Macassar Village Secured an Urgent Interdict Against the City of Cape Town Last Night

Macassar Village Occupiers Protest in Down Town Cape Town, 25 May 2009

Update 5: 2 June 5:02 p.m Mzonke Poni has just been released. He has to return to court on 17 June 2009.

Update 4: 1 June 2009 7:14 p.m. The second arrestee has been released after been subject to considerable police intimidation. Mzonke Poni has been removed from the holding cells at the Macassar Village Police station and taken to hospital. He remains under arrest and will appear in the Somerset West Court tomorrow between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m.

Update 3: 1 June 2009, 5:01 p.m. Mzonke Poni and one other person are currently under arrest at the Macassar Village Police station. Mzonke has been badly assaulted. Khanyiso from Abahlali baseMjondolo, who is currently at the police station, can be contacted on +27 (0)73 540 3909.

Update 2: 31 May 2009, 5:30 p.m. The interdict will be served on the Cape Town City Manager first thing on Monday morning.

Update 1: 30 May 2009, 9:12 a.m. The City of Cape Town is currently demolishing shacks and stealing building materials in Macassar Village in blatant contempt of the court interdict.

Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape
Urgent Press Release, 30 May 2009

Last Night We Secured an Urgent Interdict Against the City of Cape Town that Prevents them from Continuing with their Criminal Harassment of the Macassar Village Occupation

We have secured an urgent interdict against the City of Cape Town. The interdict prevents them from demolishing any shack or structure at the Macassar Village Occupation without an order of the court (and the due process that obtaining such an order requires). It also compels them to return to us all the building materials that they have stolen.

This is an important victory against state criminality in Cape Town. Municipalities across the country regularly engage in criminal behaviour towards the poor because they are confident that we will not be able to secure legal support. But ten days after we first occupied the land we were able, with church support, to secure a lawyer and to succeed in forcing the City of Cape Town to engage with us in terms of the law. The City wanted to resolved this crisis with violence. We have now been given an opportunity to resolve this crisis politically.

For more information please contact Mzonke Poni at 073 256 2036