Mazwi Nzimande

Mazwi Nzimande

Mazwi Nzimande was elected as the first chairperson of the Abahlali baseMjondolo Youth League on 16 June 2008. He was re-elected to the position on 16 June 2009.

Mazwi is 18 years old and in his final year at Protea Secondary School in Chatsworth Durban. He lives in the Joe Slovo settlement which is between Chatsworth and Lamontville and is an additional member of the Joe Slovo Abahlali baseMjondolo Committee.

He has been involved in many struggles against evictions and police harassment and has worked in solidarity campaigns for Abahlali baseMjondolo activists who have been arrested. He has qualified as a people’s electrician at the University of Abahlali baseMjondolo and has worked closely with Philani Zungu on Operation Khanyisa. He has been particularly involved in appropriating free access to electricity in the Joe Slovo and Pemary Ridge settlements.

Mazwi was born in Umzinto on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in 1991 and moved to the Joe Slovo settlement in 1997 at the age of 6. His parents were involved in the founding of the settlements and are both domestic workers.

For Mazwi:

“The Youth League is important because everyone always talks about freedom of expression but we as youth, as poor youth, wanted to know what qualifications we need in this society to be able to speak freely? It was clear to us that this was a right for the rich, not for us. Therefore we have taken this freedom for ourselves. We meet and discuss freely. Now freedom of expression is working for us, now it is real for us. Now that we are organised as the youth we have not only created a space where we can be free with each other. We are respected now. Even the elders listen to us. It has changed my life a lot to be in the youth league.

The most important thing about Abahlali baseMjondolo is that it is the only movement that I know that has a manifesto that has been created by the people, not an individual or an NGO. You don’t need any qualification to be our movement. Everybody who is ready to struggle against poverty is welcome. It does not matter who you are.

We don’t recruit members. People come to us. In fact it is the government that recruits for us.”