21 December 2008

50 Shacks Burn in Kennedy Road

About 50 shacks burnt in the Kennedy Road settlement last night. This is the 8th fire in the settlement this year.

The fire started when a candle was knocked over just after midnight. So far there are no reports of major injuries. The fire brigade, as is now (after years of struggle) routine arrived quickly and provided a good service. We appreciate that. We trust that the Municipality will, as they began doing this year (after years of struggle), support the people who have lost their homes with building materials.

Latest from Siyanda: 64 Families Remain in their Homes & Refuse Eviction to “Transit Camp” Under Heavy Police Presence

In the early morning of December 11, 2008, police vans, trucks and cars – estimated six in total – pulled into Siyanda, KwaMashu, to carry out the eviction of 66 families to make way for the new MR577 Freeway. Approximately 10 police, armed with batons and pistols, reportedly went door-to-door with a representative from Linda Masinga & Associates, to each of the 66 families’ shacks. With bulldozers and transport trucks standing by, the eviction team asked each family if they would be willing to be relocated to an area “transit camp.” As had already been officially communicated to the MEC of Transport who is seeking the eviction, all but two families refused.

Sunday, 07 December 2008
Siyanda Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Transport MEC Bheki Cele Threatens 61 Families in Siyanda with Forced Removal to one of the Notorious "Transit Camps"

Mama Nxumalo speaking at the meeting against forced removals, 7 December 2008

On Saturday the Sheriff of the Court served a letter from the State Attorney on 61 families in Siyanda, KwaMashu. This letter instructs us to leave our homes by 16h00 this Tuesday, 9 December. More than 300 hundred people in our community are now at risk of forced removal to the notorious ‘transit camps’.

Late last night 15 month old Mzomjani Mvunyiswa was attacked by a giant rant and bitten on the hand, leg and forehead.

Mzomjani is the third infant to be attacked by a rat in the settlement this year. In January Nkosi Cwaka died after a rat attack and in July Wandile Cikwayo was seriously injured when a rat gnawed at her fingers.

These attacks are a direct consequence of the failure to provide adequate refuse collection to shack settlements. The movement does what it can to organise clean up days, weekly fires to burn the rubbish and so on. But despite years of struggle around this issue, and many promises, refuse collection remaims entirely irregular and inadequate. The remains from the last fire have still not been picked up despite promises that this would be done quickly.

http://www.khayelitshastruggles.com/2008/11/fires-at-rr-section.html

Fire At RR Section, Khayelitsha, Cape Town

More than 100 shacks burned down over the weekend at RR Section Site B and left more than 500 people homeless including women, children and disabled people.

It was early in the morning past one on Saturday when the fire started at RR Section and it started at one shack which is owned by a 30 year old man, according to the neighbour's he was drunk and left paraffin stove unattended and most people believed that he was the cause of the fire.

Durban High Court, 6 November 2008

3 November 2008
Press Statement by the Abahlali baseMjondolo Youth League

Abahlali baseMjondolo Case Against the KwaZulu-Natal Eradication and Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Act to be Heard in the Durban High Court on 6 and 7 November 2008

Across the country the government is chasing the poor people out of the cities. Across the country we are mobilising to defend our right to the cities.

We are in the cities for good reasons – we need work, education, clinics, libraries and more. Pay is higher and prices are lower in the cities. Therefore we need land and housing in the cities. But the government only want our votes. They do not want us in the cities. Therefore we have said ‘No Land! No House! No Vote!’

29 October 2008
Landless People’s Movement Press Release

Join Gauteng landless communities (Freedom Park, Protea Glen Bond Houses, Protea South Informal Settlement, Precast-Lenasia Extension 11, Chiawelo, Tembalihle Crisis Committee, Eldorado Park, Harry Gwala Informal Settlement)in a peaceful March demanding free basic services, the removal of the useless ward councillors and a halt to mass evictions. On the 30th October 2008, the march will start at Peacemakers Ground in Protea South and then proceed to Old Potch road and Union Road to deliver a memorandum to the Premier of Gauteng Paul “Mathousand” Mashatile.

A few minutes after receiving news that they qualify for a housing subsidy, Symphony Way residents get terrorised by the police - again!

Good news, bad news - a carrot and some shotguns...

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Delft Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Statement
9 October, 2008 - For Immediate Release

A few days ago, Jerome Daniels and Riedwaan Issacs were released parole after their lawyer lodged an appeal to the ruling of Magistrate Van Graan. Jerome and Riedwaan, who have been serving their sentences in Polsmoor and Goodwood prisons, where sentenced by Van Graan who argued that he needed to hold the defendants responsible even if they were not present during the incident and that he furthermore needed to "teach the Anti-Eviction Campaign a lesson".

The AEC maintains that the ruling is both politically motivated and an attempt discourage poor South Africans from participating in social movements such as the Anti-Eviction Campaign. Residents of Symphony Way have stated that "if the justice system was fair, the Magistrate would never have sentenced Jerome and Wanie in what his judgment stated was in the interest of the community. Because if you ask anyone in our community, the judgment meant that we had lost two of our most tireless community workers. This was obviously not in our interest."

Floods Rock the City

Joint AbM and AEC Press Statement
24 September 2008

Gugulethu -- About 50 residents from Thambo Square informal settlement have been displaced from their homes to a local community hall as a result of flooding in their shacks (Cape Town's heavy rain this winter has left a lot of people homeless in the City.

The devastated group early this morning marched to the office of their local Department of Social Development seeking immediate relief or intervention such as building material for their shacks, plastic to put over their roof, blankets and a temporary sleeping place. However all they were able to get from Social Development was an unpleasing response. People were told that the ANC government had nothing to do with their situation and they must go to DA. When trying to question the unpleasing response by government, instead of receiving a proper report, the police were called to intimidate and threaten the residents. Residents then went back to their flooded homes in Thambo Square informal settlement.