the dry weather and lack of electricity that then requires families to use candles for light, struck Kennedy Road burning 16 shacks and killing a one year old boy. Mhlengi Khumalo died as a result of insufficient needs that have been previously promised to the residents in Kennedy Road. Within the last few weeks, a shack fire burned over 60 shacks in Overport, at the Lacey Road shack settlement in Durban. Floods and fires are ruining homes and lives and not stopping anytime soon if the living conditions remain the same. Richard Pithouse, who reported on Mhlengi Khumalo’s death in 2005 continued his article by highlighting the problematic and lack of efforts on the part of the government towards service delivery:

“The eThekwini Metro has since informed Kennedy Road residents that there is a “new policy not to install electricity in shack settlements”. Their electrification policy openly states the following:

5. Shack settlements
In the past (1990s) electrification was rolled out to all and sundry. Because of the lack of funding and the huge costs required to relocate services when these settlements are upgraded or developed, electrification of the informal settlements has been discontinued.”

The problem concerning this retraction of electricity is that many of the injuries and deaths that are now occurring are a result of the absence of electricity. The government is not providing better housing, and nor are they providing pragmatic solutions to some of the existing problems, and herein lies the irony that the Municipality was acknowledged for its “significant contribution” that it provides for the citizens of Durban.

This evidence exemplifies the disconnection that obviously exists between the opinions, ideas and actions of the government and the inhabitants of Kennedy Road and other settlements. S’bu Zikode, the leader of Abahlali baseMjondolo, was quoted by Max du Preez as saying:

“Those in power are blind to our suffering, because they have not seen what we see, they have not felt what we feel every second, every day … President Thabo Mbeki speaks politics. Our premiers and mayors speak politics. But who will speak about the issues that affect the people every day – water, electricity, education, land, housing?”

This separation brings forward the movement that has risen among the shack dwellers and those realizing that the government is not providing for them with what they deserve. The UnFreedom Day Rally on April 27th, 2006 was evidence of this recognition and evidence that this cannot continue. At the Rally, a poster was held up by an individual that quoted, “No better life with our vote.” This statement is something that brings into light a protest that occurred in March 2006 for the local government elections. Members of Abahlali baseMjondolo refused to cast their vote for this election as a way of letting the government understand that their votes and voices are not providing them with better living conditions or even freedom for that matter. “Activists…face the constant choice between participating in the processes of government and opposing government…” , but it has come to the point where the movement of the shack dwellers must work for their own selves as they are seeing that the government is not for them.

This opposition to the state and the system has created a large number of community movements and organizations that focus on the betterment of different settlements. Abahlali baseMjondolo, as it works with multiple shack settlements “…has offered a way for residents of the settlements to reclaim their dignity, and to fight, rather than wait, for employment, housing and sanitation” Within the Kennedy Road community, many projects have emerged as a way of encouraging growth and the solidarity among the inhabitants of the settlement. What needs to be recognized, though, is that not all of the projects within the community are working for employment or housing or sanitation, they are working for many other issues that are not even in the scope of governmental delivery, but which may benefit greatly from the delivery. The Kennedy Road crèche is one of the organizations that are working for the community, but which takes a more inward stance on change, working inside and with help from the governmental Department of Welfare.

The Kennedy Road crèche is something that is working to provide some sort of safety, education and care for the younger generations of individuals who have to grow up and live around the dangers of this poverty. Mike Davis puts this and the entire struggle into a more statistical context when he writes in Planet of Slums that “Quite apart from the incidence of the HIV/AIDS plague, the UN considers that two out of five African slum-dwellers live in a poverty that is literally ‘life-threatening.'” When the government has the capabilities to improve these conditions, but is refusing to do so, the improvement is now falling into the hands of those who are, themselves, without. The theory that “communities sometimes take action when faced with government inaction” is now overwhelmingly present at Kennedy Road with organizations and projects working towards better housing, education for preschoolers, HIV/AIDS treatment, theater and art, skills training and working women.

The waiting time is over and the pressure is now being put on those in power. There are various tactics that are now being mobilized to apply this pressure, one being the gathering of numbers and the mobilization of more communities and another is the amount of attention that needs to be put on issues that are vital in improving the communities and awareness, such as rape and HIV/AIDS. Prior to the recent rally on April 27th, 2006, S’bu Zikode commented on the future of the movement and its tactics:

“‘we have a number of levels for our programme in Kennedy
Road. We have done the first level, we have waited. We have tried the second level of talking them. We are doing the third level by marching. If that doesn’t work, we have a fourth level. I cannot talk about it, I don’t know what it will be, but they will see.'”

Noticeably, the pressure and effort of those involved in the movement is not ceasing, but instead is only getting stronger with the numbers and the people who are now involved. What is becoming evident now in this movement with the Fishermen, Taxi Association, Flat Dwellers all on board with the Shack Dwellers is that this is a movement that is now highlighting the new apartheid that is dividing people as a result of their class.

