21 December 2020
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

A Bleak Year for the Poor and the Working Class

The year 2020 has exposed the cruelty of the corrupt and capitalist ANC government, a repressive and predatory government that makes the political and economic elites richer while making the poor poorer.

During the lockdown poor and working-class black people were openly murdered in the streets by the army and the police. Our movement faced repeated illegal and violent evictions during the lockdown despite the supposed moratorium on evictions. Live ammunition was used against unarmed people. Most shack dwellers did not receive the Covid grant. Millions of people lost their jobs. Others were not able to continue with their livelihoods. Across the country people went hungry.   Continue reading →

14 December 2020
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Building Autonomy & Solidarity from Below on the eKhenana Occupation

The eKhenana Occupation now has the Frantz Fanon Political School, the Thuli Ndlovu Community Hall, the Sifiso Ngcobo Poultry Solidarity Project and the Nkululeko Gwala Food Sovereignty Garden.

Since our movement was formed in 2005 we have been committed to building organic organising from below. Our movement was built settlement by settlement and occupation by occupation. From the beginning we also worked to build a living solidarity with other struggles. In the early years we offered solidarity to comrades in countries like Haiti and Zimbabwe. When our movement was under attack we received international solidarity from organisations as far away as the United Kingdom, the USA and Turkey.

During the last five years we have been sending our comrades to the MST political school in Brazil. Through working together with the MST comrades, and other comrades at the school, we have learnt the ways of organising in different countries. From the MST we have learnt about agroecology and the importance of making our occupations sites of production, as well as places to live, build community and access the cities.  Continue reading →

Friday, 27 November 2020
Abahlali baseMjondolo Women’s League Statement

Women’s Camp to Build Women’s Power in Struggle

The Abahlali baseMjondolo Women’s League will hold a camp from 18:00 on Saturday night to 6:00 on Sunday morning.

Camps are an important space for members of the movement to think together. This camp will create a space for us to cough out our experiences of suffering, to be in solidarity with each other and to think together about our lives and struggles in the context of the wider campaign of 16 days of activism.  Continue reading →

27 October 2020

Abahlali press statement

Abahlali to Picket outside the Durban City Hall to demand an End to Budget Cuts

Tomorrow morning Abahlali will join comrades in pickets to be held around South Africa to issue a clear rejection of the ongoing budget cuts by the national treasury. Austerity is not the solution to the economic crisis. We have seen, around the world, that austerity, which is a new name for structural adjustment, has had a devastating impact on the poor and the working class. What we need is massive investment in our people and in our society – investment in schools, libraries, hospitals, housing, community halls, safe houses for women facing abuse, grassroots urban agriculture and much, much more. Continue reading →

MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS TO THE PREMIER OF KWAZULU-NATAL, THE HONOURABLE MR SIHLE ZIKALALA AND THE MEC FOR COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS, THE HONOURABLE MR SIPHO HLOMUKA

Handed over by Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA in Durban on Monday, 19 October 2020

Stop corruption, forced evictions and all forms of violence against Abahlali members, migrant communities, women and LGBTIQ+ people

We are members and supporters of Abahlali baseMjondolo. We are street traders, hostel dwellers, poor flat dwellers, fisher folks, residents of polluted areas, migrants and workers. Continue reading →

Friday, 16 October 2020
Abahlali press statement

Abahlali to march to the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal to demand an end to state corruption, forced evictions and violence

We as Abahlali baseMjondolo, as umbutho wabampofu, exist because we have a great responsibility. A responsibility to our members, a responsibility to our country and the world at large. Covid-19 has taken the world by storm and has shocked us all. Many lives have been lost and many economies have collapsed.

Huge resources have been invested to fight this pandemic and protect lives.

However in South Africa many thugs in suits and ties at high levels of government have seen this crisis as an opportunity to enrich themselves. They have stolen vast amounts of public money in broad-day light. There have been shocking media reports that R25 million allocated by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development to provide food relief to the poor has gone missing. It is reported that this money was meant to provide food relief to about 88 000 people in distress, and yet only 1 026 people benefited. We are not just calling for the investigation and prosecution of the culprits. We also demand that the Department of Social Development recover the money and redirect it to people who are still in need of food relief.  Continue reading →

Good day to everyone. I’m sure you are all wondering who is this handsome young gentleman in front of you.

My name is Simthembile Zikode. I was born in Kennedy Road and I am the son of the President of Abahlali baseMjondolo. Most importantly I’m 15 years old, which is the main agenda of the day because tomorrow Abahlali will be turning 15 years old .

I’m grateful for this opportunity to share my experience within the struggle. I was born in 2005 in Kennedy Road, that was the year that AbM was formed.

Growing up in a shack settlement is definitely something I experienced. But, as many of you know, me and family had a harsh departure from Kennedy in 2009 while I was still at a young age. It involved a lot of violence.

As a young boy I was a Daddy’s boy. I went everywhere with him. I followed him everywhere where he went and people joked that I was his bodyguard. As his bodyguard I attended meetings with him. I got to socialize with hundreds and hundreds of people. I still remember some of the leaders of AbM used to change my napkin while my dad was addressing a meeting or saying his speeches. With all of this as I travelled between all these meetings I started having hundreds of fathers, hundreds of mothers, and brothers and sister. Being with Abahlali opened my mind. It taught me discussions.

