Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Release
Wednesday August 19, 2009 - For immediate release

Local and Somali shopkeepers have just signed a historic deal to help prevent xenophobia in Cape Town

Local and Somali shopkeepers have agreed on and now signed a deal to help avert xenophobia-related violence in Gugulethu, Philippi and Samora Machel. Both groups have agreed that this deal is meant to be a blueprint for other small businesses in other communities and will help them prevent a re-do of last year's xenophobic pogroms.

The joint committee sign the deal yesterday, the 17th of August 2009 after months of community meetings and sometimes tense negotiations.

Gugulethu AEC Press Update
Monday 9 February, 2009 - For Immediate Release

Today, Mncedisi Twalo and Mbulelo Zuba appeared in Athlone Magistrate Court on charges relating to obstructing IEC voter registration. They have now been released on 500 Rand bail and the case has been postponed until the 10th of March. They have told us that they spent almost 24 hours without food and water - Gugulethu police seemed to be punishing the two leaders.

Unfortunately, we cannot quote the two activists due to the pending trial. However, as residents, we would like make clear the following facts:

1. The AEC and the IEC in Gugulethu were and are on amicable terms. We had negotiated with the IEC on the shared use of the Sports Complex and everything was peaceful. IEC officials present at the complex will agree that residents did not obstruct any registration from taking place. To confirm this, contact Pule (number below) and he will connect you with an IEC official who was present the entire time.

Gugulethu AEC Press Statement
October 16, 2008 - For Immediate Release

Residents assert that Gugs will not be ruled by individuals - whether rich or poor. Rich people like Mzoli Ngcauzela call Gugulethu residents 'criminals' when they defy his vision for a corporate Gugs. But we are not criminals and we are not corrupt. If we were corrupt and stole money, land and livelihoods from the community, then we would be as rich as Mzoli.

But we will resist. We demand community development not big-business development!

Because Mzoli and Old Mutual have not responded to our demands, Gugulethu residents have decided to stop the development of the new Eyona Shopping Centre in Gugulethu.

*September 9, 2008
Gugulethu AEC Press Statement - For Immediate Release
*

CAPE TOWN - The Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign marched on Helen
Zille's office at noon today.

We are angered that backyard dwellers in Gugulethu continue to live in
overcrowded, inhumane conditions. Despite the fact that we have carried out
an exhaustive audit of Gugulethu backyard residents who have been on the
waiting list for housing for more than 20 years, we have yet to be offered
housing.

We live in backyards, with up to 8 families in one backyard. We always get
flooded out every time it rains but the city and province do not provide us

Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Statement
Saturday September 6, 2008 at 12:30 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Backyard Dwellers of Gugulethu, Nyanga, New Crossroads and Langa occupy empty land just of Landsdowne Rd in Gugulethu

Gugulethu – After attempting to highlight pervasive corruption in the allocation of housing by occupying empty flats in a Langa housing development last month, Backyard Dwellers are now taking action against the City and the Province by occupying empty land in Gugulethu.

While all different levels of government continue to refuse to allocate well-located land to shackdwellers, backyarders and other poor people, government officials see no problem releasing land for new Shoprite developments, malls, golf-courses, and other big-business oriented "urban renewal projects". Officials continue to claim that there is no open land in Cape Town. Yet this city has one of the highest rates of urban sprawl and has more open land than most big cities in the Global South.