08 February 2011
Rural Network Press Statement
The Rural Network Returns to Court in eMpangeni Tomorrow
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, all of whom are girls. According to the child that is the eye witness to the murder 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 her father on the ground. However the father refused to lie down. The farm watch then shot him in the forehead.
The killing of community members by the farm owners and their private securities has become a continuous habit. Organised resistance to these killing is now also becoming a continuous habit. It started after the Mpanza and Shange boys were killed and the Rural Network joined with Abahlali baseMjondolo and various supporters and allies of our movements. In that case justice was delayed but not, in the end, denied and the law worked in our favour.
We have an example from the eShowe court of how, with the support and pressure of a popular struggle, justice can be made to work for the people. We wish to see our judiciary system working for the people all the time.
Mr. Mpanza’s case is going to take place at eMpangeni Court on 09 February 2011 (09:00am). Sadly there are rumours that say the charges against his killers might be dropped because he was trespassing when he was murdered.
But the law does not give anyone the right to kill another person when they are trespassing. And, anyway, it is obvious that the bigger questions need to be asked as to how some people have become land owners and others trespassers. We do believe that God created the world as a common treasury for all people and not to become the private property of some few people. We all know the history of how it happened that in this country the majority has become landless and poor and the minority have become landowners and rich. The fact that some black people are now also becoming part of the rich landowning minority does not change the fact that the majority remain poor and landless. Racism remains a powerful force in our rural areas and in our cities.
The urgent question right now is that Mr. Mpanza has lost his life and his children were left traumatized through seeing their father being killed in front of them and now they have no father. If these rumours are true then we as a social movement in partnership with our comrades in Abahlali will not sit back and look on as our parents and children are killed in this brutal way. As we have stated this has happened before and it happened again to Mr. Mpanza and if we sit back the unfortunate reality is that it will happen again to someone else and it will just be a matter of the question of who is next to be killed.
We hope that these rumours are not true and that the law will take its place as it did before. We will stand firm against all farm murders.
We remain resolutely committed to struggle for a society where urban and rural land is allocated on the basis of human need, human dignity and justice and not private profit.
As the trial is taking place tomorrow, the 09th of February, Abahlali BaseMjondolo Movement S.A, the Rural Network S.A, families, friends and communities members (Emasangweni, Kwantsheluntshelu eShowe) will be there in that court in our large numbers supporting the Mpanza family.
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 Bandile Mdlalose on 031 304 6420/071 424 2815 (Abahlali BaseMjondolo Movement S.A, Secretary General)