Amazing how many people and organisations suddenly arrive with all kinds of resources to brand actually existing mass action by an actually existing mass movement but have nothing to offer the movement in its times of need or for its own projects. In this case the branding (ambush marketing really….) of this march by Eco-peace resulted in people who had never head of Eco-peace and who had no idea that it was a political party putting on the (red) t-shirts in good faith with the result that they were later driven out of (non-Abahlali) settlements like Burnwood for supporting a political party other than the ANC….Mashumi had his house burnt down and had to flee to Foreman Road.

In many settlements in Durban the local elites do not allow any party political activity independent of the ANC and this is often backed up with armed force. Abahlali won mass support for this march by, amongst other things, assuring people that there would be no party politics.