Bhambayi Protests – The Rule of Lies Continues to Tear Apart Our Hopes for a Better Future

Tuesday, 28 March 2017
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Bhambayi Protests – The Rule of Lies Continues to Tear Apart Our Hopes for a Better Future

The anger of the poor can go in many directions.

In the local government elections those who led the war against our movement, a war that claimed the lives of a number of our members, were defeated. The Nigel Gumede administration, an administration that we described as an alliance of gangsters, was removed from power. After the election the new administration approached us to acknowledge the repression that we have suffered, to offer their apologies for that repression and to promise to work with us in a respectful and dignified manner. Many promises were made. Continue reading →

Political Education Camp

11 March 2017
 
Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA press statement
 
Political Education Camp
 
The movement of Abahlali baseMjondolo SA will hold a Political Education Camp on the 11th March 2017 at the Hindu Surat Hall in Prince Edward Street. The camp will start at 18h00 and continue until sunrise.
 
The camp is platform where our members can be together and reflect about our movement, our struggle our society and our world. This is where we educate one another about Ubuhlalism, which is our political ideology. This is where we reflect on our lives and our histories.

Continue reading →

Subterranean Echos: Resistance and Politics “desde el So ́tano”

by Raul Zibechi

In the last 15 years in Latin America, the movements capable of pre-senting important challenges to the system – revolts, uprisings and mobilizations that threaten elite domination – have been born on the “margins” of established society and have been led by the poorest, by those deprived of social and political rights. The movements of those “without” – without roof, without land, without work, without rights – have shown a degree of vigor that has placed them often at the center of the political stage.

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Subterranean Echos: Resistance and Politics “desde el So ́tano"

Abahlali to Launch its First Village in Bizana, Eastern Cape

Friday, 17 February 2017

Abahlali press statement

 

Abahlali to Launch its First Village in Bizana, Eastern Cape

For more than ten years we have waged a struggle for land, housing and dignity in the cities. Our struggle in the cities has often been influenced by ideas and practices from rural areas and struggles. From time to time our comrades have taken some of the ideas and practices of the movement back to rural villages and rural struggles.

On Sunday we will launch our first village in Bizana in the Eastern Cape. For some time we have been part of the solidarity work undertaken to reject corruption, nepotism, and the theft of the land by black capital monopoly in Bizana. In early 2016 Abahlali supported the march by Bizana Abahlali baseZilalini against unfair business practices by Ramdel, a construction company contracted to build a road. The local community was not consulted on the project and job opportunities were denied to local communities. Among those employed there were strong allegations of bribery, sexism and nepotism. Continue reading →

Assembly With Branch Leaders to Strategise in Advance of Negotiations

17 February 2017

Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

 

Abahlali to Hold Assembly to Strategise on Democratic and Participatory Development in Advance of Negotiations with the Municipality

This year we will be persuing Operation Siyakhisana. We have successfully resisted evictions and we have successfully occupied land. We have recently won the provision of important infrastructure in some settlements like electricity and ablution blocks. Now is the time to build, to plan and develop from below. We are beginning negotiations with the eThekwini Municipality on this programme as well as other matters like free access to sanitary pads and uniforms for our kids, as well as justice and respect for settlements that have experienced repression and brutality from the Municipality in places like Clare Estate, KwaNdengezi, Cato Crest, eKuphumeleleni and Lamontville. Continue reading →

Man assaulted for trying to stop illegal dumpers

These people had a truck full of rubbish wanting to dump where our members live. When Thapelo approached them they started swearing at him and when he tried to take a photo he was attacked. Companies in and around Durban see shack settlements as a place where they can dump. This has caused rats as big as the cats.

Man assaulted for trying to stop illegal dumpers

NorthGlen News

A BRIARDENE Informal Settlement resident was assaulted after attempting to stop men from illegally dumping at the settlement on Wednesday afternoon. Welcome Mohapi, said he had asked the men, who were using a company vehicle to dump rubbish, what they were doing. He believe the household refuse was destined for the dump but the men decided to use the settlement instead. Continue reading →

Shack dwellers’ struggle songs hit a high note in the recording studio

Bongani Mthethwa, The Times

A shack-dwellers’ movement known for singing struggle songs while campaigning against evictions is busy recording a CD featuring 13 protest songs.

Abahlali baseMjondolo — who campaign to improve living conditions of the poor – are recording an album at the Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape.

The 29-member Abahlali baseMjondolo Choir has been performing at the movement’s events and its general assemblies since 2015. Its members are all from the Marikana Land Occupation in Cato Crest where they faced eviction for more than a dozen times in KwaZulu-Natal. Continue reading →

Amilcar Cabral’s revolutionary anti-colonialist ideas

Firoze Manji, ROAR Magazine

Amilcar Cabral and Frantz Fanon are among the most important thinkers from Africa on the politics of liberation and emancipation. While the relevance of Fanon’s thinking has re-emerged, with popular movements such as Abahlali baseMjondolo in South Africa proclaiming his ideas as the inspiration for their mobilizations, as well as works by Sekyi-Otu, Alice Cherki, Nigel Gibson, Lewis Gordon and others, Cabral’s ideas have not received as much attention.

Continue reading →

Abahlali baseMjondolo Choir to Record

3 February 2017

Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA Press Statement

Abahlali baseMjondolo Choir to Record

People who are living in shack settlements are often considered as people who are aimless, people who do not have a purpose in life. We are often regarded as a burden to the state. It is often believed that the shack settlement is a place of criminality.

When we resist our oppression we are slandered and repressed, even to the point of being murdered. We are supposed to remain in silence. We are suppose to know and keep to our place in an oppressive society. We are supposed to accept that our lives and our dignity will be undermined in the name of progress. Continue reading →

2016: A year of progress for our movement

20 December 2016
Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA Press statement

2016: A year of progress for our movement

The year 2016 has come and gone. As we move from one year to another we need to reflect on the year that has been.

2016 has been a good year in the movement. Since our movement was formed in 2005 we have been subject to serious repression – including slander, various kinds of dirty tricks, assault, arrest, torture, the destruction of our homes and murder. There has been impunity for this repression which has mostly come from the police and the ruling party. But during this year, as a result of long struggle and building various kinds of alliances, we made a major break through against impunity for repression. Two ANC ward councillors and a hired hit man were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Thuli Ndlovu, who was our chairperson in the KwaNdengezi branch. The High Court also denied the two councillors (Mduduzi Ngcobo and Velile Lutyeku) and the hit man (Mlungisi Siphesihle Ndlovu) leave to appeal. This was a turning point in the movement since for the first time those who are usually considered to be above the law were given prosecuted, convicted and given a hefty sentence. This sent a clear message to those who continue to repress and murder activists that the arm of the law is long. This case took more than two years to be concluded. Continue reading →