Abahlali baseMjondolo

Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement
Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Abahlali baseMjondolo have started shacking

On Tuesday, 10 October 2011 at 10:00am in our office we held a press conference
were we said that if the Councillors, Mayors, and all sorts of government do
not meet with the people on the grassroots and have a collective decision
making then we will be unable to stop the anger of the people.

While we were still having the conference the Siyanda ward 41 councillor, Mr
Lucky Mdlalose, was busy employing his own friends to work in the community.
This this resulted in the anger of the community mobilizing them to stop the

Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement
2 September 2011

Re-Launching the Kennedy Road AbM Branch

In September 2009 the Kennedy Road Development Committee, a structure that was always subject to annual election with the right to recall ,and which was working hand in hand with Abahlali baseMjondolo, was expelled from Kennedy Road by armed members of the ANC. Willies Mchunu then imposed an ANC committee on the community. He called this the 'liberation' of the settlement and said that the elected structures were 'illegitimate' and that the unelected committee imposed by armed force was 'legitimate'. The committee imposed by Mchunu did nothing for the community. Things went from bad to worse. The houses that the ANC promised after the attack were never built.

8 August 2011
Abahlali baseMjondolo Woman’s League

Making the women’s voice heard and ensuring that full gender equality remains a priority for social movements and other demanding deep change and transformation

Four Hundred Women Attended the AbM Women's League AGM, eMmaus, Pinetown, 9 August 2011

The Abahlali baseMjondolo Woman’s League of S.A was formed in 2008 at a meeting in the Kennedy Road settlement. It was formed to strengthen the fight against poverty, evictions and all forms of abuse. The Abahlali Women’s League has struggled against gender inequality as we believe that we are all equal in front of the eyes of God and that we should all be treated equally.

21 August 2011
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Statement on the Return to Kennedy Road

Those members of the ANC that attacked our movement in September 2009, that banned our movement in the Kennedy Road settlement after the attack on the pain of death, that destroyed and looted our homes for months, that sold our sites to new people, that made death threats to state witnesses in the trial that followed the attack on our movement and attacked one witness and issued public death threats against many of us have now run to the media to say that they are scared of the return of the displacees to Kennedy Road. They have even gone to the police to ask that we must be prevented from returning to the settlement. They are trying to present themselves as victims.

25 August 2011
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Celebration of the 6th Anniversary of Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement S.A.

Gogo Shange Speaking at the 6th Anniversary Celebration of Abahlali baseMjondolo

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” Romans 8: 31-36

Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Abahlali Press Statement

The Kennedy Road Development Committee, the Kennedy 12 and other Displacees Return to the Kennedy Road Settlement

Our acquittal in court without freedom to return to resetting our feet in Kennedy Road would be pointless.

The ruins of Mondli Mbiko's home in Kennedy Road

After two and half year the Kennedy Road Development Committee, members of the Kennedy 12 and their relatives, as well as some members of AbM, went to Kennedy Road on Sunday to check on their homes and sites that they were residing on when our movement was attacked. We were about a hundred people.

Sunday 3 July 2011
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Municipal Security and Shack Dwellers Clash in the Kennedy Road Settlement this Morning
Attempt at Armed De-electrification Successfully Resisted

This morning Municipal Security Guards arrived at the Kennedy Road shack settlement and began disconnecting people from electricity. The community had previously negotiated an understanding with the Municipality that they would not send their security guards into the settlement to disconnect. However this morning this agreement was violated and the people resisted the disconnections. There was a confrontation,rubber bullets were fired and stones were thrown. A young man was shot in the chin with a rubber bullet at close range. A road blockade was then organised following which both the SAPS and the Metro Police arrived on the scene. But the attempt to disconnect people from electricity was successfully resisted.

04 July 2011
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Police & Municipal Security Break the Ward Councillor's Promise & Return to Kennedy

Yesterday the new ward councillor Bhekisani Ngcobo arrived at a road blockade erected to defend the community against armed de-electrification by the eThekweni Municipality and promised residents of the Kennedy Road shack settlement that the municipality would stop trying to disconnect them from electricity. Today the Municipal Security Guards arrived, with police back up, and tried to continue to disconnect the people. The people resisted and organised another road blockade. Right now the police have stepped back but it may be that they are waiting for reinforcements.

17 July 2011
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

The Kennedy 12 Will be Back in Court on Mandela Day

We wish to remind all our comrades and friends that we will be back in court, for the third part of the trial of the Kennedy 12, on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July 2011. You are all invited to join us at the court.

While the rest of the country and the world will be celebrating Mandela Day by remembering the struggle of Tata Mandela we will be celebrating our daily Mandela Day in court where we continue to face state repression in the third year since our movement was attacked in the Kennedy Road settlement.

Press Release

With or without the permit from the city our march to Cape town high court then to the city of Cape Town goes ahead. in terms of gatherings act when we want to march, the law says we must notify the city and SAPS within 7 days. And the law further suggests that if the city refused to grant permit they need to provide us with written reasons, and they have not done it yet, so we are going to stick to the law and go ahead with our march. It's up to the city if they want to make relevant authorities to be present during our march. Till then Aluta Continua

1. The poor communities of the Western Cape will no longer dance to the tune (service delivery) of government. Which mean the poor will take their land in South Africa.