Shack dwellers in Durban
Country: South Africa | Partner: Abahlali baseMjondolo KwaZulu Natal
Aims
- To oppose demolitions and evictions, which have left thousands of shack dwellers homeless
- To secure shack dwellers access to essential services such as clean water, electricity, sanitation, health care and a decent education
- To develop the job skills of shack dwellers, particularly women and youth
- To campaign and lobby at the national level for the legal rights and protection of shack dwellers
Successes
- Abahlali successfully challenged and overturned in the Constitutional Court the draconian KwaZulu-Natal Slums Act, which gave city officials the authority to evict shack dwellers
- Abahlali has prevented evictions as well as the demolitions of many shacks through legal interventions, protest marches and grassroots campaigning
- The organisation has assisted in the rebuilding of homes illegally destroyed by municipal authorities, and has helped those left homeless rebuild their lives
- To support shack dwellers without adequate financial means, Abahlali has successfully petitioned for the abolition of rent in many settlements
- With its strong focus on developing the skills of its thousands of members, Abahlali has set up numerous training programmes, educational courses and activity groups
The facts
- In the eThekwini municipality, which includes the city of Durban, almost half of the African population – and one third of the general population – live in a shack
- The eThekwini authorities have systematically cracked down on Abahlali, both by introducing the Slums Act, which Abahlali overturned in court, and by denying Abahlali the right to march
The Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement was established in 2005 to promote the rights of shack dwellers in and around the city of Durban, South Africa. War on Want supports the Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement, which is sustained by tens of thousands of shack dwellers in the region and has emerged as an effective and powerful voice for the poor.
Photo credit: Abahlali baseMjondolo
South African shack dwellers face a range of social problems, from a lack of clean water and electricity in their homes to inadequate health care and a subpar education system. These problems have been exacerbated by the Provincial Government, which passed a law to 'eradicate' all slums by 2014. This law was challenged and overturned in the Constitutional Court by Abahlali. However, evictions have continued and as South Africa prepares for the 2010 World Cup, authorities have stepped up their campaign of intimidation against the poor through arrests, beatings and the forced removals of hundreds from their homes to temporary settlements.
To counter government measures and improve basic social services, a shack dwellers movement has coalesced under the umbrella group Abahlali baseMjondolo, which in Zulu means “people living in shacks”. The movement, which is comprised of tens of thousands of people from over 40 shack settlements concentrated in the area around Durban, has organised protests against forced evictions and demanded improved social services.
The movement has also initiated a variety of local projects to benefit the community, including computer training workshops, art classes, sport leagues and a book collective.
Abahlali baseMjondolo recently launched projects geared towards two groups that are especially vulnerable to poverty and state-based repression – women and youth.
A growing movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo has built partnerships with shack dweller collectives throughout South Africa, and has recently built links with similar groups in neighbouring Zimbabwe and in countries as far away as Haiti. War on Want is proud to the efforts of Abahlali baseMjondolo towards building a mass movement fighting for the rights of landless and poor in South Africa.
You can read more about Abahlali baseMjondolo by visiting their website.
