Informal Economy Watch
South Africans oppose measures to clear shack settlements
War on Want's South African partner organisation Abahlali baseMjondolo (ABM) was featured in a 12 June article in The Guardian on South Africa's preparations for the 2010 World Cup. Programmes Officer Wendy Willems visited the group last month to discuss their struggle against the government's plans to evict shack-dwellers from their homes.
As South Africa prepares for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the government has made plans to develop 'World Class Cities'. New pieces of legislation such as the Slums Act in KwaZulu-Natal Province seek to eliminate slums, which has resulted in an increasing number of evictions of shack dwellers from their homes. While a range of soccer stadiums are being constructed or upgraded at high cost to meet the requirements of the football tournament, poor South Africans continue to live in appalling conditions.
In these short films, activists from two War on Want partner organisations, Durban-based shack dweller movement Abahlali baseMjondolo and the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, describe the impact of preparations for the World Cup on their on their community.
Read more: South Africans oppose measures to clear shack settlements
