Update: The nine comrades were released on bail of R500 each. They will appear in court again on 7 June 2014.

Sunday, 19 May 2013
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Eleven Abahlali Members Arrested in KwaNdengezi; Nqola Assaults Activist

The Abahlali baseMjondolo KwaNdengezi branch have vowed to challenge the authoritarian rule of the KwaNdengezi councillor Mduduzi Christian Ngcobo who is known as Ngola.

Nqola continues to plan housing development in the area and to construct, employ and allocate housing on his own without involving the community in any decision making. He continues to intimidate and assault activists in the community. He continues to give houses to the people that are not from the community. In all of these actions he claim that he has the full support of the eThekwini municipality.

Update: The Anti-Land Invasion Unit and Law Enforcement of the City of Cape Town arrived once again this morning the 17th of May. They destroyed our homes again. As usual, no court order, no checking to see if the homes are occupied and lived in, no mercy. Actions were clearly illegal, immoral and just plain cruel. There have been three arrests. Residents also say that they saw one of the community members being tortured in one of the police Nyalas. Siphiwo – 0836842828, Nosibusiso – 0736128044, Masibu – 0603147788

9 May 2013
Abahlali baseMjondolo eMarikana Press Statement

"They destroyed homes, not structures": Protest at Parliament Today

We, as the residents of Marikana, will picket outside Parliament today to show the government that the shacks they destroyed were not unfinished or empty structures, they were our homes that we lived in, that we ate in, that we slept in.

Unathorised March on Parliament - 9 May 2013

We come as Abahlali, as residents of Marikana, and as shackdwellers who are are being oppressed by government. We do not come as supporters of any political party.

9 May 2013

All that Glitters is not Gold

By an employee of the Tsogo Sun (Garden Court-Marine Parade)

Our sweat and all our hope that Labour Brokers will one day be banned from this democracy has vanished. We have all supported COSATU and millions of South Africans who have made this call to put an end to the Labour Brokers so as to save our exploited brother and sisters. People working under Labour Brokers are suffering incredible exploitation. We have no sense of security in the world. We are disrespected and humiliated every day.

We are employed by Progress CC in the Tsogo Sun formerly known as the Garden Court Holiday-Inn in Marine Parade on Durban’s beach front. Many of us have worked for more than seven, eight, nine and ten years without being registered with the Department of Labour or any Bargaining Council. There are more than fifty employees but only less than five are employed permanently. Here there is a constant employment as constant firing is an order of the day. We earn R6 per room and are not paid per hour. There is no starting time and therefore no finishing time. We have to work overtime all the time but we are never paid for this time. There is no tea break or lunch hour. It is therefore taken as a crime to eat any time when you are hungry. We are not allowed to eat company food as this constitutes a dismissible crime.

Abahlali baseMarikana Press Statement
4 May 2013

Sleeping in the rain: even snakes treat us with more respect than the City of Cape Town

As the homeless residents of Marikana, we are here because we do not have anywhere else to go. We are also now jobless which means we cannot afford to pay rent to live in someone's backyard. We always vote for this government but they always treat us like dogs in our own country. The government sends the Anti-Land Invasions Unit, Law Enforcement and SAPS to demolish our houses. They did this on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and again on Friday the 3rd of May.

For an explanation of why the evictions shown in this television news reports were illegal please see this article at the Daily Maverick.

“This is Marikana because we believe people will die here for this land,” says shack dweller Simphiwe Winston, before hurriedly returning to build his home for the third time in just three days.

The race is on for Winston, who, along with about 100 other people, including women and children, are hurriedly trying to rebuild their shacks before law enforcement officers return to once again destroy them.

Video taken by Pablo Pinedo on the 30th of April in the night-time when Abahlali were rebuilding and the 1st of May when the city came and demolished people's homes.

Police shooting at Marikana Land Occupation

Police are now shooting at the Marikana community while we have marched to Philippi East SAPS to secure the release of our arrested comrade. We are in front of Beautiful Gate on Stock Road. Friends and media are urged to rush to the scene.

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AbM-WC Press Statement
17h00 on 30 April 2013

Earlier today we sent out notice that the City's Anti-Land Invasions Unit, Law Enforcement and SAPS had arrived again at Marikana shack settlement to destroy our homes. This was the third time they destroyed our community.

This time they came with a few more police vehicles than on Sunday. People protested the police but were peaceful and restrained. Police proceeded to destroy all but a couple of our homes. Luckily, this time, no one was hurt or beaten by Law Enforcement. But, once again, they purposely broke people's belongings: beds, cupboards, stoves, etc. The City of Cape Town must be held liable for the illegal destruction of our property.

Abahlali Want Gumede Out

The article describes how the he campaign to have Gumede fired by the Mayor James Nxumalo is gaining momentum. It quotes AbM saying that Gumedes failure to provide leadership and deal with corruption, to provide open no housing lists etc demonstrate his lack of required leadership in Human settlement. It also says that as we speak in KwaNdengezi, Uganda and Isipingo houses are being sold. It also touches on the recent AbM victory in court and the question of police brutality.

Shacks Demolished at the Marikana Land Occupation

Update: 29 April 2013 10:18 p.m After massive pressure from comrades at the police station the police agreed to release the two arrested comrades at around 9:00 p.m.. At the same time shacks were rebuilt on the newly occupied land.

Update: 29 April 2013 4:18 p.m Two hundred comrades have barricaded the police station. Others are defending the occupation and rebuilding. The Police Commissioner has said that they are being used by the third force.