AbM Western Cape: Macassar people won their victory on land occupation

Macassar Village, after another illegal demolition

Update: The City has overruled the decision by the Ward Councillor to give a nearby piece of land to the occupiers and the Anti-land Invasions Unit is, again, illegally demolishing shacks and illegally taking people's building material. Click here for more information on blatant state criminality by the City of Cape Town and here for the press release sent out via SMS late on Thursday night.

Click here for the report by Eye Witness News and here for the report by Bush Radio.

Macassar people won their victory on land occupation

People from Macassar Village finally won their victory on land occupation, today would have been the third day of sleeping outside if the victory was not won.

During the day today the Superintendent from Macassar Police station asked people to elect four people to go to negotiate with a local ward counsellor for a piece of land which is nearby the land that people had occupied. After 3 hours of negotiation between people and the ward counsellor it was agreed that people can build on that land which is 10 meters away from the land that people had occupied.

As we speak people are busy building their structures and Dan Plato is expected to arrive tomorrow early in the morning with a few municipal officials to hand over the land officially to the people of Macassar Village and the Anti-Land Lnvasion is also expected to return the building material that they have demolished and confiscated from people illegally.

Power to the people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And as Abahlali baseMjondolo we want everyone to know that this is the begging of many activities of building communities from below.

And we want to clarify that we don't occupy the land, we only establish our selves and that this is people centred process.

The three people that were arrested and charged with public violence are released with a warning to appear in court on the 11th of June 2009.

For more info call 073 2562 036.