Sutcliffe’s Dirty Tricks Will Not Keep Us from Marching in Our City Tomorrow

Sunday, 21 March 2010 – Human Rights Day
Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Release

Our political rights are always taken from us with technical arguments.

When we are evicted we are always told that it is because the land is ‘too steep’, the soil is ‘not right’ and so on. Of course once our shacks are demolished flats or businesses for the rich are quickly built on the same land that we were told was ‘unsafe’ for us.

When we are denied bail we are always told that it is because the police ‘need time to complete their investigations’, or even to ‘type documents.’ This is how it goes.

Media: Calls for Cape Town officials to spend a night in Blikkiesdorp

Malungelo Booi | 1 November 2009 | EyewitnessNews

Homeless Cape Town residents who’ve been relocated from the pavements of Symphony Way to Blikkiesdorp, near Delft in the Western Cape, are challenging Premier Helen Zille to spend a night in their community.

The residents are complaining about service delivery, saying they don’t have running water or functioning toilets.

Media: Residents protest for service delivery in Mfuleni

Nathan Adams | Eyewitness News

Residents of the Los Angeles informal settlement near Mfuleni in Cape Town, have staged a service delivery protest, demanding basic services like water and electricity.

The protest forced police to block off the Old Faure Road.

Media- The real winners and losers: of the beautiful game

Source: Sunday Herald

SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa’s 2010 world cup looms amidst a rising tide of anger and protest among the poor majority of South African citizensFrom Fred Bridgland in Johannesburg

SOUTH AFRICA’S 2010 World Cup looms amidst a rising tide of anger and protest among the poor majority of South African citizens From Fred Bridgland in Johannesburg IN just 306 days the 2010 World Cup will kick off in South Africa at a cost to the host government and FIFA, world football’s governing body, of at least £4 billion. When the month-long football fest is over, South Africans will be left with 10 magnificent state-of-the-art stadiums.

Opinion: People are demanding public service, not service delivery

Steven Friedman – BusinessDay
Published: 2009/07/29 07:03:31 AM

TOWNSHIP citizens are protesting not because they want “service delivery” but because they want to escape it.

The current round of grassroots protests — which have been happening for three-and-a- half years but are now receiving some rare attention from our public debate — may have done us an immense service by prompting voices to warn against the claim that the protesters are demanding “service delivery”.

Media: ‘Rivalry and negligence’ to blame

By Vuyo Mabandla – Weekend Argus

25 July 2009, 08:47

Residents in Cape Town’s informal settlements say political rivalry and negligence by leaders over a number of years, – and not direct political influence – are behind the spate of violent protests in the city in the past few weeks.

Residents of QQ section in Site B, Khayelitsha, said provincial, municipal and local leaders dating to former mayor Nomaindia Mfeketho’s time in office, had done nothing but “fight over positions and not attend (to) the people’s troubles”.

Delivery protests growing more political

Published: 2009/07/22 06:26:27 AM – BusinessDay

SERVICE delivery protests have accelerated since April, in what may be an indication of growing impatience not long after the making of election campaign promises.

Winter has always been the peak protest season in SA. “Perhaps it’s because that’s when people are most uncomfortable,” says Karen Reese, an economist and co-founder of Municipal IQ, which monitors service delivery across municipalities.

Cape winters are particularly uncomfortable, accompanied by rain and misery, especially for shack dwellers. However, Anti-Privatisation Forum spokesman Dale McKinley feels it is wrong to believe that all protests are over lack of service, or that they come and go.

Media: ‘Meet our service delivery demands, Plato’

By Francis Hweshe –  Cape Argus –

Photo taken by Cape Argus. Click here for additional photos
July 21 2009 at 01:33pm

Disgruntled informal settlement residents have given mayor Dan Plato two weeks to respond to their service delivery demands.

The residents, drawn from various communities in Khayelitsha and Macassar Village, on Monday marched from Keizersgracht Street to the City of Cape Town to demand, among other things, relocation to higher ground, as well as better housing and serviced land.

Media: ‘It’s a shame elderly people are still living in such appalling conditions’

July 19, 2009 Edition 1

VUYO MABANDLA – Cape Argus

Hundreds of Samora Machel residents took to the streets chanting songs directed at the government for its lack of service delivery – and carrying a cake to mark Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday.

This was the latest in a number protests held over the past two weeks that have highlighted the plight of the poor who are demanding that the government deliver on its promises to build houses.

Opinion – Protests a warning: Roll out delivery, and quickly

July 19, 2009 Edition 1 – Cape Argus
Wonder Cyril Mlitwa

The recent strikes by construction workers and other sectors, especially the health sector, where doctors went on strike, are proof we are facing a volatile situation that will need urgent attention from senior government officials.

There is also unrest in several communities where people protest against lack of service delivery. This proves people are running out of patience and they expect the pre-election promises to be fulfilled.