Update: Workers from the Mahogany Ridge Property Owner's Association managed to (unlawfully) destroy one shack, that of Khanyi Dlamuka, as well as the community toilets, before they were stopped and a legal intervention issued to compel them to cease their unlawful actions.

24 January 2011
Press Statement from Abahlali baseMmaus

Six Families Threatened With Unlawful Eviction in eMmause

On Friday last week the Mahogany Ridge Property Owners' Association sent a security guard to a small new occupation in eMmaus (which is near to Motala Heights in Pinetown). Six families having been living on that land since October last year. The security guard gave them eviction letters and instructed them to leave that day and said that if they did not leave their shacks would be demolished today.

Minutes ago the security guard returned to eMmaus and asked the people why they are still living there. They told him that they are living there for the same reason that they occupied the land in the first place – they have nowhere else to go. He said that he was going to fetch the police to immediately return to demolish their shacks.

It is clear that there is a concerted assault on the new land occupations in this area. But neither the police nor the private security companies nor the landowners seem to understand that even if an occupation is new it still protected by the law and any eviction without a court order is an illegal and criminal act.

This is a small settlement, only six families, so we are mobilising nearby comrades to join them and help them to defend their homes. We are also seeking legal support to interdict the Mahogany Ridge Property Owners' Association, the police and the private security company from illegally evicting these families.

The state has failed to house the poor. Last year the eThekwini Municipality built just over half the number of houses that they had promised to build each year. The province has failed so badly in its house building work that Tokyo Sexwale has taken their budget away from them.

When the state is failing to house the people the people have a clear right to house themselves on unused land. This is common sense.

For comment and up to the minute information contact Khanyi Dlamuka on 071 218 3007