Published at 13h36 on Sept 15, 2008
The City has, as they always do these days, seized the opportunity of the disastrous Foreman Road fire, to send in the bulldozers and turn the Foreman Road settlement into one of their notorious transit camps. There has been no consultation at all and residents are, right now, organising to resist.
The transit camps can take 3 months or longer to build while residents, especially if supported with building materials, can rebuild a whole settlement in a week. Transit camps are clearly just a ruse to render a long standing occupation ‘temporary’ and thus weaken people’s hold on the land and make them much more vulnerable to forced removal.
This is the same strategy that was used in Ash Road after the flood and in Jadhu Place after the fire. It was also used after the floods in New Orleans in America. Kennedy Road successfully resisted it after the recent fires. All over Durban and KZN and around the world disasters are being exploited to drive the poor out of the cities.
Mnikelo Ndabankulu is on the scene: 0797450653
Abahlali baseMjondolo demands that all municipalities upgrade the settlements where they are. The movement opposes all forced removals and evictions. The movement opposes the exploitation of disasters by the government to further its notorious apartheid style ‘slum eradication’ agenda. Shack settlements must be supported not eradicated. Slum clearance is just another attempt to drive the poor out of the cities.
Stumble It!
