Category Archives: James Nxumalo

City Press: The city that makes you homeless on World Homeless Day

http://www.citypress.co.za/columnists/city-makes-homeless-world-homeless-day/

Paddy Harper, City Press

S’bu Sithole and James Nxumalo, the cats who are running Durban, must be smoking whoonga from the smack dealers plying their trade in Albany Grove across the road from their rather pleasant offices at City Hall.

How else do you explain the city manager and mayor calling a press conference to brief the media on their campaign to bulldoze shacks, and leave even more of Durban’s estimated 410 000 residents who live in informal settlements homeless, on World Homeless Day?

I’m not joking. Or maybe they’re at the rocks. Either way, this lot have to be off their faces. They can’t be so dumb and insensitive – in an election year nogal – without some kind of chemical intervention.

Early in the week, the spin teams that work for our city’s sensitive leaders went into motion. They had been kinda quiet for almost two months. Lotsa drivel about the Durban Business Fair and other exciting events. Fokol about the Land Invasions Unit’s illegal demolition of shacks in Cato Crest, its violation of a series of court orders and the wave of violent protests they kicked off.

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M&G: Open letter to James Nxumalo, Senzo Mchunu & Jacob Zuma

2 October 2013

To:

James Nxumalo, Mayor, eThekwini Municipality, Durban, South Africa

Senzo Mchunu, Premier, KwaZulu-Natal

Jacob Zuma, President, Republic of South Africa

We are writing to you to express our grave concern at events unfolding in the Cato Crest shack settlement in Durban.

After an illegal eviction in Cato Crest by the eThekwini Municipality in March this year, shackdwellers occupied an adjacent piece of land. They named the settlement “Marikana”. Since then, two activists have been assassinated -Thembinkosi Qumbelo and Nkululeko Gwala. A third, Nkosinathi Mngomezulu, is in critical condition after being shot by the Land Invasions Unit. A number of activists have been seriously beaten by the police. Other activists, including Bandile Mdlalose and S’bu Zikode of the shack dweller movement Abahlali baseMjondolo who have been supporting the residents, have been threatened with death.

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Illegal Evictions Happening Right Now in Cato Crest!

Sunday 1 September 2013, 13:36
Abahlali baseCato Crest Emergency Press Statement

The eThekwini Municipality is Currently Evicting People in Cato Crest in Violation of the Law and a Court Order

On 23 August 2013 we secured an interim interdict against the eThekwnini Municipality from continuing with their illegal evictions in Cato Crest.

However the Municipality has returned to Cato Crest today and is currently demolishing our homes and leaving us homeless. These evictions are illegal, in violation of a court order and a violent attack on our humanity and our right to live in the this city.

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Is Nkululeko Alive, Dead or Risen from His Grave?

IS NKULULEKO ALIVE, DEAD OR RISEN FROM HIS GRAVE?

by Bandile Mdlalose

It has been almost three months since Nkululeko Gwala, a leader and activist of Cato Crest, was assassinated for speaking the truth.

Nkululeko was labeled, named and framed for being a bad leader and leading the protest which led to the burning down of the councilor’s office which took place on Tuesday 25 July 2013 at night. Of course this accusation was not true. But the politicians always think that they have got the answers to everything. Their role is to label activists who speak the truth, and to destroy their reputation. They always protect the system of oppression that makes some of us poor and others rich. Continue reading

Daily News: KZN protest leader shot 12 times

http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/kzn-protest-leader-shot-12-times-1.1538500#.Uc0-ZfkwfUU

KZN protest leader shot 12 times

By NKULULEKO NENE

Durban – A Cato Crest man who led protests in the area this week over the allocation of RDP houses was shot 12 times – just hours after a high level ANC delegation met with angry community members.

Nkululeko Gwala, 34, had told the Daily News during the week and two hours before he died, that he was afraid he would be killed. He was shot by two men as he made his way home at about 10.30pm.

This is the second killing related to the allocation of RDP houses in the area since violence first flared up in March. Thembinkosi Qumbelo, the leader of the Cato Crest Residential Association, was gunned down on March 15 by four gunmen. No arrests have been made.

The latest killing came just hours after eThekwini mayor, James Nxumalo and Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo – who is also chairman of ANC in the city – met community members at the Cato Crest Community Hall to discuss rising tension in the area during which two local councillors’ offices were torched.

Speaking to the Daily News before his death, Gwala said he did not want to attend the meeting because he feared he might be killed.

He said the main reason he had led the protests this week was that councillors were giving low cost houses to politically connected people.

“People should get houses because of merit and not politcal affiliations,” he said.

“If they say I am guilty of leading the protest then that is fine because I am doing it for the rights of people.”

He was dead two hours later.

Long-standing tension over the allocation of RDP houses intensified this week after land invaders, evicted from their shacks, blockaded part of King Cetshwayo (Jan Smuts) Highway on Monday morning.

This morning, his girlfriend, Thembi Mazubane, 42, said he was ambushed by two men who were later seen running away from the scene.

“After Qumbelo’s death, two women jokingly said I must buy black panties and bras in preparation for mourning. I believe that those who shot him also murdered Qumbelo. He (Gwala) had been receiving death threats since the protests started,” she said.

Addressing community members on Wednesday night, Dhlomo slammed police for not stopping the mob that went on the rampage in the area. He said police did nothing to stop the violence or arrest offenders.

The offices of ward councillors Zanele Ndzoyiya and Mzimuni Mnguni were torched on Tuesday night and Vusi Mzimela (Bellair) Road and King Cetshwayo Highway had been blocked with rubble and burning tyres.

“I am going to have an urgent meeting with (MEC for Community Safety and Liaison) Willies Mchunu to vent our unhappiness on how police conducted themselves during the protests.

“We hear that police accompanied the hooligans while they were destroying properties. We urge the community not to rely on police, but be protective of this area and its infrastructure,” said Dhlomo, who was addressing Cato Crest residents at a special meeting on Wednesday.

He appealed to the community not to allow hooligans to stand in the way of development. “Otherwise, the budget set for building homes in the area will be taken elsewhere,” he said.

Nxumalo was among the speakers at the meeting, which was attended by thousands of residents. He also criticised the police, calling them incompetent.

Nxumalo referenced Gwala – who had been mentioned by several residents – in his address to residents, telling them that he knew him from their home town, Inchanga, and that he had come from a “good home”.

Nxumalo appealed to people to be patient as the shortage of land hindered development. However, he said there were other housing projects, such as Cornubia, where they could be housed.

Mnguni said it was disappointing to see infrastructure being destroyed and development halted because of a few unruly people.

Police confirmed Gwala’s death and said they were investigating.