“We won’t go!” says Shaka’s Head illegal shack dwellers [Watch]
The group are calling for improvements to informal settlements rather than being relocated.
Thousands of members and supporters of the Abahlali baseMjondolo movement braved the rain and marched to Ballito on Monday.
The movement, which represents shack dwellers, is demanding land, decent housing and dignity for the people they represent.
The march was in response to the eviction order served on the Shaka’s Head squatter camp by KwaDukuza municipality (KDM) recently, which is aimed at resettling the shack dwellers to eMgigimbe and Vlakspruit, several kilometres inland.
They are calling for improvements to informal settlements rather than being relocated.
Key demands of a memorandum handed to a representative of the KwaDukuza council at the municipal offices in Ballito include access to basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity, as well as immediate land tenure security.
The list of demands included calling for an end to discrimination, particularly against foreign nationals, the eradication of racism in their community, an end to raids by private security companies and job creation, particularly for the youth, to help tackle social issues like drugs and substance abuse.
The movement’s president, S’bu Zikode, emphasised the need for transparency, calling for full disclosure of the housing budget and beneficiary lists from the provincial department of human settlements.
Abahlali baseMjondolo general secretary Thapelo Mohapi believes the municipal eviction order is driven by pressure from wealthy residents in nearby areas.
“We know that these racist people believe the informal settlement is chasing tourists away from this area.
But this is the reality of this country, people are suffering and by moving us away from their precious Ballito, they are hiding the truth from the world,” said Mohapi.
They handed over their memorandum to Mbongeni Zondi from the speaker’s office, who promised to send the memorandum to mayor Lindi Nhaca.
Abahlali baseMjondolo successfully negotiated homes for their representatives in Sheffield last year. KDM had applied to the courts to remove 100 illegal dwellers of the settlement known as Taffeni, in 2019.
The four-year court process dragged on while the settlement grew to about 300-strong.
They eventually settled out of court with the municipality agreeing to house the occupants in a mixed-use municipal housing project on the same land.
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