Category Archives: eNkwalini

Two Families Evicted in eNkwalini – Forty More Under Threat

Two Families Evicted in eNkwalini – Forty More Under Threat

The Mbambo and Shobete families have had their homes destroyed by a farmer, Louis John Nel, in eNkwalini which is between eShowe, Melmoth and eMpangeni. Around fifteen people have been left homeless as a result of the eviction. These people were born on this land. They are now sleeping in their friends and neighbour’s homes. They have been given a document which indicates that around 40 homes will be demolished in total.

The farmer claims to have bought the land in 2008 and he has a title deed. He has no court order for the eviction but a notice was put up on the 17th of June instructing the two families that they must be in court in Pietermaritzburg on the 21st of June. The notice of motion was also sent to the Municipality, the Department of Land Affairs and Rural Development and the local Inkosi, Mr. S.T. Zulu. The Inkosi invited the farmer and the Department to a meeting to discuss the matter but the farmer refused.

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Fighting for Justice in Rural KwaZulu-Natal

Click here to read this essay in pdf.

Fighting for Justice in Rural KwaZulu-Natal

by David Ntseng with Mark Butler, 2010

Introduction

Over a number of years, Thulani Ndlazi has been Church Land Programme’s primary link with the emergence, growth and struggles of the Rural Network. During 2010, while Thulani took some sabbatical leave, colleague, David Ntseng, took on temporary responsibility for sustaining those links. Up until then, David’s contact with militants of the Rural Network in Northern Zululand had mostly been enabled through participating in solidarity actions – especially at the eShowe Magistrates Court where a case of murder of two scholars is being tried against two security guards.

I have participated in protest marches, picketing outside court and sitting inside the court room listening to the trial. But I had no idea where these villages are that the people come from, nor what their life is like. I have always enjoyed hearing the testimonies by these militants describing their experiences on the farms and their revolutionary attempts to resist brutalities on the farms. One of the militants invited me to come with him to see where people live and how they live, so I can connect their struggles to their daily experiences. In this short article I present my reflection of what I was invited to see, hear, taste, smell and feel. Continue reading

Un’altra vita rubata dal sorvegliante della fattoria a eMasangweni, nella fattoria di Channel di eNkwalini (Eshowe)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-sentence/106387416066706?v=stream#!/note.php?note_id=147377071944219

Un’altra vita rubata dal sorvegliante della fattoria a eMasangweni, nella fattoria di Channel di eNkwalini (Eshowe)

Saturday, 31 July 2010 at 16:08

Il 23 luglio 2010 Patrik Mpanza è stato freddato dal sorvegliante responsabile della fattoria di Channel. L’incidente è avvenuto mentre Mpanza stava camminando insieme alle sue quattro figlie. Secondo la bambina, testimone oculare, il sorvegliante ha intimato loro di stendersi a terra, due delle quattro bambine sono scappate, mentre una è rimasta sul terreno con il padre, che si è rifiutato di stendersi a terra. Questo è bastato perché il sorvegliante gli sparasse in fronte.

La bambina rimasta accanto al padre gli ha chiesto se era stato ferito e il padre ha risposto, sì sono stato ferito. La bambina ha chiesto dove. Ma quelle sono state le ultime parole che ha sentito pronunciare dal padre, che non è più riuscito a rispondere alla domanda della figlia. In seguito, la bambina ha capito che il padre era morto.

Due delle tre bambine sono state prese dai sorveglianti e allontanate dalla scena, fino all’arrivo della SAPS. Le due bambine, che hanno assistito all’assassinio del loro padre, sono state ritrovate dalla SAPS insieme ai sorveglianti. La cosa più incredibile è che la guardia che ha ucciso il padre riporta una ferita alla nuca e ha dichiarato alla SAPS che è stato il morto a ferirlo, il che fa sorgere il dubbio: come può una persona con la pistola venire ferito da qualcuno che è già morto?

Questo non è che uno dei molti casi in cui il proprietario di una fattoria o il suo sorvegliante uccide, o addirittura tortura, i residenti in campagna e la fanno franca, senza essere arrestati o che subire una sentenza per i loro atti. Per citare casi simili, lo stesso sorvegliante ha ucciso due studenti della stessa famiglia Mpanza nel 2006. Il caso giuridico si sta trascinando dallo stesso anno. Questo ha portato alla creazione di un’alleanza fra i movimenti sociali all’interno del KwaZulu Natal, per intervenire sui casi procrastinati, di cui fanno parte Abahlali baseMjondolo, Rural Network, Regional SACP. Il prossimo appuntamento del processo per il primo Mpanza a cui sono stati uccisi i figli adolescenti si terrà il 30 luglio 2010 alla Elshowe Court. Tutti gli organi di informazione sono invitati a partecipare.

