The shack dwellers’ movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo, has returned to court today in another matter contesting the eviction of poor black South Africans from land they have occupied.
Today's case is before the Mthatha High Court, where the group is defending residents of Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape. The Umzimvubu Municipality has filed eviction proceedings against residents occupying a piece of land near the town.
“For decades, most shack settlements have been in the big cities where people seek better opportunities,” said Abahlali baseMjondolo's Thapelo Mohapi. “However, with worsening impoverishment, hunger, and desperation, we are increasingly seeing people occupy land and build shacks in smaller municipalities.”
Mohapi argues that rural municipalities have failed to provide basic services, housing, or land to their residents. Instead, he says, corruption and indifference have taken root among officials. “In many rural municipalities, the main aim of the politicians and municipal officials is corruption. There is often no commitment to providing land, housing, services, and livelihoods for the people.”
The group claimed that earlier this month the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed an application by the KwaDukuza Municipality and the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association, which sought to evict informal settlers from what they described as "prime land" on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.
Mohapi condemned the ongoing evictions, particularly in light of the government's recent legislative actions. “The hypocrisy of the ANC continues. On one hand, they have signed the Expropriation Bill into law, and on the other, they continue to evict the poor in the cities,” he stated. “They talk about rural land reform in the abstract while violently repressing urban land reform from below.”
The organisation is currently involved in several court cases across the country. It will be defending residents of Hillary in the Durban High Court and the community of Shaka’s Head in Pietermaritzburg in the coming days.