3 August 2023
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Statement on the Police Killing of Karabo Chaka

On Monday 31 July, a road blockade – the strike of the poor – was organised by residents of the Slovo Park settlement in the south of Johannesburg to demand that the City keep its promises, and adhere to its legal obligations. The protestors blocked the N12 highway for more than six hours. The police responded with violence, taking the life of Karabo Chaka (16).

Karabo Chaka was shot dead by the police while in the yard of his family home in the Slovo Park. We would like to express our deepest condolences to his family and all who knew and loved him. We would also like to express our solidarity with the Slovo Park community. Continue reading →

Building a movement of courage and dignity

Delivered by S’bu Zikode, president of Abahlali baseMjondolo, at the Active Citizens’ Movement Biannual General Meeting in Durban on 29 July 2023.

Thank you, programme director, for this wonderful opportunity. Greeting comrades, friends and colleagues. May I take this opportunity to extend my deepest gratitude to all comrades from the Active Citizens Movement, particular Comrade Yashika for inviting Abahlali to speak here at this Biannual General Assembly. I must also thank Abahlali baseMjondolo, a movement that has entrusted me with the responsibility to speak here today. Continue reading →

17 July 2023

Opening Remarks to the Dilemmas of Humanity Pan-Conference

Delivered by Comrade S’bu Zikode, in Bela Bela, Limpopo

Comrade Programme director, Cde Irvin Jim, Cde Kwesi and Cde Cosmos. Our warmest welcome to our comrades from across Africa. It is wonderful for us all to be together here at the Nkrumah School. Our struggle to humanise the world embraces the whole world and pan-Africanism and internationalism are central to our struggle.

We must thank Pan-African Today, which is now led by Cde Jonis Ghedi Alasow, for connecting radical organisations across Africa and for running the Nkrumah School which has been a wonderful contribution to our struggles. It has given confidence to many of our leaders and enabled a grassroots pan-Africanism, a movement-to-movement pan-Africanism, that has never been possible before. Continue reading →

Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Khaya Ngubane has been found guilty of killing Ayanda Ngila

Khaya Ngubane, the man who assassinated Ayanda Ngila, our comrade and the deputy chairperson of the eKhenana Commune, was found guilty of murder by the Durban Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Khaya Ngubane is a member of the ANC youth league in Cato Crest and the son of Samson Ngubane the notorious ANC aligned Zionist Christian Church pastor. He, acting with others, attempted to assassinate Lindokuhle Mnguni on 8 March 2022 but Lindokuhle was able to escape. However, they found Ayanda and fired a number of bullets, ending his life. We hope that the others who were acting with Khaya Ngubane will also be arrested and prosecuted and that he will not spend time in prison alone. Continue reading →

16 June 2023
Abahlali Youth League Statement

The Youth Must Discover their Mission

Last night the Abahlali baseMjondolo Youth League hosted a well-attended political education camp from 6:00 pm till 6:00 am. The discussions were rich.

We agreed that being poor and young does not mean that we cannot think and participate meaningfully in the governing of our communities and the country.

We are residents of this country and we must be afforded the opportunity to have a voice in how our communities and the country are governed. In order to participate in democratic life we need to build our power by organising from below. Continue reading →

7 June 2023
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

The ANC undermines the poor

Democracy is not just about elections. It is also about everyday practices, and democratic governments engage their people democratically, especially when they are organised in large democratic formations. A progressive government would see popular democracy as something to be supported and engaged.

However, the ANC has repeatedly met popular democracy with contempt, as well as violent repression. On the 26th of April 2023 our movement held the strongest march of any organisation in the country over the so-called ‘Freedom Day’ and ‘Workers’ Day’ holidays, which are known in struggle as ‘UnFreedom Day’ and ‘May Day’.  Continue reading →

25 April 2023
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

UnFreedom Day to be Marked in Three Provinces

Impoverished people are not free, and when the ANC and the government lie to us and tell us that we are free they insult our intelligence and our humanity.

We are not free because we are assassinated and murdered by the izinkabi and the police.

We are not free because our homes are attacked and destroyed by the state.

We are not free because we are denied the right to well-located urban land and thereby our right to a place in the cities. Continue reading →

Friday, 3 March 2023
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Celebrating Victory and Justice for Abahlali leader Melita Ngcobo

In 2019 the Abahlali baseMjondolo branch in Vusimuzi, Gauteng, resisted an imposed reblocking project by the Ekurhuleni Municipality. During the community resistance all lies and threats against Abahlali activists were masterminded by the local ANC ward councillor, Hendrick Selwana.

Despite the attacks perpetrated by the councillor against Abahlali the project was halted. The halt to the project provided Abahlali with the opportunity to negotiate the sizes of the stands as many residents were complaining about the municipality unilaterally reducing their yard sizes, often making their homes much smaller in the process. Some were facing eviction and denied access to electricity connections as a form of punishment because they were members of Abahlali. Continue reading →

10 February 2023
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Abahlali baseMjondolo is currently hosting an international movement conference

Our movement was founded in a commitment to solidarity with other struggles and movements, wherever they may be in the world. From the beginning we have worked, where possible, to build solidarity with struggles and movements elsewhere in the world, and we have often received amazing solidarity from around the world in times of crises, times when we are facing severe repression.

We have lost 24 activists in our struggle. If we were on our own we would be extremely vulnerable. Continue reading →

03 February 2023
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Amadiba Crisis Committee comrades are under threat – a call for solidarity

Last year our movement lost three leaders to assassination and another comrade to a police murder. On 21 January our comrade Thulani Maseko was assassinated in Swaziland. Political assassinations have often been used to repress dissent in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Across Southern Africa activists are at risk of assassination when they confront powerful forces. Many political activists, as well as LGBTI+ plus comrades, have had to flee their countries. Continue reading →