D Section community to mobilise and return old lady to her rightful home

20 April 2011
Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Statement

On the 20^th of July 2010, right in the middle of the FIFA World Cup, Sheila Jacobs, a pensioner, was evicted from her home at D233 Khumbula Street in D Section, Khayelitsha. Phumla Maqasha arrived with the Sheriff of the Court and a contingent of police from Lingelethu SAPS, while she was watching a soccer match on TV.

But Sheila owned this house, did not owe a cent to any bank, and had never heard of Mrs Maqasha until that day. And this so-called mistaken eviction began a series of events that has resulted in the mobilisation of an entire community and the subsequent shooting of three older Mamas and the arrest of a fourth Mama and a school-aged boy.
Event: Mobilisation, protest and returning Sheila to her home today
Time and place: 10h00 at D233 in D Section, Khayelitsha

Urgent: evictions and road blockades in Khayelitsha happening now

13 April 2011 at 14:50

Private security have come to E Block, Khayelitsha, Khayelitsha (near Lingelethu SAPS) to illegally evict families.

For the community, this is the last straw.  They have responded by taking to the streets and occupying the roads – even burning tyres to make a point.  They are trying to remove the security guards from the community and restore the homes to the hands of the rightfull occupants.

The Western Cape Anti-Eviction is on scene supporting the community.

There will be an update tonight on these evictions as well as the skyrocketing number of evictions taking place all over Cape Town within the past week.

A luta continua!  Power to the poor people!

For more information and directions, contact Mncedisi Twalo at 0785808648

AbM: “A Quiet Coup” reviews attacks on AbM

A Quiet Coup
South Africa’s largest social movement under attack

By Toussaint Losier
Originally published in Spanish at Desinformémonos
An earlier version of this article appeared in Left Turn Magazine

At roughly 11:30pm on September 26th, a group of 30 to 40 men – survivors are still unsure about the actual numbers –surrounded the community hall in Kennedy Road shack settlement in Durban, South Africa. Brandishing sticks, machetes, and automatic weapons and echoing the language of the state-sponsored internecine political conflict that tore through South Africa during the last years of apartheid, the mob launched an attack on a meeting of the Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) Youth League taking place inside the hall. In the melee that followed, over a dozen people were injured, with four people left dead and the attackers left in control of the hall.

Solidarity: In the U.S., Take Back the Land begins May Month of Action

PRESS RELEASE
May 3, 2010
For immediate release

http://www.takebacktheland.org

Groups Take Back the Land During May 2010 Month of Action

May 3, 2010- Today, the Take Back the Land Movement (TBLM, http://www.takebacktheland.org) announced a May 2010 Month of Action in direct response to the ongoing economic and housing crisis. The month of action commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first Civil rights era sit-ins in Greensboro, NC. Thousands from across the country will participate in “live-ins” to demand the fundamental human right to housing. Groups in over a dozen cities across the country will move families into vacant government-owned and foreclosed homes, without permission, or physically defend families from eviction and foreclosure.

The objective of the coordinated civil disobedience campaigns is to build a national movement to elevate housing to the level of a human right and gain community control over land.

“We are defending families facing eviction and moving homeless people into people-less homes,” said Max Rameau of Take Back the Land-Miami. “While banks enjoy bailouts, executive bonuses and record profits, human beings and entire communities are suffering. The government does not appear interested in helping poor people, so we have no other choice.”

Media: MP traders up in arms

2010-03-11 05:52:02 – VOCFM

Mitchells Plain traders are up in arms following the removal of their stalls by law enforcement officials on Monday. According to Mischka Cassiem from the Concerned Hawkers and Traders Association (CHATA), this was because of a new by law which came into effect last year, which had declared Symphony Lane in Mitchells Plain a no trading zone. Cassiem said that approximately 1000 informal traders and hawkers have been left with no income and their goods have been confiscated by the law enforcement officers.

Traders Evicted in Mitchells Plain Town Centre

Today in Mitchells Plain Town Centre, Traders were evicted, goods were confiscated, trading bays demolished and livelihoods shattered.

The Town Centre was lined with police and law enforcement vehicles as Traders non-violently protested as they watched their goods get thrown into dumpsters. Over 100 police and law enforcement officers were on the scene, as well as City Officials Randall Skrikker and Richard Holdstock. As each trading bay was broken down, Traders resisted in a non-violent manner.

Traders without permits are left without the ability to continue their businesses after many have been trading in the Town Centre for over 20 years. The community is behind the Traders and we will continue to fight for the rights we know we deserve. The poorest of the poor continue to be marginalised in a country that claims to be democratic. Traders ask for support and solidarity and all media is asked to speak to the following Traders individually to gain further insight into the events that took place today:

Jennifer at 0833522658, Nazeema at 0735790445, Desma Abrahams at 0787878702, Faldela at 0839252025, Ishmael Abrahams at 0837691653, Naiela at 0729050779

Traders in Mitchells Plain Town Centre being evicted by Law Enforcement now

At the moment, Traders of Mitchells Plain Town Centre are being evicted by Law Enforcement officials: goods are being confiscated and livelihoods are at stake. The City of Cape Town is moving forward with the renovation process that will see loss of livelihoods for at least 500 Traders. Many Traders still feel that this process is not for their benefit. We are appealing for the support of the community in and around Mitchells Plain. All media is invited to the Town Centre.

For more information please contact Mischka Cassiem at 0745257336

Demonstration against evictions in Langa

Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign press release

29/1/2010

In the Backstage area of Langa a policeman has illegally evicted a woman from her house and is now living in it. (Backstage is near the cemetery and the railway station). Mrs Rhulashe, the former owner, now has to sleep under the bridge between Bonteheuwel and Langa. On Saturday 30th January at 10am a joint demonstration by the newly-formed Vukani ma-Afrika and the Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign will reinstall Mrs Rhulashe in her house.

For more information contact Mncedisi at 078-580-8646

Eviction Tomorrow of HIV Positive Resident of Blikkiesdorp

Tomorrow in L block (L38) of Blikkiesdorp in Delft, an HIV-positive mother of four is facing eviction by the City of Cape Town. The eviction will be happening from 8am onward. The city claims that she is illegally occupying a place in Blikkiesdorp and have issued eviction notices. The woman was part of the first evictions in Delft in the houses along Symphony Way. She then was put into D block of Blikkiesdorp by the city with another resident. The community committee then agreed she was to move into an abandoned shack in L block as she was in dire need of a home to raise her family and care for her self. The shack she is living in now was not being used and was in damaged condition. The same city that evicted her from a home and moved her to a shack is now evicting her and providing no alternative or help. The city is denying its own citizens a place to live and encouraging disregard for the health and safety of its own people. An openly HIV positive citizen is being ignored and denied proper care in the form of a home to care for her self and her family.

All press are encouraged to come to the evictions tomorrow as we act in solidarity and support for people being forced out of their homes and those living with HIV.

For more information please contact Jerome Daniels 0730850940, Willy Heyn 0731443619, Fatima 0780840116

Protest Against State Repression to be Held at at Macassar Village – Tomorrow

Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape
Press Statement, Friday 27 November 2009

We will be holding a protest against state repression at New Road, Maccassar Village, from 11:00 on Saturday 28 November 2009.

Our movement is under serious attack in Durban. Our comrades in Abahlali baseMjondolo in Durban have been attacked and had their homes destroyed by an armed ANC militia supported by the local police and politicians. They have also been arrested, denied bail, beaten while in custody and attacked and seriously beaten by the police while going about their ordinary activities in their communities. Many of our comrades are living under death threats and have been turned into refugees.