20 February 2012
Unemployed People's Society Press Statement

March Against Housing Corruption in Shallcross

The Unemployed People's Society has, together with Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement S.A. and SANCO, been approached by the victims of the Savanna Park project and the Inkanyezi housing Project.

The Unemployed People’s Society will be marching to the Durban City Hall to demand an end to housing corruption in these housing projects such as Inkanyezi and Mawelewele, to demand road access and to oppose lazy and brutal police officials and the lack of services.

The march will start at King Dinuzulu Park (Botha Park) at 9:00am tomorrow - Tuesday, 21 February 2012. The memorandum will be handed over to the new eThekwini Municipal Manager Mr. Sibusiso Sithole, the Minister of Transport Mr. S’bu Ndebele and the Minister of Police Mr. Nathi Mthethwa. It will finished at 12 noon.

27 January 2012
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

The Interim Eviction Order Against the Shallcross Occupation has been Set Aside

The interim eviction order granted by the Durban High Court to evict residents of Shallcross (Ekuphumeleleni, Inkanyezi Housing Project) was set aside this morning. The High Court has ordered the eThekwini Municipality to stop any further eviction of residents pending the 24th of February 2012 on which date this matter has to return in court. In the meantime the evicted residents have returned to their homes for the second time.

Abahlali wishes to express its disappointment at the fact that the attorneys that South African Nation Civic Organization (SANCO) has promised its members in the area since December did not pitch up in court. This was despite insistence of the SANCO leadership last night that they have lawyers which mislead the community. However Abahlali wish to thank its Legal Team - Nichols Attorneys with the support of SERI - for being able to represent the residents and for doing such a good job.

Shallcross: The Tyres are Burning

Yesterday 120 families were violently evicted from incompletely built and then
abandoned RDP houses in Shallcross. They had occupied these houses after people
with papers to show that they had been given houses were left in shacks as
their houses were corruptly given to others who were paying for them. Eight of
the 120 families are AbM members.

Last night the evicted families reoccupied the houses. Now the police are back.
The tyres are burning. The media are urged to rush to the scene.

Contact:

Lucia: 084 635 0293
Lungi: 078 622 6999

25 January 2012
An urgent call for media intervention
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Occupiers Currently Under Police Attack in Shallcross

The eKuphumeleni Abahlali branch in Shallcross, in ward 17 under Councillor Shembe Nomvula (073 782 7358), is currently under attack and eviction from the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Everybody know that housing is a crisis in South Africa particularly in Durban where we just heard that at least R532 million has gone missing from the municipal housing budget. The Auditor General has just realized a report about corruption, mismanagement of funds and irregularities and as far as the supply chain management is concerned.

Update: Ayanda Kota was released at 14:45 this afternoon on a bail of R500. There were visible marks from the assault on his head, arms, chest and back. His clothes were torn and blood stained. He will be laying criminal and civil charges against the officers who assaulted him.

The original UPM statement is here, the SSJ statement is here, the DLF statement is here and the Mandela Park Backyarder's Statement is here.

12 January 2011
Unemployed People's Movement Press Statement

Ayanda Kota Assaulted in the Grahamstown Police Station - Under Arrest

About 40 minutes ago Ayanda Kota was seriously assaulted by a group of police officers in the Grahamstown police station. He was dragged, bleeding from at least two wounds, and with his clothes torn from his body, to the holding cells.

For some months he has been under open police surveillance and at times has been threatened and insulted by the police. The police have been watching his mother's house and have searched it looking for him. Their behaviour has been very rude, threatening and aggressive.

Global Call-In and Solidarity Actions for Evicted KwaMashu Community

For Immediate Release
7 January 2012

GLOBAL SOLIDARITY ACTIONS FOR KWAMASHU COMMUNITY DISPLACED BY COP17
Activists from Around the World Call Councillor Lucky Mdlalose of KwaMashu

Activists Gather in front of the South African Embassy in London with images of some of the evicted community members from KwaMashu. Photo by Anna Collins

Friday, December 23, 2011
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Terrible Shack Fire in Kennedy Road

Last night, in the middle of the night, at about 00:28, a shack fire took place in Kennedy Road. About 300 shacks went to ashes and approximately 1500 people were left homeless.

Kennedy Road Burns Again

The reason of the fire is still unknown but it is suspected that a candle was left lighted. A small child at about the age of 2 years was badly injured and was rushed to a hospital. No one came to the scene aside from Abahlali baseMjondolo. What a shame it is when even the councillor himself doesn’t bother to come and see how the damage is. The community was hoping that their ward 25 councillor would come to see the damage and offer support. Their hopes were raised when they saw him coming with the Municipality cars. One of the cars was from Housing. But he did not even bother to consider coming to the place where there was this fire. He just ignored the people who had their hopes up and went straight to the hall and told the people that he was there to write the list of those who are suppose to get food vouchers for Christmas. In the past these vouchers have been abused for party political purposes.

Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement SA Press statement
18 December 2011

Thembinkosi Qumbela was Never an Umhlali

On Thursday 15 December 2011 The Mercury published an article titled 'Senior IFP leader crossing to the ANC did not tell his party'. In this article Thembinkosi Qumbela, who was elected as the IFP regional deputy secretary two weeks ago and has now left the IFP to join the ANC, claims that he “had been an activist of Abahlali baseMjondolo” and has “decided to leave everything (IFP and Abahlali baseMjondolo) and return to the ANC. Anyone who is serious about being a politician should be with the ANC.”