Category Archives: eNtuzuma

What is the Future for the Youth of South Africa?

15 September 201
Abahlali baseMjondolo Youth League Press Statement

What is the Future for the Youth of South Africa?

The issues that are facing the youth are being ignored for eleven months of the year and only recognised on the youth month. But even on the youth month when the issues of the youth are being recognised there is a lack of seriousness about dealing with the crisis facing the current generation. There is a lot of talk and big speeches in stadiums and on TV but very little action.

The media are often confused. They often think that the tenderpreneurs really represent the youth when in fact they only represent themselves and their super-rich friends in business and politics. They are exploiting the crisis of the youth to advance their own interests.

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Mercury: Police fire rubber bullets at protesters

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20090210040909735C527490

Police fire rubber bullets at protesters

February 10 2009 at 06:26AM

By Ntokozo Mfusi

The police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters barricading a bus depot at Ntuzuma, north of Durban, on Monday.

Residents of Kwamancinza, an informal settlement near Ntuzuma, were protesting against the eThekwini Municipality’s failure to provide them with housing and sanitation, and for a school to be built in the area.

About 300 residents barricaded streets and blockaded the Remant Alton bus depot, leaving commuters stranded in the morning. The protesters also stoned a car.

Police Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said they warned the protesters several times and gave orders to disperse, but those were ignored. “We then called in the public order policing unit to disperse them.”

The unit fired rubber bullets, sending protesters and media alike running for cover. In the chaos, 13 people were injured.

A Kwamancinza resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “We have lived here for 17 years and watched while areas around us were developed but we received nothing. We will not vote until this issue is resolved.”

The community protested for the same causes in September in 2008.

EThekwini Speaker James Nxumalo told the protesters that he had held meetings with community representatives since in 2008.

He said education MEC Ina Cronje had said she would send a team to investigate the possibility of providing a school for the area.

Nxumalo had also contacted eThekwini housing infrastructure committee head Nigel Gumede to see if there would be funds available this financial year to build houses for the community.

He said Gumede’s response would be communicated to them at a meeting on Wednesday.

o This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on February 10, 2009

IOL: Seven held in Durban protest

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=iol1234170244436B216&set_id=1&click_id=124&sf=

Seven held in Durban protest

February 09 2009 at 11:08AM

Seven people were arrested for allegedly attacking police and passing cars in a protest against the lack of RDP houses in Ntuzuma,
outside Durban, on Monday.

“They blocked an entrance to the Metro bus depot at around 3am because they wanted people not to go to work, so that government can listen to them,” said police spokesperson Captain Phindile Nxumalo.

“Policemen tried to negotiate with them but were stoned. They also attacked cars that were passing by. We had to open rubber bullets to clamp them down.”

Nxumalo said there were around 1,000 protesters and 11 sustained minor injuries when police fired rubber bullets.

She said the people were shack dwellers from Kwamancinza section and the nearby Lindelani. They were demanding Reconstruction and Development Programme houses from government.

“Now, they are being addressed by an official from the mayor’s office, we’ll see what happens after that,” she said.

Nxumalo said community members were affected by the absence of buses, and were queuing for taxis in streets not affected by the blocked depot.