R2K Statement: eThekwini Municipality must respect our constitutional right to access decent housing!
The Right2Know Campaign strongly condemns the inhumane action taken by eThekwini Municipality against the residents of eKhenana in Cato Crest which may have resulted in the death of Senzo Gumede, an AbM member on Sunday.
Although his death is not confirmed to be directly linked to the evictions it is reported that Gumede was leading the struggle and has received a lot of threats from the ANC in the area.
According to Abahlali baseMjondolo, eThekwini Municipality has been demolishing and even burning down people homes in that area as of October this year.
The City has no court order and has not provided an alternative accommodation for eKhenana residents as required by the law, so we view these evictions as unlawful. It is in this regard that we support AbM which filed an urgent court application yesterday to prevent the evictions.
We are outraged by the victimization of poor people who are battling to access affordable housing in this country. R2K fully supports the right of all South Africans, and more especially women and children to access affordable housing. We have witnessed with grave concern on how people are being violently evicted from their homes, often without due process and relevant information to protect their rights.
As we enter the new year, we call on the government to prioritise access to affordable housing. We cannot afford to act as if it’s business as usual when marginalised communities are being ignored by elected representatives. We are tired of lip-service, we want practical delivery, participatory consultation and access to relevant information, especially around providing decent housing for the poor. 2019 national elections should be focused on eradicating homelessness and poverty in this country.
Lastly, the government must take stance against paranoid, unaccountable and corrupt municipal officials who are hellbent on trampling on our rights.
……END……..
For further comment contact:
Sinenhlanhla Manqele, R2K NWG Member: 074 438 4697
Ngazini Ngidi, R2K NWG Member: 073 555 6455
Busi Mtabane, R2K National Communicator: 083 329 7844
