26 September 2014
10:29
The ANC is Attacking the Marikana Land Occupation in Cato Crest
The Land Invasions Unit has retreated.
The occupation is now under attack by the local ANC. ANC members led by Cllr Mzi Ngiba and his BEC have already demolished around 25 shacks.
An ANC member has attacked Nomvete with a spade. We are waiting for the ambulance to rush her to hospital.
K Maphumulo on 079 4648580
Mzamo Majozini on 078 6407999
Abahlali office 031 3046420
Friday, 26 September 2014
Abahlali press statement
The ANC eThekwini has forced the MEC for Human Settlement and Public Works in the province of KZN to illegally evict Abahlali baseCato Crest.
This criminal mandate was made very clear at our meeting with the MEC at the Durban’s City Hall also known as Nigel Gumede Hall. The MEC’s attempt to lecture his comrades about the rule of law and the Constitutional ruling few months ago fell in deaf ears.
Since that meeting the MEC/eThekwini Municipality have hired private security guards too guard the Marikana land occupation. Also izinkabi hit men have been seen around the settlement hunting for Ndabo after he was threatened at the City hall during our meeting with the MEC last week. Strange men who introduced themselves as officials from eThekwini municipality have also been monitoring the settlement for further shack expansion in the morning and evening. Continue reading
September 26, 2014
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement
We Are All Ndabo Mzimela
As everybody knows the struggle in Cato Crest against corruption and for land and housing has been seriously repressed. Last year Thembinkosi Qumbela and Nkululeko Gwala were murdered by the izinkabi and Nqobile Nzuza was killed by the police. Others have been shot and beaten. Some have been beaten in the police station. A number of activists, including those who are not members of Abahlali baseMjondolo and are part of other organisations, like the SACP, have had to leave the area. There are regular illegal evictions that are often in violation of court orders and are always in violation of the law. All these actions are carried out with impunity. Continue reading
12 September 2014
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement
Evictions at the Chris Hani (eNsimbini) and Marikana (Cato Crest) Land Occupations
At ten o’clock this morning five shacks were demolished by the Land Invasions Unit in the Chris Hani Land Occupation in eNsimbini. This land was occupied in February last year. The shacks that were demolished are new shacks that were built about two weeks ago by people that were renting nearby and decided to join the occupation to avoid having to pay rent. As usual there was no court order authorising these evictions and they were, therefore, an illegal and criminal act on the part of the eThekwini Municipality. The residents of these new shacks were at work when the eviction happened and so there was no confrontation.
On Wednesday eleven shacks were demolished in the Nqobile section of the Marikana Land Occupation in Cato Crest. These shacks were built in May. This eviction happened as a result of a complaint by a private businessman located near to the occupation. Continue reading
Mpume Madlala
Durban – Several families were left homeless on Wednesday when their shacks in Cato Crest were demolished by the eThekwini Municipality’s land invasion unit. Eleven shacks, which had been up for about a week, were razed.
Martha Chofe, 33, said she was moved out of her empty shack at gunpoint while she was preparing to settle in. Chofe said the shack was new and she had paid R550 for it to be built, excluding the material. “I have two children of 7 and 7 months. I just wanted to give them a better home because we were squashed where we were renting,” she said.
Chofe said she had begged the unit not to destroy her shack, but they would not listen. “They told me they were going to demolish and that I can rebuild it tomorrow,” she said, with tears rolling down her face.
Chofe said she had also been informed by the unit that they were demolishing shacks that had no furniture.
“They did not care that I was there and, because I was scared of their guns, I could not resist but had to let them destroy my home,” she said.
Ndabo Mzimela, the secretary for Abahlali Basemjondolo, a shack dwellers’ movement, said that because of previous evictions, many of their members had been displaced and were not given alternative homes.
“If the municipality does not give people places to live, where must they go?” he said.
Although they were not promoting land invasions, Mzimela said that unless the municipality gave people houses, invasions would not stop. “People are desperate. Maybe to municipal officials, these are just shacks, but to us they are homes. Shelter is the right of every citizen,” he said.
DA councillor Halalisani Ndlovu said what was happening at the informal settlement was “inhuman” and that residents were being victimised. “Where are these families supposed to go if they are evicted in such a manner? We are going to request the eviction order to see if it is legal,” he said.
Municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said that the municipality had a zero-tolerance attitude when it came to land invaders because they delayed development. “These operations are going to continue throughout the city. People need to be patient because the municipality is working on housing and it cannot happen overnight,” he said.