Building peace and unity in a traumatised community

21 November 2024
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Building peace and unity in a traumatised community

Ukwakha ukuthula nobunye phakathi kwabalimele

Our movement currently has over 150 000 members organised into 93 branches in four provinces. The process to join the movement and form a branch in good standing is slow and careful, and the requirements for a branch to sustain membership of the movement include rigorous adherence to the principles of the movement, including a clearly specified set of democratic practices. To ensure that branches remain committed to the principles of the movement, including democratic practices and organisation, membership must be periodically renewed and new elections held.

There have been cases where the affiliation of branches to the movement has lapsed due to a failure to elect new leaders for various reasons, including the emergence of serious divisions in a community. There have also been cases where a branch has had to be suspended until it can resolve problems that have arisen. When the membership of a branch has lapsed or been suspended and we are asked to assist in working to resolve problems and restoring its affiliation to the movement, we always provide support. When divisions have emerged we always try to work towards healing and building unity.

There have also been cases where we have had to recall members from positions of leadership for conduct that violates our principles. In 2014, we had to expel a person in a senior leadership position due to serious corruption that had devastating consequences for a whole community. In 2018 some leaders were recalled from their positions after agreeing to take money from VBS bank in exchange for offering political support to the Zuma faction of the ANC. When there is acknowledgment of wrongdoing on the part of individuals, we also work towards healing.

We have all been damaged by oppression, and we all continue to be damaged by oppression, and so our politics must be grounded in the work of collective healing. We all come out of a history of serious violence from colonialism, to apartheid, the civil war in KwaZulu-Natal, and ongoing violence and repression, and so our politics must be grounded in the work of building peace. We have been committed to this work of healing and building peace for almost twenty years.

Branches often face serious challenges in the struggle to hold land, to ensure that land is not commodified, to sustain democratic practices and to sustain the progress required to develop occupations into communes. Many branches have faced repeated state violence, evictions, attempts to take over land and occupations by local party thugs, arrests, imprisonment and killings whether by the izinkabi, the police or municipal or private security. Recently, both the Sihlalangenkani Commune in Salt Rock on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal and the Lindokuhle Mnguni Occupation on the East Rand in Gauteng have faced militarised ‘raids’ from combined forces drawn from private and state security.

Repression always results in trauma and anxiety and can sometimes result in paranoia and serious divisions in movements. People who have suffered serious repression can come to feel that they should have a special standing in a movement, a standing above democratic processes. This, like the risk of paranoia and division, is common to all movements facing serious repression and is something that must be handled with great care and sensitivity.

In recent years, the eKhenana branch in Durban has faced the most severe repression suffered by any of our branches, including numerous violent attacks from the state and the imprisonment and assassinations of activists.

The struggle for land in eKhenana has suffered serious repression by the municipality, a notoriously violent ANC ward councillor and local ANC thugs trying to make money from land and housing. Because the initial occupation was chaotic and unplanned there was not a clear and shared sense of how it should be organised. There were disputes between people who wanted to sell and rent land and shacks and those who wanted to build a commune in which land and shacks are not rented and sold. This created a complex situation with multiple pressures. The severe violence and repression that people have suffered has resulted in terrible trauma, including among the children who have seen and lived with things that no child should ever see or have to live with.

As we explained in a statement issued on 10 May 2021, “the eKhenana Occupation has not been an easy occupation and the road to its current achievements was very difficult.” The land was occupied in August 2018 and the eKhenana branch was first launched on 14 April 2019. However, serious division and conflict emerged in the branch, and there were credible allegations of abusive behaviour by some individuals. As a result the branch’s membership of our movement was suspended in September 2019. As we explained in the statement, “As a result of the failure of the branch to address these issues swiftly and effectively, it was shut down and the membership of all the residents was terminated. The residents were advised to organise an assembly open to all to discuss the issues, to work to resolve the issues, and then work towards relaunching the branch.”

The work to resolve the problems was begun and on 5 October 2020, an election was held and the branch was relaunched as an affiliate of our movement. The branch suffered extreme repression, including three assassinations, in 2022. One of our members was murdered by a masked police officer in the nearby eNkanini branch in the same year.

The branch was scheduled to renew its membership and hold a new election on 1 October 2023. However, they were not able to go ahead with the election and the renewal of the branch membership as serious divisions had emerged within the branch. After a discussion, we agreed that the branch would hold its election and have its membership renewed on 30 November. However, the leadership of eKhenana cancelled the scheduled election and membership renewal set for 30 November. We were expecting them to propose a new date, but they did not.