“Sociologists, psychologists and political scientists will one day write learned theses about how it happened that a movement that grew out of the oppressed masses became an uncaring, elitist and classist party in just a few years.”

The future of the movement is now and the energy is becoming increasingly strong with the continual broken promises on the part of the government. What needs to be known is that regardless of what numbers or statistics are being put out about the number of houses being built and the amount of help that is being provided, many people are not seeing it and many people have not seen it for more than 20 years. Humans, individuals, people with great amounts of dignity and energy are living in conditions that harm them on a daily basis and it is beyond the point where a blind eye is going to make it go away:

“And maybe lastly, what the poor community needs to know is we are not created to be poor…if we do not change out attitude, nobody will change out life, I therefore command everyone to work together for a better life for all.”

Activism: How it is defined and how it is played out

The community of Kennedy Road and various other shack dwellers all around Durban have a right to be activists and have a right to protest against what it is they are not being given. Being an activist, although, comes in many forms and can be a result to many injustices. The research I have done and prepared looks at just this fact, that activism can and does take many forms. While formally interviewing many people I asked the question, “Define the term activism or what does the word activism mean to you?” Answers always varied based on what type of activism a person is mostly involved in, but a common thread was frequently evident. Activism for many people includes the idea that in order to be an activist you must be active. This idea is something that unconsciously motivated this study. Many middle class or governmental authorities, all over the world, complain about the laziness of the poor. The irony in this stereotype is that in order to be an activist about your own struggle, activity is one of the main requirements. Zodwa, a 21 year old resident of Kennedy Road who has lived in the shack settlement for four years, noted that in order to be an activist “you must be active in any how, even in talking, even in action.” What this leads into is the activity and the activism that many of the residents of the Kennedy Road shack settlement are engaging their selves in, completely disproving the stereotype that has permeated many of the minds of those unaware of the realities and movements of many poor communities.

In the time that I have spent at Kennedy Road I have learned about a number of Community Movements that are either being initiated, run and/or worked by the community members themselves. The Aids Treatment Group, The Clare Estate Drop-In Center, The Kennedy Road Development Committee, the Women to Women project, a skills training group, The Kennedy Road Play Group (Siyadlala Play Group) and the Kennedy Road Crèche are just a few of the projects that I have become acquainted with. These are not organizations that are started to counter this stereotype, but rather to attempt to improve and help the life of the community members. The daily challenges and how they can be helped is something that many of the community movement members are aiming towards. Zikode, the chairman of the Kennedy Road Development Committee, put it quite eloquently, but truthfully when he commented on the daily challenges of the community:

“For us, getting to understand ourselves, with our communities, nobody cares for us, nobody is worried about us, the challenges we are facing are for ourselves…we can be poor in life, not in mind, we are not poor in mind. I commend everyone to participate and for us not to be divided, the things that divide us are those things of the rich.”

What is happening now in the community and among the entire shack dwellers movement is broader than a direct focus on alleviating immediate struggles: “we are not fighting for houses only, we are fighting for a better life…” What I have seen is that there now exists a sense of joint struggle and mobilization of struggles because the immediate relief has been cut off by the government. Just as one of the banners for the UnFreedom day rally read, “12 YEARS DEMOCRACY THE POOR ARE STILL NOT FREE,” when the struggle has lasted this long, new tactics need to be acted out. These new tactics are combining the immediate gains with the long term goals and making the government understand that improved living comes with many changes, not just the addition of one new water tap. The ability to express this comes with the growth of the movement. Without numbers and a great mind of unity only isolated pockets of change seem to occur and only specific struggles are addressed. But now the movement is not just the movement of shack dwellers, but rather a movement of all who know they deserve more from the government.

S’bu Zikode, the current chairman of the Kennedy Road Development Committee (KRDC) and the president of Abahlali baseMjondolo, noted, “I would define activism as a mechanism for every human being to be able to differentiate between the right and wrong, false and truth…beyond this differentiation, it is acting for the poor to realize their dream.” This statement is a direct acknowledgement that he is not working towards an immediate reclamation of pragmatic resources, but rather is fighting for deserved rights to a better life. This fight and this struggle for the larger demands is one that is a lot more difficult, but yet that which brings the dignity out of those involved. M’du Hlongwa, the Deputy Secretary for Abahlali baseMjondolo, has passionately verbalized this dignity by saying that with activism “…you express it and you are proud of expressing it.” And this passion is something that is truly attained when you know your freedom is a right and not a privilege. What seems to be the problem that I have noticed throughout my research is what is addressed now and what is addressed later, after some of the service delivery is achieved. So many of the individuals and the communities have suffered for so long that the neglect has created drastic problems that are impossible to address all at the same time. This is where the necessity of inward and outward action comes into play and can be recognized at Kennedy Road, but the key is bringing light to this action so the problems can be given at least some recognition and hopefully attention to change them.

