Abahlali baseMjondolo bafuna izindlu
Raj Patel
October 19, 2005, The Mercury
Umhlaba wasenyakatho nogu owathathwa ngendluzula kufanele unikezwe
izakhamuzi zakuleyandawo eziphelelwa isineke ezihlala emjondolo.
Mawuhamba ngemoto enyakatho nogu ubona umhlaba owudedangendlale. Umhlaba
owathathwa ngedluzula izinkinsela zikashukela, umhlaba olinywe ngezithuthuku
negazi kuqanjwa amanga ukuthi abantu benziwa amakholwa kanti kuthathwa
umhlaba wabo. Namhlanje lomhlaba sewenziwa izindawo zokudlala igalofu
nalapho kuhlala khona badla izambane likampondo bevunyelwa umthethosisekelo
ukuthi umhlaba womuntu onemali kufanele uqashelwe. Imiphumela yalokhu
ingabe yimbi. EThekwini eduze kwalemiphakathi edla izamambane likampondo
evukelekile kuvaleleke ngaphandle izinkulungwane zabantu ezidla imbuya
ngothi. Labantu sebanele ilempilo.
Ezinyangeni ezimbalwa ezedlule imiphakathi eminingi kulolonke izwe ivuke
inje ebomvu ngokubhilikisha ngenxa yokuthi phezu kokuba sekweve ishumi
leminyaka kwabakhona uhulumeni wentando yening, Sebekhathale ukulindela
uhulumeni ukuthi ubaphathe ngenhlonipho.
Ayikho inhlonipho uhulumeni wase Thekwini aphethe ngayo izakhamuzi ezimpofu.
Njengase Kennedy Road eClare Estate, kubahlali basemjondolo ukuthi
bazoyiswa lekude eVerulam kude nasemisebenzini, nasezikoleni, nasezibhedlela
kanye nezinye izidingo nqangi. Kodwa banenhlanhla bona, abahlali
basemjondolo ngaphansana nje kwekhilomitha eQuarry Road bajeziswa ngokucela
izindlu ngokuthii basuselwe izindlu zabo zangasese.
Isidingo esibalulekile kakhulu kubahlali basemjondolo ukuthi babe nendawo
ezothile yokuhlala. Ngomhlangano wezakhamizi zaseKennedy Roda mhlaziwu 2
kuSeptember kulonyaka, omunye wezakhamizi uCosmos Bhengu wabuza uDerek
Naidoo iDeputy City Manager ukuthi ” Yini kuthi kunodedangendlale womhlaba
umasipala ufune ukusiyisa kude le koVerulam?”.
UNaidoo waphendula ngokuthi “Inkinga ukuthi uMoreland ungumnikazi wengxenye
enkulu yomhlaba”. Mayebuza ukuthi ngabe uMasipala uzowuthatha yini
lowomhlaba, uNaidoo wathi “Sisakubheka lokho”. UMoreland ingalo yezemihlaba
yenkampani yakwaTongaat-Hulett.
Namhlanje benza ama-advert athi “bashintshe umoba bawenza enye yezindlela
yokuthuthukisa ushukela eNingizimu Afrika futhi bayaziqhenya ngalokho”.
Kodwa umlando walenkampani kuncane ngempela okufanele uziqhenye ngakho.
Umnyombo wengcebo yakwaTongaat-Hulett uqhamuka kwizinkinsela zikashukela
ezathatha umhlaba ngobuqili zasezilanda abasebenzi baseNdiya ukuthi bazolima
umoba.
uMnumzane uJames Liege Hulette owayengungqongqoshe wezindaba zabantu
ekuqaleni kwecentury edlule wathutha abantu abaningi ebasusa emihlabeni
yabo. Ingcebo yomndeni wakwaHulett wakhula kakhulu ngesikhathi sobandlululo
futhi namanje noma sekunohulumeni wentando yeningi lomcebo awukathintwa.
Nempela lokhu kubenza babesesikhundleni samandla futhi sokwandisa ukuphatha
umhlaba khona-nje sesiphila kuhulumeni wentando yeningi ngenxa yokuthi
banemali eningi kwenza ikampani yakwaTongaat-Hulett ibengenye yezigwili
ezingabangani noma abalingaani abatshala izimali kumasipala waseThekwini.
Ubuhlobo phakathi kosomabhizinisi nabaphathi beTheku bunika igama elithi
ushintsho umbhekaphansi. Mawusufinyelela ngaseZimbali, uyobona abantu
begqoke imvunulo yesiZulu, benikeza ngamaphepha athi ungawuthenga umhlaba.
Amabutho akwaZulu aseshintshiwe, sekwenziwa imali ngemvunulo yawo.
Ngesikhathi izinkinsela zikhalaza nazo bezama ukugqiba amahlazo angesikhathi
sobandlululo, izidingo zabangenawo umhlaba ziyadlondlobala. Izakhamuzi
zasemjondolo zidinga ukuhlala lapho kunezindlu zangasese. Zifuna kuphele
iminyaka yokungabinamhlaba ethi yona.
Kwizibhelu zangamuva, izakhamuzi zasemjondolo bezikhalaza ngokuthi awasule
amakhansela kubekulokhu kuthiwa “Viva, ANC, viva”.
Mhlawumbe zazikhumbula isikhathi lapho ukhongolse wawuhlale uzilungiselele
ukuwulalela. Emaphephandabeni ngo 1993, iANC yanxusa “zonke izakhamizi
zasemjondolo ukuthi zenze imvo zawo zilalelwe! ‘Izinkinga zenu ngezami.
Isixazululo senu ngesami’ kusho uMongameli uNelson Mandela”.
Namhlanje indlela lelidolobha eliphatha ngayo abahlali basemjondolo
eyokubacwasa. Abanye babaphathi beTheku abacabangi ukuthi izakhamuzi
zasemjondolo zihlakaniphe ngokwanele ukuthi zingazihlanganisela zizodwa
imibhikilisho yazo.
Labaphathi bafuna ukubheca ngegazi iqembu elithile abalisola ukuthi yilona
elihlela lemibhikilisho, njengoba bengaphumeleli ukutholela izakhamizi
zasemjondolo indawo yokuhlala eThekwini.
Muva-nje uhulumeni ukhiphe isinqumo esigunyaza ukuthengwa komhlaba wamafama,
phezu kokukhononda kwabalimi. Ukukhononda kukaMoreland akungabazeki ukuthi
koba kukhulu kakhulu. Bayoqhosha ngokuvula amathuba omsebenzi kubantu
abamnyama abacebile namaNdiya ababusa nabo kumabhodi enkampanini yabo.
Kodwa umangabe lokhu sekwenzekile sekusele amaNdiya, namakhaladi, abamnyama
abangacebile, kuyobanzima ukuveza izizathu zokuqhubeka nokugodla
odedangednale bomhlaba abathathwa ngabelungu ngesikhathi sobandlululo.
Kungcono lomhlaba uvele usabalaliswe kubantu abanhlempu abahlala edolobheni.