Anti-eviction campaign slams Gugulethu mall for empty promises

Themba Boyi | EyewitnessNews | 2 December 2009

The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign on Tuesday claimed that employment issues at the new Gugulethu Square Mall were being politicised by managers there.

It claimed that residents were told to hand over their CVs to ward councillors if they wanted to be considered for jobs.

The mass protests continue tomorrow at Gugulethu Square Mall

Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Press Release

Protest: March to Gugulethu Mall to protest corrupt and anti-local job application process
Time and date: 09h00 on 1 December 2009
Venue: Assembly at Kwezi Hall. March to front of Gugulethu Mall on NY1

Contacts: Malibongwe @ 074-639-9551, Nomvuyo @ 082-687-8533, Mncedisi @ 078-580-8646, Sipho @ 078-589-7000

Tomorrow, the Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign will again be protesting against the management of the new Gugulethu Square Mall. Despite efforts by the police to stop us from protesting citing 2010 events, the City of Cape Town has declared this to be a legal march.

When we marched two weeks ago, we handed over a memorandum to the manager of the Gugulethu Mall – Azania Landingwe. She told us that she would read the memorandum and respond within a week. However, to this day, we have received no response from the manager.

Gugulethu residents to march tomorrow against corruption at new Gugulethu Mall

Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaing Press Alert
05 November 2009

Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign will be protesting at the new Gugulethu Square Mall tomorrow morning at 08h00am.

Residents are angry that most of the jobs at the mall are going to people who do not reside in Gugulethu.  Despite Mzoli’s assurances, very few of the jobs are going to locals.  Since the mall is being build on land that should rightfully be owned by the Gugulethu community, it is only fair that residents benefit from development happening on their land.

Update on yesterday’s violent police attack on our community

Gugulethu AEC Press Update

30 October 2009

Yesterday we reported that the police tried to illegally ban our mass protest against the new Gugulethu Square Mall. After failing to ban our protest, they shot at us even though we were peaceful and the media saw that we were peaceful. Since then, a few details have emerged:

1. They brought in an entirely new police team on Thursday. From Monday through to Wednesday, Captain Brink and his team from the Gugulethu SAPS was accompanying us and protecting us during our march and peaceful protest against the mall. On Thursday, Captain Brink and his team was removed from working with us. Instead, a police team from Bellville South was brought in. These police officers were aggressive from the very beginning. They refused to talk to us. They refused to work with us. Instead the worked against us.
2. When we left the mall site at that morning after staging our protest, the police followed us. As we were crossing NY1 main road, they ordered us to disperse or they will shoot. Instead, we staged a civil disobediance sit-in on NY1. We sat right down on the road and continued our peaceful protest. Police immediately opened fire on us in full view of other journalists. Many people were shot with rubber bullets including many women and older people.

Activists threaten to stop Gugulethu mall opening if local workers aren’t used

October 27, 2009 Edition 1
Quinton Mtyala – Cape Times

THE Anti-Eviction Campaign (AEC) has vowed to stop the opening of Cape Town’s newest mall on Thursday – in Gugulethu – unless 80 percent of its employees were from the area.

Police shoot residents in peaceful AEC protest against Gugs Mall

Gugulethu AEC Press Alert
29 October 2009 at 15h30

Contacts: Malibongwe at 074 639 9551 and Mncedisi at 078 580 8646

The Gugulethu police interrupted a peaceful protest by the Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign this afternoon.  Without warning residents at all, they shot at us with rubber bullets injuring dozens and arresting many others.

The much of the crowd was made up of old women and there were a lot of children also present.  A 17 year old lady was shot in the face by the police and is now seriously injured and at the hospital.

Six arrested for jobs protests at Gugulethu Mall

Crowd says gathering was peaceful

October 29, 2009 Edition 2
THANDANANI MHLANGA – Cape Argus

SIX PEOPLE were today arrested at the opening of the new Gugulethu Square mall, which has been plagued by ongoing protests over jobs.

Gugulethu residents have been protesting against job allocation at the mall, claiming that people from Khayelitsha make up the bulk of the workforce.

Media: Gugulethu residents threaten mall opening

Themba Boyi | Eyewitness News | 29 October 2009

Members of the Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign threatened to disrupt the opening of the Gugulethu Square Mall on Thursday, unless their demands for jobs were met.

Media: Residents demand lion’s share of jobs at mall

October 27, 2009 Edition 2
THANDANANI MHLANGA – Cape Argus

GUGULETHU residents protesting outside the new Gugulethu Square Mall, demanded that they be given 80 percent of the jobs available there when it opens on Thursday.

The Anti-Eviction Campaign led a protest march at the new mall yesterday, alleging that corruption, bribery and nepotism had taken place in its tender and job-creation process.

Outcry over Gugulethu Mall heats up, actions to continue Wednesday morning

Gugulethu AEC Press Release
28 October 2009

On Monday, hundreds of Gugulethu residents marched in protest over the improper allocation of jobs at the new Gugulethu Square Mall which is set to begin trading this Thursday.

Yesterday, the 27^th of October, representatives from the mall along with local ward councillors and the Gugulethu Development Forum (GDF) convened a meeting to address the anger of community members regarding this issue. At 18h00, Kwezi Hall was packed with members of the Anti-Eviction Campaign and other Gugulethu residents with crowed estimates somewhere between 1,000-2,000.