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Unpopular councillors on ANC list
January 13, 2006

By Carvin Goldstone

Despite being subjected to a barrage of housing protests and mock funerals,
two of last year’s most criticised councillors will be back to stand as ward
candidates in the March local government elections. Both Ward 23 (Clare
Estate and Reservoir Hills) councillor Jayraj Bachu and Ward 25 (Sydenham)
councillor Yacoob Baig, who had been criticised by their communities and
told to resign, feature on the ANC list.

S’bu Zikode, Chairman of Abahlali Base Mjondolo, which represents 14
informal settlements in Durban, said the fact that the councillors were on
the list was an indication the ANC was not listening to the people. Zikode
said more than 5 000 people had marched on Baig calling for his resignation,
yet he was about to stand for election. They had accused the ANC of
“protecting incompetent officials”. Baig was also accused of putting his
business interests before those of people living in appalling health
conditions in informal settlements.

Baig said his priority would be to improve the lives of the communities if
he was elected. He said Wards 23 and 25 would work closely to roll out
housing projects.

“One of the burning issues is the number of people without identity numbers
and I want to establish a task team to get all the people without identity
documents to apply,” he said. Bachu said he would not do anything
differently for the disgruntled shack dwellers living in his ward if he was
voted in for a third term as he had already done more than any other
councillor.

“I have done everything humanly possible for these people . . . I have
provided people with jobs, water and houses.

“I have moved 70% of people living in shacks in my ward to Parkgate and
Welbedacht (low- cost housing developments), but there is a group of people
who do not want to move,” he said. He said his primary focus would be to
restore the Clare Estate and Reservoir Hills areas to their former glory.

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Shack dwellers’ victory boosts residents

See you in court, say Pearls opposers
March 17, 2006

By Carvin Goldstone

Umhlanga Rocks residents opposed to the development of the Pearls of Umhlanga flats have found the courage to fight the eThekwini Municipality after a victory over the city by Abahlali Base Mjondolo (Shack Dwellers’ Movement).

The Umhlanga Ratepayers’ Action Group, which has been appealing against the development, has had several appeals blocked by the city council.

The Pearls, which is expected to consist of high-rise blocks of flats, a commercial boulevard and a spa health centre, is being developed on prime beachfront land in Lagoon Drive.

The group is concerned that the development will increase the Umhlanga population by 100%, cast shadows over the beachfront, devalue properties and set a dangerous precedent for development in the area.

At a meeting this week residents decided their best option to stop the development would be to seek a court interdict. The group’s attorney, Jack Hawkey, told them such an application was their only hope of success.

“No litigation is certain and all litigation is costly, but there are examples of the court intervening where the municipality has adopted a bully-boy and arrogant approach,” he said.

Hawkey gave three examples in which the court had intervened against the municipality.

One of these was the victory by Abahlali Base Mjondolo, which had obtained an interdict preventing police officers from stopping a march to the city hall, he said.

Throw money
The movement defeated the municipality after acquiring the voluntary services of academics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and attorneys from the Freedom of Expression Institute, and took to the streets with placards and T-shirts proclaiming their need for housing.

In contrast, the much wealthier residents of Umhlanga are planning to throw money at their attempt stop the municipality from passing the plans for the Pearls development. Hawkey said it would cost R100 000 to take on the municipality legally.

Residents at the meeting pledged financial support and circulated forms appealing for assistance. The group is also considering staging a march on the offices of the developers.

Hawkey said they would seek a court order ordering the review of plans previously approved and compelling the developers to obtain an environmental impact assessment.

Ethekwini Municipal Manager Michael Sutcliffe said the city was taking into consideration the matter of the shadows, sanitation, bridges and the overall development.

He said people had the right to build and people could also protest, but he did not think an attempt to stop the Pearls development would succeed in court.

He said the city had dealt with the environmental issues and development in Umhlanga was proceeding well.

On the Pearls’ website, the developers claim to have site development plan approval for some of the blocks of flats.

In a statement released yesterday, the developers said they were building within the stipulated rights of the property and no further studies had been required.

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Shack dwellers may not march
February 21, 2006

By Carvin Goldstone

The civic group, Abahlali base Mjondolo – representing shack dwellers in Durban – has been denied permission to march to the City Hall for the second time.

The group, which represents 14 informal settlements in Durban, had applied to march yesterday to hand over a memorandum to Housing and Local Government MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu, demanding clarity over housing and land promises.

In November last year, the group’s application to march in protest against slow service provision was denied by City Manager Michael Sutcliffe.

Abahlali base Mjondolo Chair S’bu Zikode said it had sent a letter to the Metro Police Special Events Division and to the office of Michael Sutcliffe requesting a go-ahead for the march, but had not received a response.

The Freedom of Expression Institute had intervened and sent a letter to Sutcliffe requesting that he treat the march application with urgency.

The institute’s Na’eem Jeenah, from the Anti-Censorship Programme, said in a letter to Sutcliffe that the group’s application had been well within the minimum 14-day period.

Zikode said on Friday that Abahlali had received a verbal response from a senior Metro Police official denying it permission to march.

Mabuyakhulu had also responded late to the civic group in writing, but had agreed to accept its memorandum.

After its request for a march was denied last November, the group nonetheless proceeded with the march, which ended in a bloody confrontation between the protesters and police.

Zikode said the group would not go ahead with the march this time.

He said it had handed the matter over to lawyers, who have sent Sutcliffe a letter requesting that the march be allowed to go ahead on March 27. Zikode said if the march was not allowed, the group planned to proceed nonetheless.

Sutcliffe said there had been discussions, but the matter had not been brought to his attention and as far as he understood, there was to be no march.