Anti-Eviction communities join the Mitchell’s Plain Backyarders at the High Court

1 June 2011

Anti-Eviction communities who are facing eviction and whose homes have been flooded by the recent rains (more on this soon), are joining backyarders from Tafelsig who are at the Cape High Court today.

Hundreds of backyarders who have set up a new settlement in an open field in Tafelsig which they have aptly called New Horizons will be at the High Court today. They will be defending themselves against eviction by the City of Cape Town which has decided that the poor shall have no right to security of tenure in the entire Metropole – even though there is plenty of unused and misused land all over the City.

Media: Joe Slovo residents defy move to Delft

21 June 2009, 13:32

By Nwabisa Msutwana-Stemela

Source: Mercury

Tension is mounting in Langa near Cape Town as informal settlers from Joe Slovo slowly fill up every available piece of open land in the more established areas.

Argus: Joe Slovo residents defy move to Delft

June 21 2009 at 01:32PM

By Nwabisa Msutwana-Stemela

Tension is mounting in Langa near Cape Town as informal settlers from Joe Slovo slowly fill up every available piece of open land in the more established areas.

Joe Slovo residents, many of whom were moved to make way for the Gateway project and who do not want to move to residential units in Delft, have settled in other parts of Langa in their hundreds and erected shacks.

More move in almost every day and some Langa residents have now called for the authorities and community leaders to intervene.

Macassar: if the state can’t provide, people must be allowed to build themselves

Cape Times – May 26, 2009 Edition 1

Martin Legassick
Opinion: Too few houses, too many people to house

On Tuesday last week, backyarders in Macassar, desperate for homes, built shacks on municipal land on a field adjoining the N2 – and were illegally evicted by Cape Town’s Anti-Land Invasion unit, together with the SAPS and Metro Police.

Their building materials were confiscated and taken off in a truck. In the process, four people, including a two-year old child, were wounded by police rubber bullets, four people – including myself – were taken into custody and three of these charged with public violence.

Land Occupation and the Limits of Party Politics

Date posted: 25 May 2009
View this article online here: http://sacsis.org.za/site/article/290.1

In the recent election the DA, together with COPE, made much of their intention to defend the rule of the law. But while the dust thrown up in that election is still settling, the City of Cape Town is already engaged in violent and unlawful behaviour towards its most vulnerable citizens.

Ongoing Defiance of State Criminality at Macassar Village

Abahlali baseMjondolo Western Cape
23 May 2009

The land at Macassar Village was first occupied on Tuesday. The shacks that were built that night were demolished very early the next morning. Every day since then the people have rebuilt their structures to protect themselves at night, sometimes in the rain. Early every morning the police and municipal officials come have come and intimidated people, demolished people’s structures and confiscated our building material.

Bankruptcy of responses to Macassar land occupation underlines Western Cape housing crisis

By Martin Legassick

21/5/2009

For more pictures including the ongoing camping by residents, click here.

land occupations in Macassar

On Tuesday 19th backyarders in Macassar, desperate for homes, built shacks on municipal land on a field adjoining the N2 – and were illegally evicted by Cape Town’s DA Helen-Zille-inspired Anti-Land Invasion unit, together with SAPS and Metro Police. Their building materials were confiscated and taken off in a truck. In the process four people (including a 2-year old child) were unnecessarily wounded by police rubber bullets, four people (including myself) were unnecessarily taken into custody and three of these wrongfully charged with public violence.

The Macassar Village land occupation continues…

Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape Press Release
Friday 22 May 2009

The Macassar Village land occupation continues…

Tonight we spend our fourth night on this land. It is cold and rainy tonight but we will stand where we sleep! We will rebuild once again! We will not leave this land. This is our land, not because we are greedy, but because everyone needs some land and housing to provide a permanent home for their families. Backyards are not permanent nor adequate. They are oppressive.

Media: Land awarded to Macassar Village residents

Macassar invaders stay put

Regan Thaw | 20 May 2009

Source: Eye Witness News

Dozens of backyard dwellers who invaded a piece of land in Macassar Village have vowed not to move until their grievances are addressed.

Macassar people won their victory on land occupation

Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape Press Release

20 May, 2009

People from Macassar Village finally won their victory on land occupation, today would have been the third day of sleeping outside if the victory was not won.

During the day today the Superintendent from Macassar Police station asked people to elect four people to go to negotiate with a local ward counselor for a piece of land which is nearby the land that people had occupied, after 3 hours of negotiation between people and the ward counselor it was agreed that people can build on that land which is 10 miters away from the land that people had occupied.

As we speak people are busy building their structures and Dan Plato is expected to arrive tomorrow early in the morning with few municipal officials to hand over the land officially to the people of Macassar Village and the anti land invasion is also expected to return the building material that they have demolished and confiscated from people illegally.

Power to the people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And as Abahlali baseMjondolo we want to know that this is the begging of many activities of building communities from below.   And we want to clarify that we don’t occupy the land, we only establish our selves and this is people centered process.

Three people that were arrested and charged with public violence are released with a warning to appear in court on the 11th of June 2009.

For more info call 073 2562 036