The Kennedy Road crèche: for the children and the community

The process of developing and becoming that the Kennedy Road crèche has undertaken began in 1985 with Nonhlanhla Mzobe and a social worker that witnessed her interaction with various young children around the Kennedy Road Community Hall. Nonhlanhla, then 15 years old, worked with one other woman in the initial stages of the crèche’s beginning. She originally pursued the furthering of the crèche with three small houses that were used (today they are the three huts that are in poor condition behind the community hall), one for playing and two for teaching. Durban Child Welfare (DCW) played a large part in aiding the start to the project and in providing a small amount of resources for the crèche. At the time, though, DCW was not willing to pay the salary for the teachers and wanted the parents to pay for sending their children to the preschool. This was not feasible and Nonhlanhla became a full time, unpaid volunteer. The crèche eventually moved from three rooms to one and became part of the Clare Estate Drop-In Center, which in itself is partially funded by the Department of Welfare and, aside from the teachers, staffed by unpaid volunteer workers. Lungile Mgube then became the head teacher at the crèche and recently within the last 3 months, Zama Ndlovu became the second teacher. Both of the teachers are given a monthly stipend, but the crèche is still free for the children who attend, yet only ages 2-5. Although there has been minor progress, it has come with numerous struggles that the crèche faces on a daily basis now. The challenges are in direct link to the lack of resources and service delivery from the government to the community as a whole. These problems are now also affecting the quality of education and care that the crèche is able to provide for the children.

Based on many interviews and discussions with various people who are linked to the crèche, the crèche exists for many different reasons and plays a variety of roles in the community for a large number of people. The parents at Kennedy Road who work or who are looking for work need to be able to send their children to a place that is free like the crèche. Because that it is run by and for the community, it instills a deeper sense of kinship and empowerment as to what the people of Kennedy Road can do to provide for one another. These qualities of trust and reliance, are very important for the parents of the children at the crèche. Zama Ndlovu, one of the teachers, put the necessity of the crèche for the parents in perspective when she said, “its helping a lot because free, first of all, and some are working for R300 a month.” The parents know where their children are during the day and they know they are safe and cared for.

The teachers and workers at the crèche are also benefactors of the organization. Now that the teachers are paid a monthly stipend, although still small, they can work at the crèche and devote more time to its function. Quite a few people are working in coordination with the crèche and the Clare Estate Drop-In Center, all working towards the betterment of their community. The energy and the confidence about the crèche and what it is doing is evident in the everyday interactions I have had with the teachers, but this confidence is very often shattered when they realize that the children deserve and need more to be healthy and educated. When the community is without too many needed resources, the workers at the crèche cannot be as confident as they should be because they know the community and the crèche suffer together.

With all else set aside, the crèche is “alive for the children.” Just as Zama has said, “…the crèche founder and teachers had the love for kids” and the crèche would not be around if it weren’t for the love and the reality of the children. With the harsh conditions of living alongside a busy road and a waste dump, the children living at Kennedy Road are at risk daily for their safety. Beyond this physical safety, the young children have a right to education. The crèche is teaching in both English and Zulu and Lungile has explained that the children living in the shacks at Kennedy Road do not know English, but the primary schools they are sent to around Clare Estate are Indian schools and the classes are taught only in English. The crèche then is able to teach some of the children English so they may further their education without being too far removed when they enter the school system. Along with English, the kids learn from daily exercises, the parts of the body, colors, farm animals, numbers, months of the year, days of the week, the weather, nursery rhymes and songs, letters of the alphabet, outdoor games and morning routines. The children play with puzzles, toys and a single swing set, but what is still obvious is that the crèche is struggling to provide a proper education for the children.

The resources are still lacking and the space has become too small to accommodate the number of children that are now attending the school. On a daily average, fifteen to twenty-five children attend the school in one room that is used for all of the activities. Each corner of the room is designated for different activity areas with plaques identifying each section: Quiet Area (Ingosi Yokuthula), Creative Art Area (Ingosi Yobungeweti), Block Area (Ingosi Yokwakha), Make Believe Area (Ingosi Yemidlalo Yokulingisa) and an unlabeled Sleeping Area. Children are expected to sleep and play and be creative in the same space and Lungile, one of the two teachers at the crèche, worries that “there is too much children in this place.” In many of my conversations with people about the crèche, one of the greatest needs expressed was that of space, but many were pessimistic about the reality of this coming to be. Mr. Zikode stated rightfully so that the “government should provide kids with a proper platform for our kids to grow.” The crèche does not have a proper physical platform for which the children can learn and grow. There are no tables, no stools, no books, no materials for writing or painting and not enough toys.

