http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5551123

Hands off the shack dwellers

July 12, 2010 Edition 1

We are a tenants association in Germany, dedicated to the rights of people to have a secure and decent place to live.

We would like to address an open letter to Willies Mchunu, MEC for Community Safety and Liaison, regarding unfair prosecutions against shack- dwellers from the Kennedy Road informal settlement, Durban, and the repression by authorities against Abahlali baseMjondolo.

We believe the detention and prosecution do not follow national and international legal standards.

We demand a halt to the proceedings, the release of the five facing trial today and an independent inquiry into attacks and conflicts in Kennedy Road.

We call on the authorities to respect, protect and guarantee the right to independent organisations of shack dwellers.

We also believe the authorities should stop the demolition, forced evictions and displacement of transit camps. They have the duty to develop alternatives by upgrading existing informal settlements, based on fair and democratic negotiations with the affected populations and its organisations.

Knut Unger

Witten Tenants Association

Germany