Abahlali baseMjondolo march in Durban over housing issues
Since Freedom Day is approaching on Sunday, the movement said they would not be celebrating, citing unaddressed concerns.
Speaking to The South African, Bongiwe Mpanda, a protester, said there's no freedom as they are still living in shacks.
Mpanda expressed, 'We won't be celebrating Freedom Day on Sunday, as we are still not free.'
'We don't have any proper housing; we still live in shacks and we don't have any jobs, so we want the municipality to answer us.'
The president of Abahlali baseMjondolo, Sibusiso Zikode, highlighted some of the issues they were facing, which are landlessness, poor housing, unemployment, jobs that don't pay enough and a lack of service delivery.
'Today, municipalities are forcefully removing us from the land of our ancestors. We want land, decent housing, dignity, upgrading of shack settlements where we currently live and not forced removals.'
'We also want provision of basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation in all our settlements,' he said.
Zikode added that the community of Enduduzweni in Umlazi township had suffered for too long in the hands of the eThekwini municipality, Department of Social Development, now Public Works, who sold land to Mangosuthu University of Technology.
Additionally, he criticised the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements in KwaZulu-Natal, Siboniso Duma, for prioritising transport issues over human settlements.
'He does not have time for shacks. He only has time for shacks. The government should give us a new MEC for human settlements in KwaZulu-Natal.'
'We are not saying roads are not important, but who's going to use those roads while people don't have decent housing?' he questioned.
Zikode said they were forced to write a letter to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, as the MEC for COGTA, Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi, ignored them after writing multiple letters requesting assistance.
'The KwaDukuza Municipality is doing as it pleases. They are working with the wealthy white people and black Boers,' he stated.
Minister of COGTA, Velenkosini Hlabisa, said he acknowledged the issues Abahlali baseMjondolo are facing.
'We are going to have a meeting with the leaders of the movement to come up with a solution,' the minister said.
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