Along with educational materials, the lack of proper food is also a pressing issue for the children and those running the crèche. The Drop-In Center is very acknowledging and thankful to Mr. Vishnu Jagarnath from nearby Reservoir Hills for the free food he provides the crèche with on a weekly basis: rice, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Any donation is useful, but without a sufficient amount of vegetables and fruit, the children are not receiving a balanced diet. Along these same lines, the only meal that many of the children eat on a daily basis is at the crèche. Lungile commented that “we can’t teach the hungry children.” This is not to be seen as a comment that aims to turn children away from coming to the crèche to learn, but more as a cry for help that was preceded by her statement that “too much children here suffer.”

In conjunction with physical safety, it has come to my attention throughout the process of my research that the young girls at the crèche, still between ages two and five, are at risk for being raped or sexually abused if they are left alone during the day while their parents are at work. When a child is left to its own devices and under the watch of others who may be harmful, “there is so many bad things that can happen to a child if neglected.” The crèche as a means of protection and prevention against rape has been a consistent trend in my interviews with many people surrounding the crèche, but also one that brings up another string of issues.

Rape is something that is unfortunately evident in communities all over the world and is only dealt with if proper safety and repercussions are available for and instilled on citizens and perpetrators respectively. According to Mrs. Cibane, the woman who cooks for the children at the crèche, rape is a very dangerous thing happening to the young kids in the community. Zandile Nsibande, the current supervisor for the volunteers at the Clare Estate Drop-In Center, made it known that children are very vulnerable, especially the young girls. In a specific rape instance in Kennedy Road, a three year old girl, who regularly attends the crèche, was violated by an uncle. The cases in Kennedy Road involving children, if uncovered, are referred to the Durban Children’s Society and the children are also taken to the doctor and police. The problem that surrounds these cases is that they are often not won because the parents of the children are not capable of hiring lawyers to counter the lawyers that the suspects may have. Among other things, Zandile sees the crèche as a place that is aiming to decrease the number of rape cases within the community by keeping the children safe. Zama, too, sees that the crèche is working “for safety of kids, especially young girls.”

What needs to be understood on the most fundamental level is what the crèche is able to achieve and what it instills in the children in the community: the value of education. Zodwa, a 21 year old active youth in the community, said that “you must raise the child with the education…if your kid does not have education; the kid does not have a key to life.” But once again, this education is being undermined and cut short by the lack of service delivery from the government and the lack of awareness given to community movements like this one. In accordance with the education that is provided for the children and the community with the presence of the crèche. The success of the crèche has been two fold as it:

“…resembles a paradise of public-private partnership, where the state has fully retreated, successfully shirking its obligations to its citizens, and yet where the citizens still receive public goods. The preschool exists in defiance of the state…And resources within the community have also been mobilized in support of other struggles.”

Although the crèche suffers from “capacity constraints,” the successes that the crèche has brought to the Kennedy Road community are more than just ‘development gains.’ The fact that the crèche provides safety, education, dignity, respect and opportunities for the children of Kennedy Road are more than most “significant development gains” can claim to ever have achieved.

Preparations for the UnFreedom Day Rally

Kennedy Road and a few other communities have been involved in Abahlali baseMjondolo only very recently.

“After a period of relative quiet, many of the same people who had fought against apartheid took to the streets again in the mass-movements that have emerged post-apartheid, protesting the policies of the new, African-led government…
One of the more recent “movements” began with large protests from Durban’s Kennedy Road shack settlement against their local councilor, which then inspired and grew
into Abahlali baseMjondolo (ABM), an organization of shack-dwellers.”

What is needed with movements such as this one, which are not only focusing on single band-aid deliveries from the government, is a mobilization of more communities and more people with similar motives and goals. The UnFreedom Day rally was attempting to, and seemingly did, accomplish this goal: “…as we managed to bring people together from different areas and we got together and our views and our voices got some kind of dignity.” This is something that Abahlali baseMjondolo has focused on since its beginnings as well.

“In this year the Abahlali have withstood systematic state repression, including a total of 84 arrests on criminal charges, to grow from a struggle begun by a few hundred people in one shack settlement to a movement that has mobilised tens of thousands of people.”

Historically in South Africa, April 27th is a National Holiday that celebrates the idea of Freedom. For 2006, various community organizations operating in poor communities and Abahlali baseMjondolo met met together to decide how it was they wanted to spend Freedom Day. Instead of celebrating on April 27th, people from many communities decided that this day would be made the first official UnFreedom Day. This concept is something that is supported by the rationale that many different ideas of freedom have been implemented in South Africa, but these ideas are not what many feel that freedom actually is.

The day was to be held in the form of a rally where voices could be heard, artistic expression could be displayed and performed and people would have the ability to mourn on the fact that they are not free. This very large scale example of activism has many levels of expression and a philosophy that in order to create inward change, protest of government and its policies is necessary. The day was not focused on pragmatic changes, but on the fact that freedom cannot solely be met by a constitution or a democratic government.