In 2010 Abahlali’s popularity was over the limit which forced the leaders to travel around the world and share their ideas behind their struggle. My Dad was also one of those who was forced to leave us multiple times for these such international visits. With my father being gone I would ask where he had gone, for how long will he be there, and when he is coming back because as his bodyguard I needed to know.

When I received the name of the country I would try figure out in which part of the world he was, and what I could learn about that country. This led to me drawing flags. I drew flags like crazy. I had no internet and I had no phone at all so drawing flags was the first thing on my list. So Abahlali taught me about different parts of the world as well as the hardships we as the oppressed share with other people and activists around the world.

Growing up me and family moved to different places multiple times. I recall once a news reporter came by our house and asked me where the Zikode house was. As a very smart kind I knew my Dad’s number and everything else. With confidence I pointed our house. Then the journalist asked if I know S’bu Zikode. Again with confidence I said yes that’s my father. Then the journalist asked where is he and with confidence I said his always busy with the struggle. Then the journalists took his phone and asked me for my Dad’s number. And with confidence he asked for the number. I sang out the number and the journalist said thanks. As a kid who was taught respect I told me that I’ll let my Dad know he was there and then the guy drives away.

Not even a week and a photo of the house where we have moved after the attack in 2009 appeared in a newspaper (the Sunday Tribune) exposing where we live so we very quickly moved to a different house, in a new secret location. As a young person I was confused as to why are we moving from our own home just because a person published our home photo to the public. My main question towards my Dad that I never asked was why are journalists wanting to talk to you and most importantly who are you cause since I was young attending Abahlali meetings I didn’t understand what was the meaning of the meetings. I didn’t understand the agenda behind the meetings.

But I started growing up which answered a million thoughts and questions. When I was around 12 years old a year I started listening to what they were saying at meetings, and hearing them saying Amandla (Power) and they Awethu ngenkani (is ours by force), I would hear them say that they demand land, houses and dignity.

At about age 13 I started learning more about the reasons why Abahlali kept saying that they wanted to build their power to get land, houses and dignity. I started doing my own research as to why our government is not providing quality services, proper water and sanitation to the people.

In my home we housed many activists from around the world, including Abahlali members and leaders. Staying with them they’ve all taught me how they live, how they tend to socialize with society it itself, how they eat, their religion and their culture. I have learnt a million things from all these activists and from the Abahlali members and leaders.

At home we’ve also housed eye witnesses to repression who are in danger. We’ve taken cared of injured people. All these people have taught me different things about life and Abahlali has taught me Ubuntu (humanity) one step at a time. I’m grateful.

I’ve got to see the way that people co-operate. I’ve learned to treat all people the same way regardless of their colour or their background, I’ve got to see truth behind politics. There are people who I used to call my Fathers within the movement and I don’t see them anymore. Abahlali has taught me the importance of loyalty. Abahlali has taught me the true meaning of the word comrade, and when and how to use the word.

They are many bad experiences that have made me wanna know more. I’ve digged into my father’s stuff. I’ve seen him write letters to people who lead this country begging them to assist Abahlali with many things like to acknowledge their rights, to help with protection and most importantly just to recognise Abahlali’s struggle. I have seen my father work and work to stop the assassinations that Abahlali members face.

The assassinations came from the very same people who are supposed to be leading and protecting society. As a child it hurt me to see this happen. It hurt to see that we have a government of liars and criminals. But Abahlali has never lied to me or misguided me. Abahlali has shown me the truth and only the truth about the circumstances we live in.
Abahlali has inspired me to shoot for the stars. Abahlali is a movement of constant learning and they have inspired me to learn more than I’m given.

My advice to Abahlali is to focus more on changing minds, because there are many people who still don’t understand how the system undermines them and how the system ignores, and opposes their interests.

Thanks

Simthembile Zikode

Friday, 2 October 2020
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

Celebrating 15 years of Revolutionary Struggle for Land, Decent Housing and Dignity

Tomorrow, Saturday, 3 October Abahlali will be holding our first in a number of seminars and reflections under the theme Sifike kanjani la? (How have we come here?). The seminar will bring together 100 cadres from across the country where Abahlali has a presence. It will also bring together friends and comrades of the movement. The aim will be to reflect together on the 15-year revolutionary journey of our movement in order for to deliberate, learn and take stock of lessons of the last 15 years of organisation and struggle to prepare for the revolutionary journey ahead of us. This seminar is one of series of events that we will be holding to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. This process will be filmed and documented as a tool to help Abahlali, and comrades in other organisations in South Africa and across the world with the process of continuous collective reflection that is essential to any revolutionary project.  Continue reading →

Attachments

Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement Seminar on 15 Years

Wednesday, 30 September 2020
ESCR Session on the challenges facing residents of shack settlements

Opening remarks by S’bu Zikode delivered this afternoon to the opening of the 68th Session of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson, members of the ESCR-Net and the Committee for the ESCR for affording us with such an important platform to express our concerns.

Across the world residents of the shack settlements, many of which are in fact land occupations, are not recognized as human beings who can think for themselves. We are not treated with respect and dignity, or taken seriously. We are treated as if we are beneath the law. The state often engages us with violence rather than discussion. Some NGOs and some media have presented us to the world as criminals.  Continue reading →