Today We Return to Court in Solidarity with Four of Our Comrades Arrested in Cato Crest

28 October 2013 Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Today We Return to Court in Solidarity with Four of our Comrades Arrested in Cato Crest

Today we return to the Durban Magistrate’s Court in solidarity with four of our comrades arrested in Cato Crest during the current wave of repression. The four comrades appearing in court today are Bandile Mdlalose and, in a separate case, Nokulanga Magobongo, Sibongile and Mr. Mzihle.

Bandile Mdlalose was arrested on the 30th of September 2013 during a spontaneous demonstration against the murder of Nqobile Nzuza, 17, who was shot in the back of the head by the police. Bandile’s only real ‘crime’ was to refuse to be intimidated and to be in silence in the face of police murder and intimidation. She was detained in Westville Prison for a week and then released on a very high bail (R 5000) and with onerous conditions including a ban on her entering Cato Crest. This is an outrageous violation of her basic political rights.

We note that although there are witnesses to the murder of Nzuza the police officer who committed the murder continues to operate freely in Cato Crest. We also note that although there are witnesses to the shooting of Nkosinathi Mngomezulu in the stomach (with four shots) by the Land Invasions Unit in Cato Crest on 21 September there has also been no arrest in that case and the official who shot Mngomezulu also continues to operate freely. There have also been no arrests of the ANC leaders that have made open death threats against our members in the area or of the Land Invasions Unit who have repeatedly demolished homes in Cato Crest in violation of the Constitution, the law and a number of court orders. It is clear that the criminal justice system, like the Land Invasions Unit, and like the Housing Department, is being openly misused for party political purposes and to repress our movement.

Nokulanga Magobongo, Sibongile and Mr. Mzidle were arrested in Cato Crest on the 5th of September after Bellair Road was blockaded in protest at the ongoing illegal and violent evictions in the area as well as the violent repression, including two assassinations, of the struggle against these evictions.

Nokulanga and Sibongile were brutally beaten in the holding cells of the Cato Manor police station and were denied medical attention while in custody. Of course no police officer has been arrested for the beating that they suffered in the police station. As we noted in our statement after they received bail:

“As they were being beaten they were asked who is behind their political act. This is incredible. The Municipality is destroying people’s homes, stealing their property and beating them. Their leaders are being assassinated. At the same time it is said that the reason for the housing crisis in Durban is the presence of people from the Eastern Cape. Yet when people decided to protest it is thought that someone else must be thinking for them, telling them what to do.”

The politicians, and others, continue to believe that we cannot think for ourselves. They also continue to think that if they intimidate us enough, and bribe us enough, we will accept our oppression. When we started our struggle in 2005 we made it clear that we would not accept ‘breyani politics’ – the politics where politicians bring people breyani instead of engaging us with respect and discussing our real problems with seriousness. On Saturday James Nxumalo, the Mayor, came to the Kennedy Road settlement with a four ton truck full of meat. It seems that they thought that if they changed ‘breyani politics’ to ‘inyama politics’ they would be able to persuade us to accept our oppression. They were wrong. We like breyani and we like meat but we reject ‘inyama politics’ as much as we reject ‘breyani politics’.

When Nxumalo arrived with his truck full of meat residents blockaded the road and burnt the rubbish that has not been collected in the settlement. Nxumalo had to leave the area in humiliation.

Nxumalo must have been hoping to be on the front page of the Sunday newspapers handing out meat to grateful shack dwellers. Instead there was an article on the front page of the Sunday Tribune quoting Thulsile Mpanza saying that “I think the mayor is trying to get our vote with meat. The ANC must not disrespect people who are living in shacks.”

Our struggle will continue until the ANC, the DA, the NGOs, the media and all other elites learn to respect people who are living in shacks and we can begin to move towards democratic cities where land, wealth and power are shared fairly and there is decent housing for all.

Tomorrow we go the uMlazi court to support our three comrades who are appearing there.

For more information and comment please contact:

Mnikelo Ndabankulu 081 309 5485

S’bu Zikode 083 547 04874