http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/crime1justice/0,2172,171356,00.html

June 12, 2008, 06:00

A Durban shack dweller organisation, Abahlali Basemjondolo, is taking the KwaZulu-Natal government to court. The organisation wants the provincial government to scrap the Elimination and Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Act. In court papers the organisation says the Act is unconstitutional and defeats the purpose of the National policy – Breaking New Ground.

KwaZulu-Natal has just over 3 million shacks and two thirds are found in the Durban area. Last year, the provincial government passed the “Elimination and Prevention of re-emergence of Slums Act”. The law gives municipalities permission to head-count all shacks and demolish those erected after the passing of the Act.

However, Abahlali Basemjondolo objects to the law. They claim their views during public hearings were not considered. They have now have taken their fight to the Durban High Court.

However, government is not backing down. Abahlali Basemjondolo have won a couple of cases against government and they say they are prepared to go to the highest court in the land to have their voices heard.

Experts say if they win, it could have serious legal implication for government’s efforts to clear slums by 2014.

http://www.sabcnews.co.za/south_africa/crime1justice/0,2172,155732,00.html

Joe Slovo residents support arrested spokesperson

September 13, 2007, 08:15

Residents of the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa in the Cape are expected to protest at the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s court during the appearance of a man who acted as their spokesperson during Monday’s unrest in that area. About a thousand residents blockaded the N2 highway on Monday as they demanded houses.

Their spokesperson Mzwanele Zulu was arrested on Tuesday evening. The community says it was a wrongful arrest. They say police arrested Zulu because he was an activist and their spokesperson. Other community members have also been arrested.

The national housing minister Lindiwe Sisulu has given authority for certain people to be removed from the housing waiting list if they undermine government delivery efforts.

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http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070912143254975C607825

Threat shocks Joe Slovo residents

September 12 2007 at 03:34PM

By Henri du Plessis and Asadumodwa Sokopo

Community leaders of the Joe Slovo informal settlement reacted with horror on Wednesday at Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s statements in parliament that she would take the community members’ names off the housing waiting list.

“Can a minister do this? Can a minister remove names from the waiting list? I have already done so,” Sisulu told the assembly on Tuesday.

Sisulu could not be reached for comment to clarify today whether she had already ordered the names of residents to be removed from the lists.

The director general of Housing, Itumeleng Kotsoane, confirmed on Wednesday that he had “received an instruction to im-plement processes that will lead to reprioritisation of government housing waiting lists”.

This would include taking into account people convicted of public violence in respect of housing related protests, he said.

Mayenzeke Sopaqa, a member of the Joe Slovo Task Team, said on Wednesday that it was a disappointment to hear the minister say she had removed people’s names from the waiting list without talking to them.

Sopaqa said the task team and the community would continue to oppose the plan that re-quired them to move to temporary housing in Delft.

# For the full story, get the print edition of the Cape Argus.