The Poor People’s Alliance and other movements in support of the residents of Hangberg, Hout Bay

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Solidarity Statement by the South African Poor People’s Alliance
2 October 2010 – For immediate release

The Poor People’s Alliance and other movements in support of the residents of Hangberg, Hout Bay

We are calling for an immediate investigation into the atrocious violence and repression by police forces against the residents of Hangberg in Hout Bay, Cape Town.

Sunday, Hangberg residents will march on Hout Bay Police Station and deliver a memorandum to Safety & Security MEC Albert Fritz, Premier Helen Zille, Mayor Dan Plato and the Western Cape Police Commissioner Arno Lamoer. They will be joined by residents of Imizamo Yethu who are also facing eviction from Hout Bay.

Date: Sunday 3rd October 2010
Time: 10h00 (prayer service and rally) and 12h00 (protest march)
Begin: Hangberg Park
End: Hout Bay SAPS Police Station

As an act of living solidarity, the Poor People’s Alliance (a coalition of South African independent social movements including Abahlali baseMjondolo, the Landless People’s Movement, the Anti-Eviction Campaign and the Rural Network) will be attending the protest march by Hangberg residents on Sunday. We will also be joined by many other groups and movements including the Mandela Park Backyarders, Sikhula Sonke women-led trade union as well as members of the clergy.

As an alliance of poor people’s social movements, we are aiming primarily to support the Hangberg community’s demands and to point out that, as poor people, we are all in a similar boat. It is very important that Sunday’s peaceful protest be community-driven. It must not be hijacked by political parties to score points against their adversaries. The people of Hangberg are important everyday, not merely during election campaigns.

We call on government to listen to the demands of the poor in Hout Bay. We call on government to immediately end all evictions of poor people in Hout Bay. We call on government to upgrade all homes of poor people in Hout Bay to proper housing. We call on government to end police violence towards poor people in Hout Bay.

These are humble and straightforward things to ask. If the political parties were not in bed with the rich, they would also be quite simple to achieve. Government must be accountable to us, the people!

For information about the struggle for land and housing in Hout Bay, please contact Greg Louw (Hangberg Civic Association Media Liaison) at 0739541293.

For further queries, please contact the coordinators of the Poor People’s Alliance:

Mncedisi Twalo @ 0785808646 (AEC Western Cape)
Bandile Mdlalose @ 079 745 0653 (AbM-KZN)
Mtobeli Qona @ 0768759533 (AbM Western Cape)
Mzonke Poni @ 073 256 2036 (AbM Cape Town)
Mbhekiseni Mavuso @ 072 279 2634 (Rural Network KZN)