Monday, 12 March 2012
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Abahlali Members who were Displaced in September 2009 Still Homeless

Two weeks ago IFP members fought with NFP members at Hostel 17 in Umlazi Township. That political violence left one person dead and it left some people homeless. The Minister of Safety and Security intervened to mediate between the two parties that were fighting. This is very good and is something which we welcome. We also acknowledge that the new Mayor of the eThekwini Municipality took the Umlazi violence into his attention and is working on it. However this activism of the Minister and the Mayor is raising so many questions.

Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) and Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI)

PRESS RELEASE – 29 February 2012

eThekwini Municipality Disobeys Court Order to Provide Housing and Investigate Corruption

Residents go back to court to compel Mayor, City Manager and Director of Housing to provide houses or be held in contempt

In 2009, 37 poor families won the right to receive permanent houses in terms of an order issued by the Durban High Court. The families must now return to court to force the eThekwini Municipality to obey the order. The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) and Abahlali baseMjondolo (ABM) are suing the Mayor of eThekwini on behalf the families, who now live in the Richmond Farm Transit Camp near KwaMashu, Durban.

EVICTIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA - (DEAR MANDELA companion video) from Sleeping Giant on Vimeo.

http://dearmandela.com/?q=node/76

Short Film: A FISH IN A TIN
February 28, 2012 - 10:26pm

LAWYERS PUSH FOR EVICTED RESIDENTS' RIGHTS TO BE RESPECTED

In 2009, we filmed with a community who had recently been evicted from the Siyanda informal settlement in order to allow for the construction of a road. One of the conditions of the eviction order was that the occupiers would be provided with permanent housing within a year. The deadline for doing so expired almost two years ago and nothing has been done to comply with the order.

22 February 2012
Unemployed People's Society Press Statement

Shallcross March Called Off Due to Death Threats from the Local Councillor and ANC Members

Yesterday the Unemployed People's Society had to take the difficult decision to call off the march that we had planned against housing corruption in Shallcross. The night before the march was due to take place the Ward 17 Councillor and a number of local ANC members moved around the area with whistles. They issued clear threats stating that anyone who goes on this march will be killed.

The next morning Ms N.E. Shazi, the organisation's co-ordinator, woke to found that a large amount of blood had been poured on her gate.

20 February 2012
Unemployed People's Society Press Statement

March Against Housing Corruption in Shallcross

The Unemployed People's Society has, together with Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement S.A. and SANCO, been approached by the victims of the Savanna Park project and the Inkanyezi housing Project.

The Unemployed People’s Society will be marching to the Durban City Hall to demand an end to housing corruption in these housing projects such as Inkanyezi and Mawelewele, to demand road access and to oppose lazy and brutal police officials and the lack of services.

The march will start at King Dinuzulu Park (Botha Park) at 9:00am tomorrow - Tuesday, 21 February 2012. The memorandum will be handed over to the new eThekwini Municipal Manager Mr. Sibusiso Sithole, the Minister of Transport Mr. S’bu Ndebele and the Minister of Police Mr. Nathi Mthethwa. It will finished at 12 noon.

27 January 2012
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

The Interim Eviction Order Against the Shallcross Occupation has been Set Aside

The interim eviction order granted by the Durban High Court to evict residents of Shallcross (Ekuphumeleleni, Inkanyezi Housing Project) was set aside this morning. The High Court has ordered the eThekwini Municipality to stop any further eviction of residents pending the 24th of February 2012 on which date this matter has to return in court. In the meantime the evicted residents have returned to their homes for the second time.

Abahlali wishes to express its disappointment at the fact that the attorneys that South African Nation Civic Organization (SANCO) has promised its members in the area since December did not pitch up in court. This was despite insistence of the SANCO leadership last night that they have lawyers which mislead the community. However Abahlali wish to thank its Legal Team - Nichols Attorneys with the support of SERI - for being able to represent the residents and for doing such a good job.

Shallcross: The Tyres are Burning

Yesterday 120 families were violently evicted from incompletely built and then
abandoned RDP houses in Shallcross. They had occupied these houses after people
with papers to show that they had been given houses were left in shacks as
their houses were corruptly given to others who were paying for them. Eight of
the 120 families are AbM members.

Last night the evicted families reoccupied the houses. Now the police are back.
The tyres are burning. The media are urged to rush to the scene.

Contact:

Lucia: 084 635 0293
Lungi: 078 622 6999

25 January 2012
An urgent call for media intervention
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Occupiers Currently Under Police Attack in Shallcross

The eKuphumeleni Abahlali branch in Shallcross, in ward 17 under Councillor Shembe Nomvula (073 782 7358), is currently under attack and eviction from the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Everybody know that housing is a crisis in South Africa particularly in Durban where we just heard that at least R532 million has gone missing from the municipal housing budget. The Auditor General has just realized a report about corruption, mismanagement of funds and irregularities and as far as the supply chain management is concerned.

Update: Ayanda Kota was released at 14:45 this afternoon on a bail of R500. There were visible marks from the assault on his head, arms, chest and back. His clothes were torn and blood stained. He will be laying criminal and civil charges against the officers who assaulted him.

The original UPM statement is here, the SSJ statement is here, the DLF statement is here and the Mandela Park Backyarder's Statement is here.

12 January 2011
Unemployed People's Movement Press Statement

Ayanda Kota Assaulted in the Grahamstown Police Station - Under Arrest

About 40 minutes ago Ayanda Kota was seriously assaulted by a group of police officers in the Grahamstown police station. He was dragged, bleeding from at least two wounds, and with his clothes torn from his body, to the holding cells.

For some months he has been under open police surveillance and at times has been threatened and insulted by the police. The police have been watching his mother's house and have searched it looking for him. Their behaviour has been very rude, threatening and aggressive.