S'bu Zikode
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Fri, 2008-08-29 10:42.
Diakonia | S'bu Zikode | Speech Text of a speech by S'bu Zikode at the Diakonia Council of Churches Economic Justice Forum - an audio recording of the speech, including the discussion afterwards, is available from Diakonia. Click here to read the report on the speech in the Sowetan.
Land and Housing
Thursday 28, 2008
I have been asked to speak on the burning issues of land and housing. I only get these invitations because of the strength of the movement of which I am part and so, on behalf of Abahlali baseMjondolo, I thank Diakonia for this platform.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Fri, 2008-08-08 13:15.
brazil | Maureen Mnisi | Michael Schmidt | mst | S'bu Zikode | solidarity "Hands off the MST Brazil!" say South African social movements
7 August 2008
To the poor of the world, to all people of good will who work for progressive change
We, the landless and homeless people and associated activists of South Africa, decry the secret campaign by the so-called Workers' Party (PT) government of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul to criminalise, outlaw and otherwise illegitimately harass our landless comrades of the MST.
Under PT governance, Rio Grande do Sul has made substantial sums of money off hosting four World Social Forums – and yet that same government is now cynically using its militarised police forces to wage a clandestine war against Brazil's most important, poor-driven social movement.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Mon, 2008-03-03 08:23.
S'bu Zikode Abahlali baseMjondolo Report on the AbM Event for the 3rd International Day In Support of the Haitian People
Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 11:20 PM
Subject: Re: Old and afraid of the world outside
Comrades!
As we are going to sleep today, most of us who have watched the video of the suffering of the people of Haiti, as strong as we are, can not enjoy the food that we are lucky to eat, not to mention our inner peace. Abahlali as a Movement would be guilty of a serious offence if today it can not think critical about what needs to be done to stand in Solidarity with the people of Haiti. As today the World enters the 3rd International Day in Solidarity with the Haitian People.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Wed, 2007-12-26 16:45.
emergency press release | media_update | S'bu Zikode Update, 17 February, 2008: Click here to see new video footage of the aftermath of the Foreman Road fire.
There has never been holiday in jondolos, while everyone celebrates Christmas. Abahlali in Foreman Road got up at 11:00pm when their homes were in flames. Most residents have not been around, some were out for Christmas while others went to farms for Christmas. More than two hundreds shacks were burnt down which amounts to about five hundreds people being left homeless including women and children. The fire Dept. came at least quicker than expected although it took them at least four hours before it was fully blown off. No injuries and deaths reported.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Wed, 2007-03-21 12:34.
Cindy Mkhize | Human Rights Day Arrests in Durban | M'du Hlongwa | press release | Richard Pithouse | S'bu Zikode | T.N. Lembede | Thoko Zikode Wednesday, 21 March 2007, Human Rights Day
12:47:02
Most of the Kennedy Road Development Committee Spend Human Rights Day Being Assaulted in the Sydenham Police Station
Kennedy Road and Other Settlements Are Currently Mobilising to March on the Sydenham Police Station
*******updates are being added below as they come in*******
At 3:00 a.m. this morning 9 residents of the Kennedy Road shack settlement were arrested by the notoriously racist and violent Sydenham Police who have not been shy to make very clear the political nature of their sustained violent persecution of Abahlali activists overtly. At 11:00 a.m. this morning two of the nine, Sindi Maluleka and Zonke Mxele, were released. They reported that they had been punched and subject to verbal abuse that specifically targeted their membership of the 'red shirts' i.e. the shack dwellers’ movement Abahlali baseMjondolo. They also reported that on their release they had been told that they would be re-arrested if they did not swiftly contact Detective Inspector Luthuli on 073 232 0022 to inform him of the whereabouts of another 10 Kennedy Road residents, all of whom who have leadership positions in the community, who are being sought by the Sydenham Police.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Wed, 2007-02-28 17:04.
