Armed guards and checkpoints as repression continues in Durban South Africa

The Shackdwellers Movement, or Abahlali baseMjondolo (ABM), are a movement of the poor in South Africa, at the forefront of emerging global struggles of the poor for a right to a decent life and a right to housing. After what appears to be an ANC sponsored attack on leaders of the movement many have fled for their safety. Armed forces now occupy the Kennedy Road settlements where the attacks occurred and the local ANC government has established ID card checks for all who wish to participate in meetings.

An Update from Abahlali baseMjondolo

The Kennedy Road settlements remains under the control of Jackon Gumede, the chairperson of the Branch Executive Committee of Ward 25 in Durban. He continues to rule the settlement by armed force and to demand that people show ANC membership cards before being allowed to participate in any meeting. The looting of the homes of those who have fled continues. The police continue to do nothing. They have not yet arrested any of the mob that attacked Abahlali baseMjondolo and yet our members, victims of this attack, remain in the Sydenham jail. S'bu Zikode continues to receive death threats and threats to his family. Many people remain with out shelter. Some of the media are still reporting the views of the police, who supported the attack on us, as if they were the truth. But every day more of the truth is coming out. Time is on our side - every day more of the truth comes out.

In previous years we were mobilizing in support of the comrades in Haiti. Now the world mobilizes to defend us. Support continues to pour in from around the country and around the world. Our members have arrived in Durban from as far aways as Cape Town. Our first priority remains the safety of our members but we wish to make it clear to the ANC and to the world that we are determined to continue our struggle

Background on the Attacks

In the early morning hours of September 27th, 2009 an armed mob of about 40 men began attacking ABM leaders, injuring and killing ABM members, destroying homes in the Kennedy Road shack settlement in Durban, South Africa. The mob was armed with guns and bush knives and was calling out the names of the President and Vice President of the Abahlali baseMjondolo movement, threatening them with death. In the morning 3 were dead, many injured and over 1,000 of the residents fled the settlement. Since then, the leaders of this movement have been in hiding as the attacks and intimidation continue inside the Kennedy Road settlement. The home of ABM's President and the office have been destroyed.

ABM leaders understand that these attacks have been carried out with the support of the local ANC government, and that these attacks are an escalation of tactics aimed at destroying the Shackdwellers Movement (ABM). The government has a deeply vested, urgent interest in destroying this movement, because the World Cup is coming to South Africa in 2010. The image of large numbers of poor South African people, living in sub-human conditions in shack settlements right outisde of Durban is not something that the government wants the world to see. Therefore, to prepare for the World Cup, the government is attempting to relocate all shack settlements to approximately 15 miles outside of Durban. The Shackdwellers movement has been actively resisting these plans, by organizing the poor, taking legal action and meeting with international allies. ABM leaders believe the growing power of their movement has lead to an escalation of tactics by the local ANC government; including these violent attacks.

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