Thousands of people from across South Africa gathered at the weekend in Durban to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of Abahlali baseMjondolo.
About 5,000 members of Abahlali baseMjondolo travelled from informal settlements across the country to celebrate the movement’s two decades of activism at Curries Fountain Stadium in Durban at the weekend.
Abahlali, which now has more than 15,000 members, organises shack dwellers to resist forced evictions, reclaim land and fight for access to basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation and waste removal.
From its inception in 2005, Abahlali has described itself as “a democratic movement building power from below”.
In his opening address, Abahlali general secretary Thapelo Mohapi reflected on the movement’s history of resistance. “Our movement has played a significant role in fighting for the dignity of the poor. We have stood up against evictions, against forced removals, against the denial of basic services,” he said. Mohapi also paid tribute to members who have died in struggles against forced removals.
“Two months ago, a 19-month-old was burnt alive in a fire in an informal settlement in Kennedy Road in Durban,” Mohapi said, highlighting the risks posed by a lack of proper infrastructure.
Abahlali has taken numerous battles to court on behalf of shack dwellers. Mohapi referred to a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling last year that the City of Cape Town had acted unlawfully when it demolished shacks using “counter-spoliation” in 2020.
Patrick Mapanza, from Vusimuzi informal settlement in Thembisa, said he had travelled from Ekurhuleni to attend the celebration. “Since joining Abahlali, we have also been able to gain some basic infrastructure, such as communal taps,” he said.
Siphokazi Njawuza, deputy chairperson of Abahlali’s Mbentle Mount Ayliff branch in the Eastern Cape, said shack dwellers continue to face evictions with nowhere else to go.
Chwaita Ludziya came from the small informal settlement of Dubuza in Durban “We face constant evictions from our homes,” she said. “But [the government] won’t give us anywhere else to go.”
Abahlali’s general secretary, Thapelo Mohapi, addressed members, reflecting on the movement’s history of resistance.
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