http://www.carta.org/campagne/dal+mondo/africa/11869

Periferie in rivolta. Nelle baracche di Durban
[15 Novembre 2007]

Un'altra settimana di mobilitazioni promosse dai movimenti dei baraccati in molte città del Sud Africa. L'11 novembre in Kennedy Road, la baraccopoli dove è scoppiata l'ultima grande rivolta e una delle più attive e creative componenti del movimento Abahlali baseMjondolo, è stato organizzato un incontro di preghiera ecumenica molto partecipato. Il 13 novembre, Philani Zungu, uno dei promotori del movimento, è stato arrestato con l'accusa di avere connesso illegalmente cavi elettrici alla propria baracca.

Last Friday the institutions, especially Major Mlaba and the police, have again attempted to vandalize the humanity of the poor.

The violence shown by the police is just one example of what happens when poor people speak for themselves.
Again the municipality of Durban has put the interests of business in front of the rights of the poor, the shack dwellers. Mlaba, although he had received news of the march almost one month earlier, did not bother to come and receive the memorandum. Surely, it would have been embarrassing to look straight in the eyes of people who have been living for more than ten years in a shack. It would have been embarrassing to listen at their voices. Nevertheless, it is not a surprise…people in power are not used to this kind of politics. They are used to other kind of democracy, not the one developed in Abahlali.