The UnFreedom Day Rally and preparations were coordinated by a committee of community leaders from the various groups that were going to be represented. Separate smaller committees were created in order to break up the logistical responsibilities: City Committee, Pamphlet Committee, Program Committee, Marshals Committee, Publicity Committee and Finance Committee. Funding for the day was provided for by “the Church Land Programme, the Foundation for Human Rights and the Centre for Civil Society.” The larger preparation meetings were held in both English and Zulu and were forums for decision making and open comments that brought together ideas of the day, mobilizing techniques and the creation of an energy and philosophy of the day and the concept of UnFreedom that many of the community members could pass on to their specific communities. The sense and idea of solidarity became something that was necessary for the day and for the communities to understand. It has come to the attention of many that the government is not listening to the pockets of poor people of this country. For this reason, the unity of struggles for all of those who have felt unfree for too long was the motivation and energy that pushed the rally forward. All of the communities, as well as the Fishermen and Taxi Association, have different needs, but there exists the most basic understanding that in order to meet these needs freedom needs to first be had.

In an attempt to understand the role of the Youth in the movement and in the act of preparing for the rally, I facilitated the making of the banners that would be displayed at the rally. Any sort of forum that allows for the articulation of a struggle promotes a sense of freedom to express. As a youth myself I understood that those who are older often have more freedom and power to freely voice their selves. Therefore, in order for youth to have the ability to voice themselves and see their voice, painting banners and images was a way to physically portray the voices of the youth. According to Mr. Zikode, “without youth taking part, all will come to nothing…role youth are playing are vital, youth form the majority of our society.” Although this is very true and the younger generations must feel the openness to their own opinions, we are often undermined in our abilities and awareness.

The role that banner making and mural creating has on individuals brings forward a whole other type of activism. What is important about banners is that they enforce the sense of solidarity in movements and can prove to the government or those on the outside that many people have similar opinions and are not afraid to write them down and show them. “Making banners is one of sending a message to the outside world…we cannot speak all of us, but with the banners we can raise them” (Zodwa 4/28). The banners were created days before the rally and this in itself played a role in the mobilization of people of understanding what UnFreedom Day was going to be about. It also had the ability of bringing people together to allow them to form cohesion.

All throughout the planning process, it became known to me who the people were that were leaders in the various communities. I soon became skeptical of how the rally was being started and if the masses that came would have the ability to voice their own concerns and not feel pressured to rely on the community leaders to be the spokespersons for their voices. But, with the way that the day played out and how the program was set up, I was soon able to find comfort in the fact that this day was not one that solely catered to consolidated voices, but rather highlighted the fact that many voices exist and are individuals in the greater struggle for the communities. This day may have been aimed at the unity of those who are unfree and suffering, but it did not deny the fact that these groups of people are humans who live with dignity and voices and means of expression.

April 27th, 2006: UnFreedom Day and the Freedom to come

“On April 27th Durban will be mourning during its first
‘UnFreedom Day’ event. Communities from throughout Durban’s
social movements join forces to mourn the denial of their collective rights, and to celebrate the strength that enables communities to work together, across barriers of race, during a day of cultural celebration and political actions.”

The day was not solely about demanding rights, but about making a point for the individuals and the government that this day does not deserve to be celebrated unless all people can celebrate the freedom that they have seemingly attained. This was a day to mobilize and bring together those who were mourning and to create a space open to and willing to create the freedom that has been lost.

The rally was attended by various members of a number of communities in the Durban area. People from “the Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement, Women of Ward 80 (Umlazi), South Durban Residents, Chatsworth Flat Residents, Marianridge, Merebank, Sydenham, Newlands, and many other areas” were represented and were included in the four hour programme of performances and speakers. Some of the community organizations that joined Abahlali for this rally were organizations that the movement had been working with for some time. Others were working with Abahlali for the first time. The day began with minibuses and coach buses of individuals from all of these areas gathering at St. Johns Hall in Clare Estate on Rippon Road. The crowds filtered into the hall in groups and leaders of each community took hold of the microphone and began by joining people in protest song, toyi-toying and chants. The positive and motivated energy was felt from the second that each person began their turn on the microphone with “Amandla!”. The banners made by the youth were displayed all over the hall, enforcing the more voices and feelings that may not have been heard on the stage during the day and each person who walked in was given a red and black t-shirt with the words “UNFREEDOM DAY 2006: ASIKHULEKILE” on the front and “NO FREEDOM FOR THE POOR: AYIKHO INKULULEKO KWABAMPOFU” on the back. As the program began, the young children were moved to sit on the floor in the front of the room and the older generation was encouraged to sit in the chairs in the front. It was quite obvious that everyone there had the energy and will to express and join those who were suffering similarly. A number of speeches began the program with S’bu Zikode making opening remarks to hand the stage over to the various acts that were planned for the day.