Siamo stanchi, disgustati dalla violenza brutale che i sorveglianti delle fattorie, così come i proprietari, esercitano sulla comunità, scampando sempre ai loro atti crudeli. Abbiamo chiesto ancora l’intervento del Ministro per il Land’s affairs (gestione della terra), Lydia Johnson e del Ministro della Sicurezza, Willies Mchunu, affinché pongano immediatamente fine agli omicidi di innocenti che si trovano su un terreno che è loro. I membri della comunità sospettano che i proprietari delle fattorie abbiano deciso di dichiarare guerra contro la comunità, attraverso i loro sorveglianti. In quanto leader dei movimenti, siamo molto preoccupati per i possibili tumulti che vedrebbero coinvolti la comunità dei residenti e i sorveglianti della fattoria.

Per ulteriori contatti

Mr. Mbhekiseni Mavuso on 072-279-2634(Rural Network S.A.)
Mr. Mduduzi Sibisi on 073-387-9265 (Rural Network, Chairperson of Emasangweni)
Ms. Zodwa Nsibande on 031-304 6420 (Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement)

Another life has been claimed by the farm watch in eMasangweni at the farm owned by Mr. Channel of eNkwalini (Eshowe)

Click here to read this article in Italian.

Another life has been claimed by the farm watch in eMasangweni at the farm owned by Mr. Channel of eNkwalini(Eshowe)

On the 23 July 2010 Mr. Patrick Mpanza was shot dead by the farm watch that is responsible for the farm of Mr. Channel. This incident happened while he was walking with his four kids, whom are all girls. According to the child that is the eye witness the farm watch told them to lie down on the ground, two of the four kids ran away while the other one was left with the father on the ground; however the father refused to lie down. By so doing the farm watch then shot him on the forehead.

The child that was left with the father asked the father if he was hurt, and the father replied by saying yes I am hurt. The child asked where you are hurt. That was the last words from the father, he couldn’t even reply to the child's question. Later the child realized that the father had passed away.

Two of the three children were taken by the farm watches somewhere, away from the scene until the SAPS came and find them there. These two children who witnessed the shooting of their father were found by the SAPS with the farm watches. What is amazing is that the one of the two children who remained with their father while he was shot at so the farm watch that shot her dad is now injured at the back of his head. The farm watch claimed to the SAPS that he was injured by the deceased, which raised some questions of how can a person with a gun be able to be injured by a person who is already dead.

This is just an one of many cases where by either the farm owner or his farm watch will kill or even torture the farm dwellers and get away with it without being arrested or sentenced for their doings. Some of the cases that are similar to this incident where by the very same farm watched shot and killed two students from the very same Mpanza family in 2006. This case has been delayed from 2006 until today. This has led to the formation of the alliance of the social movements within KwaZulu Natal to intervene on this delayed case, such as Abahlali baseMjondolo, Rural Network, Regional SACP. The next court appearance for the first Mpanza whose teenagers were killed will be on the 30 July 2010 at Eshowe Court. All media are welcome.

We are sick and tired of the brutal killing by the farm watches as well as the farm owners to the community and get away with cruelty. We again asked the intervention of the Minister of Land affairs Ms Lydia Johnson and Minister of Safety and Security Willies Mchunu to find an immediate end to this killing of the innocent people on their own land. The feelings of the community members are that the farm owners have decided to declare the war against community using the farm watch. As the leaders we are very concern that this may lead to turmoil, whereby there will be a fight between the community and farm watch.

For more information please contact:

Mr. Mbhekiseni Mavuso on 072- 279-2634 (Rural Network S.A.)
Mr. Mduduzi Sibisi on 073-387-9265 (Rural Network, Chairperson of Emasangweni)
Ms. Zodwa Nsibande on 031-304 6420 (Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement)

live or die for (eNkwalini)

The film is about the eNkwalini community’s struggle for land rights. It highlights the attacks by the local neighbouring farmer who has been trying to evict them since 2005 when he started to demolish their houses. The film tells a story of a rural community that is waging a struggle against ferocious tides of oppression. It is a story about a territorial war between the poor rural community and rich land owner. It is a story that reminds us that although South Africa may be celebrating 15 years of democratic rule, however, conditions under for those who are poor and marginalized, such as the rural and farm dweller communities, have hardly changed. For them it is not yet “uhuru” (freedom).

One of the houses shown in this film is a debilitated homestead that used to belong to the Shandu family. After many years of participating in the local community’s struggle to defend their territorial rights the Shandu family gave up and left on the grounds of voluntary eviction. Mr. Zulu who narrates the Nkwalini story in this film states that after numerous attempts of constructive eviction by the local neighbour farmer such as unlawful cattle impoundment, denial of access to water and public servitude road, threats of violence, damage to property (with almost impunity) the Shandu family joined a small group of local residents who ended up succumbing to this constructive eviction exerted upon them by this local farmer.

The Nkwalini community is an affiliate member of the Rural Network (RN). The RN is a non-partisan alliance of various communities who live on rural and farming areas in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It was formed in the late 2005 as an initiative to mobilize and keep connected for purposes of strengthening solidarity among those who suffer abuses of their land rights and basic democratic rights.

Reverend Thulani Ndlazi

To see more short films by Elkartasun Bideak click here.