Author Archives: Abahlali

We stand in solidarity with the Kurdish freedom movement

1 March 2024
Abahlali Youth League Press Statement

We stand in solidarity with the Kurdish freedom movement

Abahlali have been following the struggle for the liberation of the Kurdish people for many years now. Nearly 15 years ago our president was invited to Turkey by our comrades in that country and spoke at the University of Ankara and other platforms. At that time, he was asked to share South Africa’s experience on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Zodwa Nsibande also visited comrades in Turkey. Continue reading

Abahlali will be in the Constitutional Court today

27 February 2024
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Abahlali will be in the Constitutional Court today

The right to the cities, to live in the cities and to shape the cities from below, continues to be denied to many in our country thirty years after apartheid. Along with oppression by a predatory political class the poor continue to face brutal evictions in the form of gentrification by capital whose interests are in maximising private profit at the expense of the poor.

Cities are built by the poor and working class but they often cannot afford to live in the cities because the rent is too expensive for ordinary families. Capital is brutal and has no mercy for the poor. It is inhuman. Continue reading

McDonalds are Dumping their Rubbish in our Community

12 February 2024
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

McDonalds are Dumping their Rubbish in our Community

The Lindokuhle Mnguni Occupation in Rosherville, Johannesburg, organised strikes on Monday and Wednesday last week. On Monday South Rand Road was blockaded the whole day, from 3:00 am till 4:00 pm. On Wednesday it was blockaded from 5:00 am till 12:30 am.

The police were not violent to the protestors but some taxi drivers did assault comrades on the blockade. Continue reading

The Poor Need to Vote the ANC Out in the Coming Election

4 February 2024
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

The Poor Need to Vote the ANC Out in the Coming Election

Frantz Fanon said “Each generation must discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it, in relative opacity.” The challenge of our generation is to move past the ANC, to build a politics of the future, a politics by and for the oppressed, a politics committed to humanising our country and the world.

In April it will be thirty years since the end of apartheid. In that time we have watched and suffered as the promise of the new society has been betrayed by the ANC. We have witnessed corrupt leaders continuing to enrich themselves and their families at the expense of the poor majority. We have seen inequalities grow as more and more people are unemployed or precariously employed, including by labour brokers. We have watched as the ANC continues to impose devastating economic policies, including brutal austerity, on the country as more and more people are pushed into poverty and the poor get poorer. We have seen that, year after year, there has been no real rural or urban land reform. Many more people live in shacks now than at the end of apartheid. As food and transport get more and more expensive and the government cuts spending on essential public goods such as education, healthcare and social grants the crisis lived everyday by the poor gets worse and worse. Continue reading

Our Lawyers Made Us So Proud at the ICJ

15 January 2024
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Our Lawyers Made Us So Proud at the ICJ

Abahlali baseMjondolo commend the outstanding work by the South African legal team at the International Court of Justice in Hague. Many of us watched with great pride as our brilliant legal team stood in front of the world to protect humanity and end the devastating attacks against the people of Gaza that have led to the loss of more than 23 000 lives, including more than 8 000 children.

We do not see the importance of this case as being restricted to proving to the ICJ that the Israeli state is committing genocide. It is also a statement of conscience to the people of the world, and encouragement to the huge numbers of people around the world who have taken to the streets in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Continue reading