Stolen building materials on the truck, now impounded.
Update:Click here to read the Mercury report on this incident.
16 May 2009
Foreman Road Abahlali baseMjondolo Branch
Four ANC Members Arrested for Corruption in the Foreman Road Settlement
At around 4:00 a.m. this morning the Sydenham Police, led by Supt. Glen Nayager, arrested 4 members of the Foreman Road ANC branch on corruption charges.
The four were caught loading metal sheets, as well as poles, windows and wheel barrows, intended for people living in tents into a truck. One of them was armed and had two extra magazines for his gun on him. These sheets and building materials have been provided by the government for people who are still living in tents after the fire that devastated Foreman Road on 13 September 2009.
This corruption has been going on for some time. Ward Councillor Yakoob Baig makes sure that all development, no matter who small, goes through the local ANC supporters and not the community as a whole. But the ANC leaders in the settlement collect the metal sheets and other building materials and when they have enough they get a truck to take them to rural areas. This leaves some of those who chose to obey the government and to not rebuild themselves after the fire still stuck in tents 9 months after the fire!
There have been two kinds of corruption after this fire. The first was when only ANC members with ANC cards were allowed into the government shacks built in Foreman Road after the fire. This is a political corruption. The second is this kind of theft where building materials are stolen.
Corruption is theft from the people. The fight against corruption has always been central to the struggle of Abahlali. Today we are joined in our opposition to this corruption in Foreman Road by local members of the SACP and Cope.
As the Forman Road Abahlali baseMjondolo branch we have had our differences with Supt. Nayager in the past. But as a movement we always believe that we must credit where credit is due. We therefore wish to note that in recent times Supt. Nayager has been a police officer for all the people of Ward 25, including the shack dwellers. We are being taken as citizens. We congratulate Supt. Nayager on this arrest. This arrest marks real progress in turning Ward 25 into a Ward where ever one that lives there has the same rights whether rich or poor, ANC or not.
We strongly suspect that Cllr Yakoob Baig will write a letter to try and justify the actions of his supporters. We hope that we are wrong but if we are not wrong we mobilise against him or any politician that protects their corrupt supporters.
We call upon the government to make sure that all development and support for communities is not channelled through small groups of ANC supporters but is negotiated democratically and openly with communities as a whole.
Abahlali baseMjondolo, the SACP and COPE are all working in this area. We have our differences. For instance Abahlali baseMjondolo believes in people's power and not voting. But we are all together against corruption.
For more information and comment contact:
Mnikelo Ndabankulu, Foreman Road Abahlali baseMjondolo Branch at 079 450 0653.
Bru Zelimane from the local SACP branch is also available for comment on 073 438 761 and Sifiso Nobani from the local COPE branch is available on 079 737 4178