Citizen: Much-anticipated ruling on future of shack dwellers

Sne Masuku, The Citizen

Thousands of shack dwellers from around the country will today be eagerly waiting to hear the KwaZulu-Natal High Court’s ruling on the legality of the eviction of shack dwellers.

The High Court judge in Durban had reserved the ruling on the matter that is set to change the lives of people living at informal settlement since 21 May this year.

Abahlali baseMjondolo President Sbusiso Zikode said shack dwellers would come out in numbers at the Durban High Court to receive the much-anticipated decision that they believe is long over due for both shack dwellers and a large number of South Africans who have been deprived of their land. Continue reading →

Abahlali will be Back in the Durban High Court this Thursday, 20 August, to receive the judgment that has been reserved since 21 May 2015

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

 

Abahlali will be Back in the Durban High Court this Thursday, 20 August, to receive the judgment that has been reserved since 21 May 2015

Following repeated brutal and unlawful evictions at a gun point by the eThekwini Municipal Land Invasions Unit in Cato Crest (the Marikana land occupation) and Lamontville (Sisonke Village) Abahlali won several court interdicts. Each and every time we secured an interdict, or an undertaking from the Municipality to cease its illegal behaviour, the interdicts and undertakings were ignored and they continued with their violent and unlawful evictions. It is clear that the eThekwini Municipality considers itself to be above the law and impoverished black people to be beneath the law. Continue reading →

Unemployed People’s Movement: Statement on the Education Crisis

18 August 2015

 

Unemployed People’s Movement: Statement on the Education Crisis

 

Recently parents in Port Elizabeth have taken to the streets to protest against the atrocious education being experienced by their children. They are not alone. The whole South African education system is terminally sick. This is demonstrated by the lack of teachers in our schools, the lack of science equipment, learners who are learning under the trees, the dropping of the pass rate from 40% to 33% and the fact that both the culture of learning and teaching has gone to the dogs. Continue reading →

Statement by Marie Huchzermeyer on Abahlali baseMjondolo’s decision in 2006 to disrupt the Social Movement Indaba

Statement by Marie Huchzermeyer on Abahlali baseMjondolo’s decision in 2006 to disrupt the Social Movement Indaba

Bandile Mdlalose’s 2014 paper in Politikon continues a line of argument about Abahlali emanating from people aligned to the Centre for Civil Society,  that began in 2006. This line of argument is that ‘white academics’ have been controlling Abahlali and that “the academics and left activists coming from the suburbs found shack-dwellers who could be made to look like their dreams and assumptions”. These arguments began to be made in the media in 2006 when Abahlali took the decision, with the Anti-Eviction Campaign, to disrupt the Social Movement Indaba hosted by the Centre for Civil Society at UKZN. Continue reading →