Each community that had signed up the week prior to have a talent act on stage was allocated 7.5 minutes to perform. Gospel Choirs, youth dance groups, solo singers, rap groups and dancers took the stage raising the energy of the crowd and enforcing the freedom of action and speech that people were granted at the rally. In between the talent acts were bits and pieces of chanting for the needs of the communities and speeches from more community leaders. Time was taken out of the day to recognize the shack fire that had occurred at Lacey Road four days prior, burning more than 60 shacks. By the end of the day, people were seemingly motivated to continue this new mobilization of concerns from the various communities. What encouraged and riled people together was the fact that many did not know that this many people were suffering:

“during that rally fishermen, sailors, flat dwellers, informal traders, shack dwellers…all mixing together with one goal…the main idea was to send a message to the state, we are free, but people are still suffering.”

The thoughts about the rally and the movement forward are just as important, or maybe even more important, than what happened on April 27th. What the rally has done is that “it has created a connection between all the poor people who are suffering.” People were proud of the rally, they were proud of the numbers that attended, they were proud of the creativity that they saw on stage and visually, they were proud of the fact that they created a space for their own selves to openly be free and have the ability to express their lack of freedom: “everyone was free to say how unfree he is.” The message was sent and the day was successful in what it was trying to accomplish: “if they were undermining our voices I think from that rally something is going to change even before we take a step forward.”

What needs to be addressed now are the forward steps that need to occur since April 27th. A vital point is happening now in the movement where the people are starting to gather and the struggles are known, but the trouble lies in how the government is going to see the strength behind these struggles. M’du’s suggestions are to go directly to the officials and express what it is that is needed or wanted. He added that members of the movement should be appointed to go straight to the officials to “tell them straight what we feel.” Other suggestions and ideas expressed by Zodwa, a member of Abahlali baseMjondolo and a youth living at Kennedy Road, are the continuing of mass organization through meetings: “meetings should be done because it is a way of encouraging us not to give up…if you don’t meet more often people will give up.”

At this point too, a large part of the movement is gaining the numbers and increasing the voices. The more that the people outside of the movement and outside of the government are able to know about the struggle, the more pressure the government will feel to provide delivery to all of the citizens of South Africa. Zama noticed this from the rally and recognized the importance of having the media and the people outside of the movement become aware of the struggle: “I think the rally managed to draw the media…by that way most people will get to know about the shack dwellers struggle, flat dwellers and so on.”

The movements needs to and is continuing to grow and in this there needs to be a consolidating of what is being demanded. In a movement where many groups join forces because it is necessary for government attention, it is difficult because the specific problems of one group are not necessarily the same problems of another. M’du noticed this trend while commenting that there are many people coming with different problems and saying that learning how to deal with this is “not that hard, but it’s a challenge if you are not a professional on dealing with people’s issues.” It is exciting though to see the bonding of various groups of people and the recognition of a bonding over various levels of interests and differences. Zodwa humbly admitted that she “didn’t realize that even fishermen have problems” and that “even the street vendors are interested in what we are doing.”

What needs to be recognized in looking at the larger struggle against the smaller individual and community resistance is that there also exists a sense of a woman’s struggle in the emerging united movement. We women often undermine our own fight for recognition and equality as to not distract from the other struggles that may be taking place. There comes a time, though when awareness is necessary so to further put pressure on the possibility of oppression that may be taking place.

I have come to these understandings as a result of a few observations, two of which I will detail here. One observation is involving the crèche and other Abahlali community projects and one is regarding the rally of the combined organizations. A majority of the community projects that I learned about that are working for the Kennedy Road community are run by women. This is not something to be ignored and it should be known that women are working very hard for the struggles of their community, but also largely on the ground level. This is something, though, that is not uncommon for many communities:

“The most important institutions in poor people’s lives are often gender-segregated…one important consequence of differential access and exclusion from the powerful social networks is that women invest heavily in informal social support mechanisms with other women.”

The questions I have about this situation are those that require further investigation into the topic, but it has been obvious that this is true at Kennedy Road. The women I have met in the community are doing amazing work from the crèche to work with DSW to Aids Treatment for the community and so on. It is likely that in the many community organizations that joined together with Abahlali for this rally there is a similar commitment to amazing community work by women. However at the rally of the combined organizations I observed a more male-dominated expression of voices and I wonder why it is that women are not equally represented in the leadership of all these organisations. At the rally, a woman from a Johannesburg NGO was visiting for the day and was heavily involved in the gathering of voices and the toyi-toying, chanting, of the day (I must note here that there were a few other women taking the stage that day to speak, but the energy they raised and attention they were given was not comparable to this woman). Although this was very positive in representing women and her energy was constant all throughout the day, I wonder why a woman who is not directly from Durban or from the communities represented was the leading female figure. This is an issue that needs to be addressed and not overlooked by the accomplishments or struggles of the movement as a whole.

