Abahlali baseMjondolo Youth League Press Statement
26 October 2012

Welcoming our Hero and Heroine Back from the United States and Haiti Speaking and Screening Solidarity Tour

The Abahlali baseMjondolo Youth League is excited to welcome home our young activists, Mnikelo Ndabankulu and Zodwa Nsibande, who have just completed a Dear Mandela Screening and Public Speaking solidarity tour of the United States and Haiti. They have spoken to academics, students, on radio stations and to comrades in many places. International solidarity is very important for us to be able to share experiences of struggle with other comrades and for us to make alliances in a time of growing repression. When we were attacked in 2009 our comrades in other countries protested at South African embassies around the world and many of them also protested after the Marikana Massacre. We have hosted many comrades from other countries in Durban and we have also organised in solidarity against repression in Haiti.

Dear Mandela is a documentary about some of the struggles of Abahlali and life in shack settlements. It is about the struggle for poor people to take our place in post-apartheid South Africa. The film shows how we are still struggling for land, housing, basic services, the right to represent ourselves and for dignity against a government that sees the poor rather than poverty as the problem. The film shows how our movement has survived repression.

We wish to thank the producers of this documentary, Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza, for making a film that tells some of the truth about our lives and struggles. They did not come with their own ideas about how our struggle should be. They really tried to tell the truth about our struggle as it really is. It is very important that the truth is told about our struggle against the alliance between the Black Boers and capitalism. We also wish to thank Chris and Dara for the way that they have worked with us and not for us in setting up screenings and discussions.

Zodwa and Mnikelo will be arriving back in Durban tomorrow on Saturday, 27 October at Durban King Shaka International Airport at 11:30am. The Abahlali Youth league will be at the airport to welcome our hero and heroine back home.

For more information please contact:

Lisa Nene: AbM Youth League (074 859 6880)
Bandile Mdlalose : AbM General Secretary (071 424 2815)
Bheki Simelane : AbM Treasurer (078 598 9491)