Estimates for the number of marchers have varied from two to five thousand

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Shack dwellers march over service delivery

March 23, 2010 Edition 2

Daily News Reporter

Shack dwellers’ organisation Abahlali baseMjondolo has demanded that President Jacob Zuma look into the issue of their service delivery needs, which they claim have been ignored.

Yesterday, hundreds of people belonging to the organisation took to the streets and embarked on a protest march from Botha Park to Dr Yusuf Dadoo (Grey) Street demanding that their needs, such as electricity, water and housing, be met.

The people said they were tired of speaking with city and provincial leaders about the same delivery issues and being ignored.

They demanded that the president should intervene and have given him two weeks to respond.

The organisation failed in a court bid to have the march end at City Hall.

When the protesters reached the corner of Dr Yusuf Dadoo, they embarked on a short prayer after seeing that the road had been blocked by police who were preventing them from proceeding to the City Hall.

The leader of Abahlali baseMjondolo, Sbu Zikode, said it was strange that their organisation had been prevented from marching to the City Hall despite the fact that teacher union Sadtu had been allowed to march there on Friday.

Zikode said they had made attempts to speak to the office of the presidency and they hoped he would fight for them.