Women are overly deserving of a change in the recognition they are given and in the roles they play in large movements aiming for change. In doing this, a larger awareness will become available for the movement towards gender equality and the work that many women do for their communities will be rightfully recognized.

In terms of the role of women in the community projects, most of the women are working with one another in these organizations. This is something that often allows women to forget about the inequality and the struggle because we are then constantly surrounded by empowered women and not feeling undermined by the actions or voices of men. This is where the element of exposure comes into place. When the attention is brought to the issue of gender stratification, it is easier for us to notice what is going on and how it can be changed. But, once again, herein lays the problem of how the needs are going to be met when basic life needs are still not being provided.

Many important issues are having the same problem as the women’s struggle because of the lack of exposure and proper delivery, and this was even evident at the UnFreedom Day Rally. The day was full of performances, speeches, banners and chanting, but only certain issues were addressed through these means of expression. Issues and the problems surrounding rape, women’s roles, domestic violence, children’s rights and education and more were not given the time to be mentioned or touched on. These issues need more recognition and exposure and forums like the rally are great spaces to do this. The more that is known about the larger movement and the more that is accomplished is what is going to add more to these issues at large, but we cannot wait that long.

In terms of what was addressed, the personal importance of the rally and the community importance of the rally is something to be recognized and one that brings up new realizations. No one went home that day after the rally and had electricity or more access to water or better access to education, but people went home with an understanding of how they can fight and what can be learned along the way. Zodwa put it very truthfully when she put the rally in the context of its importance to her community by saying that the rally,

“…is to show that it is not only Kennedy Road that is
having a problem, it is not only blacks that are having a problem,it is Indians, Coloureds…your problem as an Indian is my problem as an African.”

Conclusion

Throughout the course of my research and analysis I have come to many realizations about the state of living that people deal with each and every day at Kennedy Road. I have come to understand that the struggle for housing, sanitation, electricity, education, health care and/or general basic necessities is a struggle that is never off of the minds of those who are without. With the acknowledgement that many have not seen any sort of development coming from the government in the 20, 15, 10, 5 or 2 years that they have lived at Kennedy Road, this has pushed them to attempt to provide for their own selves and their community while they continually put pressure on those in power. There have been great strides towards improving the living and social conditions for the members of the community, but it is all coming very slowly as the availability for basic needs weakens the strength of the progression. The community projects and organizations that I have come to learn about have instilled in me opinions about the strength, effort, dignity and passion that the community members have for their work and their struggle.

Going back to the universally false stereotype and assumption of the laziness of the poor and the false opinion that their demands for their communities are undeserving, I feel that I have been able to disprove these notions and present the fact that work is being done and laziness is not something that has been seen or felt all throughout my study. It also needs to be known that a lot of this work has grown out of the lack of delivery from the government and the conditions under which the projects are being implemented are those that are under-provided-for. What has shocked me is the amount of work that has come out of the harshly life-threatening living and working conditions.

As has been presented in this study, there is a relevance to studying internal and external activism with one another. Although they work on different levels and create different changes, the junction between them is one that should be recognized. As Zodwa noted in our conversation, the “crèche beings the children together and the rally brings all the people together, so they have similarities.” She brought forward some very necessary components of activism: activity and mobilization. But of course there is a disjunction between the two as well and the paradox of the needs of the crèche being jeopardized by the needs of the external movement is one that is going to be of concern when more issues concerning the communities are addressed. This is seen with regards to the pragmatic needs that are being demanded of the external movement, as they are necessary, they sometimes do overlook the deeper community concerns of rape, nutrition, gender roles and more. Taking the crèche as an example proves that without the development, the crèche cannot continue properly, but if the crèche does not continue properly, then the awareness about the rape of the children cannot come out and if this does not come out then the help cannot be provided. The problem that continues now is that the internal movement is, at the moment, paralyzed to what it has the ability to do because of the limitations being built by the external movement and the government. This is why so many important issues are not getting the attention they deserve. But the link between the internal and external activism and the abilities they have to help one another in the same struggle is quite strong if the availability for movement is there. The more that is recognized and the more awareness that is brought to these internal issues, the more outside organizations and government aid can be of help.

Energy and passion are what are going to have the ability to back the awareness with the absence of the governmental delivery. The community of Kennedy Road shows evidence of immense amounts of energy and passion and the people working as activists for their community truly care for what they are doing and what they know they deserve as human beings:

“Our people must always be united, we shouldn’t let
anyone to defeat us…if we keep on being united, no one can
defeat us. ” – Zodwa Nsibande

“I have come to this world to do my service…it is my
commitment and it is what I live for…the only thing that I am surviving for for me is doing service to my community…it is in my veins.” – S’bu Zikode

“Even though we are struggling we can do some things” – Zama Ndlovu

“It’s me…my motivation because there is nobody…
it’s my heart, I like to do this thing.” – Lungile Mgube

References:
Written Source References

Ballard, Richard. “Social Movements in Post-Apartheid South Africa: An Introduction.” Pp. 78-96 in Peris Jones & Kristian Stokke (eds.), Democratising Development: The Politics of Socio-Economic Rights in South Africa. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2005.

