Poor People’s Movements and the Law
by S'bu Zikode, Wits University, 2 December 2011
I wish to thank the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa for organising this seminar to discuss the law and social movements. I also wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA, to extend our deepest gratitude to SERI for all the legal struggles they have shared with us in support of our right to organise for our rights to land and housing, our right to the cities and our right to human dignity.
Abahlali has a lot of experience to share on this important topic. It is true that in Abahlali we are working very hard to build the power of the poor from below. It is true that doing this through organising and mobilizing is not easy. It is also true that this kind of work needs a lot of popular education through a new spirit of Abahlalism. We need to build a spirit of political and economical consciousness through constant discussion and reflection on our situation and our struggle. A spirit that recognises that we are poor because we were made poor and that we must work hard to unite the poor in order to resist this poverty imposed on us. A spirit that we can win this battle against all forces that refuse us land and freedom, forces that want to keep us confined in the dark corners of our society.