THE Abahlali baseMjondolo (Shack dwellers) movement scored a victory against the eThekwini Municipality, after the Durban High Court granted the movement an interim interdict following ongoing vicious and illegal evictions against the City on Thursday. The judgement interdicts and restrains the City from demolishing, burning, removing or otherwise destroying and disposing of Abahlali housing structures or threatening to do so and those whose homes have been destroyed have been given the right to rebuild them.
According to Abahlali, the Anti Land Invasion Unit, which is the City’s armed security force, has been terrorizing at least seven communities at gunpoint and in brazen violation of the law. At least 241 families were unlawfully and often violently made homeless between February and July this year.
General Secretary of the organisation, Thapelo Mohapi said, “Evictions have been continuing even after Abahlali have been rebuilding. What has been most shocking with these evictions is that the municipality has been burning people’s property into ashes. This conduct is not just unlawful, but criminal. We wish to thank our legal team from the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) for acting for Abahlali with such humility. We thank Abahlali members who have continuously and consistently stood firm for their right to the city, their right to the land and their right to dignity,.”
Last month the group, marched to the City Hall, against what they termed was lies and repression they had suffered at the hands of the Ethekwini Mayor, Zandile Gumede.