S'bu Zikode by S'bu Zikode *
In South Africa everyone will say that life is not fair for the poor. Even the rich will say that what they are doing is for the poor. They will even say this when they are just finding more and more excuses to give more of the country's money to themselves to build all these very expensive things that they have seen in those few rich countries on TV. They want to have those things here so that they can feel themselves to be 'world class'. Meanwhile our children, who, like the children in Haiti and Kenya and Zimbabwe are never on TV, are burning in shack fires and dying from diarrhoea around the corner.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Mon, 2008-02-18 06:56.
S'bu Zikode Another Shack fire after eThekwini Municipality disconnected electricity in Kennedy Road
Abahlali baseKennedy a bigger branch of Abahlali baseMjondolo has again and again been forced to accept the unacceptable. Last night at about 22:00 Saturday 16 February 2008 Kennedy Road settlement was on fire, fifteen shacks were bunt down. About 25 people including women and children were displaced and left homelesss. It was fortunate that at least within 25 minutes the fire department was at the scene.The cause of fire is said to be the paraffinn stove that exploded. The fire victims have worked so hard and for so long to have what they have had. It is known that there is no one who is going to return their belongings of their sweat.The shack fires have become one of those common minor incidents that do not matter, it does not attract the interest of most media nor does it attract the sympath of those in high authority. There are no efforts of any kind that the eThekwini munipality is prepared to explore in order to address the carnage of shack fires.Shack fires can be avoided in a caring city like Durban as so much money and energy is used to impress those who do not live in Durban and to attract foreign investment.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Thu, 2007-05-24 16:39.
Abahlali | S'bu Zikode Letter to KZNCC and other Church Leaders
Invitation to a Prayer Service
Abahlali BaseMjondolo in Durban is a formation of poor communities living in shacks around Durban. It was formed to represent and advocate for the rights of the poor to have access to services such as land, houses and jobs in their areas. It is not affiliated to any political party.
Shack communities always face challenges such as shack fires, police brutality and neglect by government. Throughout these challenges some church leaders have stood in solidarity with the poor living in shacks.
Invitation to this prayer service marks the beginning of a process of dialogue between the church and people living in shacks to explore the meaning of “preferential option for the poor” and being church in the context of poverty and landlessness.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Fri, 2007-03-02 16:29.
S'bu Zikode THE GREATEST THREAT TO FUTURE STABILITY IN OUR COUNTRY
VS
THE GREATEST STRENGTH OF ABAHLALI BASEMJONDOLO MOVEMENT S.A.(SHACK DWELLERS)
Many things have been said. Many things have been seen. Many policies have been passed. Many people have voted. But what has been done has not been done for the poor. It has been done for the rich. The poor are outside. We have no country. This is not the democracy that the poor fought for. We must ask, are we citizens of this country? If we are not citizens then who are we and where are we?
AFRAID
I am afraid. Every day is an emergency in the jondolos. I am afraid that the AIDS epidemic and poverty are the greatest threat to future stability in our country. Our people are dying. Our people are struggling just to survive. Our desperation and anger can go in many directions. I am afraid that it won’t always go the people who are getting richer while we suffer.
Submitted by Abahlali_3 on Fri, 2007-03-02 16:24.
S'bu Zikode | Transcript S'bu Zikode's Transcribed Speech Made at the Centre for Civil Society & Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Colloquium
March 4, 2006 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
Amandla! Viva Abahlali baseMjondolo, viva! Viva CCS, Viva! Viva all the Social Movements, Viva! Viva Chatsworth, Viva! Viva Wentworth, Viva! Viva the Right to Work Campaign Viva!
Comrades! I am not used to sitting, I am not used to comfortable chairs; so don't be taken aback that I will be standing. I am used to Zabalaza, to struggling; there's no time to sleep and to be jolly with the comfortable chairs. Comrades, thank you very much to Patrick for this great opportunity that I have just been given to speak at this university on behalf of people from Abahlali. I am going to use this opportunity to talk about the pain and suffering we are facing with the hard of the hardest in our own country; the pain of arrests, beatings, detention and death.
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