Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement
Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Conference on Friday 19 March 2010

Venue: St Paul’s Church, 161 Pine Street, Durban 031-305 466
Date: Friday 19 March 2010
Time: 10h00 a.m.

There is a deep corruption at the top of our society and a deep anger at the bottom of our society. As the dirty deeds of the tenderpreneurs are being dragged into the light by the media and as the police become ever more violent the poor are taking to the streets across the country in ever greater numbers. We continue to believe that the only way for this country to heal itself is for the poor to organise the poor so that we can increase our power and decrease that of the politicians, the rich and their civil society. Since the attack on our movement in September last year we have expanded into eight new areas despite ongoing repression and harassment. Now is the time to unite all our branches, the old areas and the new, to defy the ongoing campaign of repression, and to take our demands to the streets of our city.

The purpose of the press conference is:

1. To alert the media that we will be marching on Jacob Zuma on 22 March 2010. The March will start at 09h00 a.m at Botha’s Park in Berea Road and move to the offices of the eThekwini Municipality at the City Hall. We will explain the purpose of the march and make copies of our demands available.

2. To reveal to the media that we have proof of corruption in the provision of government houses including misallocation. This includes instances where people have all the necessary documents to prove that they were given houses but other people are corruptly staying in their houses. We will also make public our correspondence to various meetings with the Housing Department – meetings that have never borne any fruit.

3. To alert the media to the fact that the notorious Mike Sutcliffe, the eThekwini City Manager, has once again unlawfully denied us our constitutionally protected right to march. We will not accept this ban on our basic political rights and are prepared to mobilise to defend democracy in Durban.

4. To alert the media to the ongoing the political repression in the case of our comrades arrested after the attack on our movement in the Kennedy Road settlement last year.

For further information please contact:

Abahlali office: 031 304 6420
Movement Spokesperson: Mnikelo Ndabankulu: 079 745 0653
Troy Morrow: 0842793101
Zodwa Nsibande: 0828302707