Bryant, Jacob. Towards Delivery and Dignity: Community Struggle from Kennedy Road.
Unpublished Article. School for International Training Independent Study
Project. 2005.

Davis, Mike. “Planet of Slums: Urban Involution and the Informal Proletariat.” New Left Review. March-April 2004.

Du Preez, Max. ‘Shacks of Fear,’ 17 November 2005. URL (Consulted April 2006):
www.dailynews.co.za

Grimmet, Neville. ‘Slums Clearance Policy,’ 17 September 2004. URL (Consulted April 2006): www.durban.org.za

Khan, Fazel and Pithouse, Richard. “Durban: a new enemy moves into sight – a bitter struggle looms,” Centre for Civil Society. 9 September 2005. URL (consulted
April 2006): www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs

Khan, Firoz and Pieterse, Edgar. “The Homeless People’s Alliance: Purposive Creation
and Ambiguated Realities.” UKZN Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies. 2004. URL (Consulted April 2006): www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs

Makhaye, Dumlsane. African National Congress. ‘Southern Natal Statement On The Housing Crisis.’ 9 November 1993. URL (Consulted April 2006): www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/pr/1999/pr0604a.html

Narayan, Deepa. Voices of the Poor: Can Anyone Hear Us? New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Patel, Rajeev. “Is Solidarity With Africa Possible?” and other debates from the University of Abahlali Base Mjondolo. Unpublished Article. 2006.

Pithouse, Richard. ‘Mhlengi Khumalo is gone.’ Centre for Civil Society. URL (Consulted April 2006): www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs.2005.

Pithouse, Richard. “‘Our struggle is thought on the ground running’: The University of Abahlali baseMjondolo.” Unpublished Article. 2006.

‘Press Release.’ URL (Consulted April 2006): http://voiceoftheturtle.org/raj/blog//Unfreedompress-English.pdf

Smith, Charlene. “Keeping it in Their Pants: Politicians, Men, and Sexual Assault in South Africa.” Pp. 143-153 in Amanda Alexander (ed.), Articulations: A Harold Wolpe Memorial Lecture Collection. Trenton: Africa World Press, 2006.

‘The Third Nelson Mandela.’ URL (Consulted April 2006): www.voiceoftheturtle.org

‘UnFreedom Day 2006: Asikhululekile.’ Pamphlet: April 2006.

‘Unofficial Press Release From Today’s March and Repression.’ Centre for Civil Society.
URL (Consulted April 2006): http://sa.indymedia.org/news/2005/11/9175.php

Interview References

• S’bu Zikode (31 years old) – interviewed on April 28th – is the chairman of the Kennedy Road Development Committee and the current president of Abahlali baseMjondolo. He is has been living at Kennedy Road for ten years.

• Zama Ndlovu (24 years old) – interviewed on April 20th, May 3rd – is one of the two teachers at the Kennedy Road Crèche and the founder of the Kennedy Road Play Group. She is a member of Abahlali baseMjondolo and has been living at Kennedy Road for about four years.

• Mrs. Cibane (36 years old) – interviewed April 24th – is a volunteer at the Kennedy Road Crèche who cooks all of the food and meals for the children and visitors at the Clare Estate Drop-In Center. She is also a parent of children who attend the crèche.

• Lungile Mgube (33 years old) – interviewed on April 25th – is the one of the two teachers at the Kennedy Road Crèche and is currently attending a two year training workshop for teaching.

• Patience (22 years old) – interviewed on April 25th – is the mother of two and her son, Phumlani, is a student at the Kennedy Road crèche. She has been living at Kennedy Road for eight years.

• Zandile Nsibande– interviewed on April 25th – is the supervisor for the volunteers in the Clare Estate Drop-In Center, a volunteer for the Kennedy Road Aids Treatment Group, the coordinator for a support group focusing on those infected with HIV/AIDS and a member of Abahlali baseMjondolo.

• Nonhlanhla Princess Mzobe– interviewed on April 26th – is the co-founder of the Kennedy Road Crèche, a member of Abahlali baseMjondolo and was the Project Manager for three years for Durban Solid Waste (DSW).

• Zodwa Nsibande (21 years old) – interviewed on April 28th – is a youth involved with Abahlali baseMjondolo and has been living at Kennedy Road for four years.

• An interviewee from Jadhu Place who wishes to remain anonymous (27 years old) – interviewed on May 3rd – is a member of Abahlali baseMjondolo and has been living at Jadhu Place for five years.

• M’du Hlondwa (26 years old) – interviewed on May 3rd – is the Deputy Secretary of Abahlali base Mjondolo. He is a resident of the Lacey Road shack settlement and has been living there for two years now.