Vous êtes ici : Accueil » Afrique australe » Afrique du sud » Afrique du sud : The eThekwini Municipality continues to wage war on the poor

Afrique du sud : The eThekwini Municipality continues to wage war on the poor

D 26 août 2020     H 06:30     A Abahlali     C 0 messages


On the afternoon of the 4th of August, the notorious Calvin & Family Security company launched a brutal attack on the residents of Thongolethu in K section Umlazi in Ward 78.

Families who have lived in the area for more than 7 years were rendered homeless. The Ward Councillor, Thandiwe Zuma, was present throughout the attack and pointed out the homes to be demolished.

A 67-year-old women who is diabetic was left traumatised and was still shaking two days after the attack. She lives with her 4 grandchildren and she collapsed after seeing her home demolished in front of the children. A three-year-old was kicked by a security guard while being carried by his mother.

The community tried to open a case at the police station but the police refused to open a case on the instruction of the ward councillor. She told the police that the community are ‘criminals’ who are ’invading land’.

When the leadership of Abahlali met with the community many of the women were in tears as they told the story of this brutal eviction. They said that they regret voting for the ANC. In 2016 the councillor came to the community asking for votes. Today she calls the community ’land invaders’ and directs Calvin & Family Security to attack the community.

The violence against our members has been relentless during the Covid-19 lockdown. On 28 July Phumelela Mkhize, 29, was severely beaten by the Anti-Land Invasion Unit at the eKhanana occupation. She was brutally beaten with back of guns and chopped by a bush knife.

The ANC has lost its moral values. They steal the money allocated to the Covid crisis and violently attack impoverished people. Today is Women’s Day and they pretend to be advocating for the rights of women yet they continue to violate the rights of women. They continue to organise violant attacks in which women are assaulted, insulted, abused and have their homes destroyed and their possessions stolen.

We are treated like animals by the ANC and their security companies. What they do to us is organised abuse.

We will continue to support communities that organise themselves to occupy land for living. We will continue to defend those whose rights are violated by the ruling party. The ANC is no longer a party for decent people, it has become a home for looters. It is a violent and corrupt organisation that is a threat to society. Taking from the poor and attacking our homes and communities is what this government is good at.