Click here to read this speech in English.

Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA.
14 December 2008

Inkulumo Emuva koMhlangano Wonyaka Ka-2008, ngu-Baba u-S’bu. Zikode

Isingeniso

Bahlali njengoba sonke sazi ukuthi sisuka esikhathini esinzima kanganani, nesehlukile kakhulu kwesejwayelekile eMbuthweni wethu esiwuthanda kakhulu. Umbutho okuthe amandla awo aphoqelela bonke abantu abahlala eMjondolo ukuthi bame ndawonye futhi basho ngezwi elilodwa ukuvikela ilungelo lethu lokuhlala emadolobheni.

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.

Most of the Jadhu Place settlement burnt down early on Sunday morning after a candle was knocked over. Jadhu was one of the first settlements to join Abahlali baseMjondolo back in 2005. At least 1 500 people have been left homeless by this fire. The City has provided large tents for people left homeless and instructed them not to rebuild their shacks. They are misusing this disaster to turn a long established shack settlement, a community with a proud history, into a transit camp.

Obed Mlaba's house is symbolically burnt on 28 November 2007 in protest at the plague of fires.

http://www.isolezwe.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4230356

Umbono weSolezwe
Baphila kanzima emijondolo

January 30, 2008 Edition 1

ININGIZIMU Afrika iyizwe elihlukene izigaba eziningi. Kulo leli zwe kukhona izimpunyela ezingomzimbukhalimali. Kulo leli lengabadi kukhona abaphila kahle nabangenayo inkinga yokuthi bazolala bedleni futhi bahlala emizini kanokusho. Kukhona abahlala ezindlini ezibizwa ngemixhaso ezingamakopi. Kukhona abasahlala emijondolo eyakhiwe ngamaphepha, ngodaka ngangamapulangwe, futhi abangenawo amandla okuba nemizi ecacile eduze namadolobha.

In 2005 S'bu Zikode's widely translated and republished article 'We are the Third Force' said: "You must see how big the rats are that will run across the small babies in the night." One would have thought that the City would have responded by immediately scheduling an urgent meeting to discuss the rat problem with Kennedy Road residents. Instead Zikode was forced out of his job and arrested on trumped up charges and beaten up in the Sydenham Police station and widely slandered by politicians.

UKUHLALA emijondolo engahlanzekile, ukumpintshana, amanzi ageleza anganakwa muntu, usizi lokudilizelwa, nokusha kwezindlu yinto ozoyibona maduze nje ku-SABC 3 ohlelweni iSpecial Assignment.

Lokhu kuvezwe nguMnuz Mukelani Dimba wesikhungo esisiza umphakathi ekutholeni ulwazi lokuthi izidingo zawo zizolethwa nini, i-Open Democracy Advice Centre, eseKapa (ODAC).

Uthe le filimu (documentary) ikhombisa ukuthi ulithola kanjani ilungelo lakho lokwazi elikumthethosisekelo, iRight to information Act ka-2000.

NgoMgqibelo abantu abahlala emijondolo bathole ithuba lokuyibuka kuqala le filimu, i-The right to Know, echaza ngempilo yabantu abahlala emijondolo njengoba beyethulwa ngokusemthethweni.

http://www.isolezwe.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3885242

Abasezikhundleni sebesikhohliwe

June 15, 2007 Edition 1

MHLELI: Esikhathini esingaka izwe lethu lathola inkululeko kodwa kuyacaca kahle kamhlophe ukuthi uma ungumuntu odla imbuya ngothi, unezinselelo eziningi zokuthi uzabalaze.

Lokhu ngikusho ngoba uma ubuka abaholi babahlali basemjondolo nabadayisi emgwaqeni, uthola ukudumala okukhulu.

Yibo laba bantu ababezibandankanye no-UDF (United Democratic Front) belwa nohulumeni wobadlululo. UNkulunkulu emkhulu banqoba.

Okubi wukuthi ababeza-balaza nabo basezikhudleni, abasabakhumbuli nakancane ngoba besezingeni eliphansi ngokwezimo zempilo, njengokuhlala emijondolo. Lokhu kwenza abaholi abanjengoMnuz Sbu Zikode (uMengameli waBahlali) oMnuz Lindela Figlan (ilungu lekomidi laBahlali) bazaba-laze okwesibili belwela intuthuko njengamanje.

1 June 2007

Ngomhlaka 9 ka Meyi, iphephandaba I Witness bebhale ngokwelula nge “zindawo ezidume kabi e Akoo’s Flats” ukuba zibhidlizwe. Bonke abalalelwa ngovo lwabo kulombhalo bahalalisela umphathi omusha webhilidi, ‘umthuthukisi’u Mr. Andrew Barnes, ngokuchitha lelibhilidi elingcole kakhulu elalicunula amehlo. Laliyimvithi. Emva kwezinsuku ezimbili, u Daniel Bailey osebenzela indawo yamalungelo ezindlu nokukhishwa kwabantu ezindlini (Centre On Housing Rights and Evictions- COHRE),wabhala incwadi eyakhishwa kwi Witness ebuza ngabahlali abakhishwa- abantu ababengabonakali kwisiqalo sendaba ekwi Witness. Encwadini ka Daniel wakhomba ukuthi “abahlali bakulendawo bebengahlali khona ngoba bethanda(ubani ongathanda ukuhlala endaweni engaphephile?) kodwa ngoba yikhona akade benakho.

Abahlali baseMjondolo have published their first newspaper - IZWI LABAMPOFU! Voice of the Poor. It contains, in English and Zulu, articles on housing, education rights and even about this website.

You can download the full newspaper (4.4MB).

Also, do read a piece on evictions in Clairwood wasn't included in the physical copy for reasons of space.