HELP ZILLE-RAINE HEIGHTS FIGHT EVICTION
FROM BAD TO WORSE…

24 January 2010

On Friday the 29th of January, over 260 women, men, children and elderly will be represented in court for our appeal trial against forceful relocation from Zille Raine Heights informal settlement in Grassy Park to Happy Valley, 35 kms away from Cape Town.

Four years ago, we, the community of Zille Raine Heights, occupied land in Civic Road, Lotus River. Most people lived in overcrowded flats for most of their lives, some were backyarders, and others were facing evictions from their landlords. For approximately fifty years there has been no housing delivery in the LOGRA area (Lotus River, Grassy Park, Ottery and Retreat) and we decided we needed a solution to our housing problem. The following day after we occupied the open field, our places were demolished by the City without any court order.

Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement
29 October 2009

Invitation to the Celebration of the Abahlali baseMjondolo Victory Against the Notorious and Now Buried Slums Act

On 14 October 2009 the Constitutional Court ruled against the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government and in favour of Abahlali baseMjondolo. The court found that Section 16 of the Slums Act was unconstitutional and invalid. The Slums Act now has been struck down.

Abahlali baseMjondolo will be holding a celebration of our victory against the Slums Act this Sunday, 1 November, at 9am. The celebration will take place the Richmond Farm Transit Camp. All progressive communities, journalists and members of the public are welcome.

Meaningful Engagement

The Centre for Applied Legal Studies at Wits, are hosting a colloquium on the topic of 'Meaningful Engagement' today. The speakers were asked to prepare and circulate their papers in advance. This is S'bu Zikode's contribution to the discussion.

I thank Lauren Royston and Kate Tissington for the opportunity to comment on the topic of meaningful engagement.

Our movement is always very happy to visit CALS. CALS is an important ally in the struggles of the poor and all our movements hold your organization in high respect. You have worked with us and not for us. You have not been scared to confront power whether it is the provincial government or a gangster landlord. We remember how Stuart Wilson sat taking instruction from Uncle James in Motala Heights while Ricky Govender’s thugs threw rocks at Uncle James’ house. We know how hard and how well Stuart and your team worked on the Slums Act case.

http://www.isolezwe.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4897760

Balale emnyango ababethenjiswe izindlu zomxhaso

March 20, 2009 Edition 1

BAWINILE NGCOBO

KUXABENE ubendle ezindlini ezingamathini eziseRichmond Farm ngaseLindelani njengoba ngoLwesibili kube khona abantu abakhishwayo kulezi zindlu balala emnyango, kwafakwa abanye abakhishwe emijondolo eseSiyanda lapho kwakhiwa khona umgwaqo onguthelawayeka.

NgoLwesibili abantu abese besele emijondolo yaseSiyanda bathuthelwe kulezi zindlu ukuze balindele ukungena izindlini zabo zomxhaso, kodwa bahlangabezana nembibizane ngesikhathi befika sekukhona asebehlala kuzo okungaziwa ukuthi bangena kanjani.

Friday, 06 March 2009
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Siyanda Win in Court
The Struggle Against Corruption and Transit Camps Continues

Waiting on the steps of the Durban High Court

Today eight orders were granted in favour of Abahlali baseMjondolo in the Durban High Court. The orders that have been granted are a breakthrough. We can call this a landmark judgment because the orders provide for judicial oversight of the new and entirely notorious phenomenon of the transit camp – also known by the government as decant areas in Jo’burg, as temporary relocation areas in Cape Town and as amatins, blikkies and government shacks by the people. However while it is progress to get judicial oversight over the transit camps our aim is to eradicate them entirely. We will not claim victory until this has been achieved.

Thursday, 12 February 2009
Landless People’s Movement Press Statement

Landless People’s Movement v The City of Johannesburg
Jo’burg High Court, 10:00 Friday 13 February 2009

Over the years we, the Protea South branch of the Landless People’s Movement, have marched many times and we have been arrested, beaten and tortured. Tomorrow will meet the City of Johannesburg in the High Court.

Our demands to the court are the same demands that we have taken to the streets:

1. The government shacks (i.e. the transit camp) must be immediately removed from our area. They are a deep insult to our human dignity.

Press Release from the Siyanda Abahlali baseMjondolo Branch
Hand written on Friday 30 January
Digitised late on Tuesday 3 February (due to no electricity in Kennedy Road)

Durban High Court Delays Bheki Cele's Attempt at Forced Removal from Siyanda to the Richmond Farm Transit Camp

The judge has adjourned this matter to the 6th of March 2009. We, the remaining residents of the Siyanda shacks, welcome the outcome of today's hearing.

Everybody, rich or poor, has a life to live.

The Department of Transport has continued to reject our request for a negotiated solution. They have continued to argue that our refusal to accept that the houses promised to us should be corrupted to other people is costing them hundreds of thousands of rand a day. They have continued to argue that our refusal to move to their government shacks, what the people call the amatins, (the Richmond Farm transit camp) is costing them hundreds of thousands of Rands a day. They have continued to say that the demolition of our homes and our forced removal to their government shacks is an urgent priority and that there can be no further delays.

Johannesburg, 23 January 2009

FORCED REMOVAL OF SIYANDA RESIDENTS TO TRANSIT CAMPS

CALS condemns the current government policy of using transit camps as alternative accommodation for forcibly removed shackdwellers

The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) is disturbed at a growing trend in South African cities in terms of which the state forcibly removes shackdwellers from large shacks on well-located land to ‘temporal housing’ in transit camps (also known as ‘temporary relocation areas’ or TRAs) on the urban periphery. Relocation to transit camps is most often done to make way for infrastructure and development projects which will not benefit those being removed.

Monday, 12 January 2009
Siyanda Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Release

Bheki Cele Seeks the Forced Eviction of 50 Families
– Agreement on Negotiations
- Court Battle Set Down for 27th January 2009

Report back from court at Siyanda shack settlement, noon, 9 January 2009

On 19 December 2008 Bheki Cele, MEC for Transport in KwaZulu-Natal, had the sheriff serve an application to evict 50 families from the Siyanda shack settlement, which lies between Newlands East and KwaMashu. Abahlali baseMjondolo is the 51st respondent to the application. The court date was set down for Friday 9 January 2009. Abahlali baseMjondolo attended court and was represented, pro bono, by Advocate Juliet Nicholson. Advocate Nicholson was briefed by Elco Geldenhuis from Shanta Reddy Attorneys.