As is standard in our movement, they had a three-month grace period to hold the election and renew their membership during which they could continue to participate in the movement with all rights and responsibilities. However, they did not set a new date, and so their membership automatically lapsed after three months, which was 1 January 2024. As a result of this we have not had any members in eKhenana since the beginning of this year. The community has not elected a new structure and, therefore, does not currently have an elected leadership. In a situation like this where there is no elected structure the only way to avoid factionalism and engage openly and fairly is via well attended community assemblies open to all residents.

Our movement has never recruited members. People come to the movement if they wish to join, after which a process has to be followed to build democratic structures before a branch can be launched. It can take months or even years for a branch to achieve full membership. We also do not try and persuade branches to sustain their membership. The same principle applies – branches must choose to join the movement and to remain in the movement. Of course, if people request our support to work towards launching or renewing the membership of a branch, we gladly provide that support. If we do not receive such a request we do not intervene and, of course, we cannot speak or act for a community or faction of a community who are not members of our movement.

In September this year, we were approached by a group of residents from eKhenana who explained that serious divisions and problems had emerged in the community. They said that they wanted the help of the movement to work towards resolving these problems, building unity and moving towards the reestablishment of a democratic branch council and a renewal of the affiliation of the branch to the movement.

As a result meetings were held with eKhenana residents on 10, 26 and 29 September 2024 and again on 18 October. In these meetings it became clear that there were serious tensions between a small group of residents and the rest of the community, and between that same small group of residents and former residents of eKhenana who had fled during the violence and now wish to return. The people who wish to return are former members of our movement whose legal right to be present on the land was confirmed in a court judgment won against the municipality. It has been said that they are ANC members trying to take over the land but this is not true.

It became clear that there are a few people who, as often happens under conditions of severe repression, have started to see everyone else as the enemy, including former comrades on the land and former comrades who wish to return to the land. Serious complaints were made about a small group of residents. Serious complaints had previously been made about two of these residents. In such circumstances, it is always our responsibility to listen to everyone and to listen very carefully.

It was agreed to hold an open public meeting, open to all residents of eKhenana across the divisions that had emerged, on Sunday 10 November with the aim of building peace and unity. The meeting was opened by S’bu Zikode, whose first words were “We are here to bring peace, unity and stability”. Zikode went on to recognise and honour each and every life that has been lost in eKhenana. There was also an opening prayer for peace from Pastor Errol Khumalo.

The meeting was very well attended. A total of 54 residents attended the meeting, 36 women and 18 men, which, in this now very small community, means that almost all residents were present. After careful discussion, the majority of the residents committed to a process of building peace and unity, and 48 people signed a declaration committing to this. However, six people in the minority faction in the community did not sign the declaration.

With a clear majority of the residents in support of the process to build peace and unity we have agreed to proceed with the process, a process grounded in healing. We will continue to make it clear to the six people who did not want to commit to the process that they are welcome to join the process at any time. If this process goes well, eKhenana will be able to elect a new council with a mandate to represent the community. If that council wishes to relaunch the eKhenana branch and take membership of our movement, it will be warmly welcomed back into the movement. If it wishes to be independent we will gladly work in solidarity with them when asked to do so as we do with many other organisations such as the Congolese Solidarity Campaign, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, Ubunye bamaHostela, etc, etc.

There are some challenges. The breakdown in the relationship between a small group of people and the rest of the community as well as former residents who wish to return to the land is serious. There are credible allegations of unacceptable behaviour. There is paranoia and there has been serious dishonesty. However, when there is enough commitment, healing can happen, and unity rebuilt in difficult circumstances. We have recently achieved a successful healing process with the former leaders of our movement who were recalled from their positions in 2018. We are hopeful that we can do the same in eKhenana despite the severity of the trauma that people have suffered and the seriousness of the divisions in the community.

We have agreed to start the process of healing, which will include ceremonies and prayers of all religions at eKhenana. Traditional healers will also participate. We are also asking progressive social workers and psychologists to volunteer to work with traumatised residents. Healing will be a process, and the residents will require all possible forms of ongoing support.

The work of struggle is the work of healing, and the work of healing is the work of struggle.

Contact:

Thapelo Mohapi 084 576 5117
Bathabile Makhoba 065 861 5707