2009-07-23 15:05:00 – The Argus
Remember the grainy television images of the 1980s of rocks and burning tyres in the streets, angry people throwing stones and petrol bombs and policemen firing into crowds?
Those scenes depicted United Democratic Front structures making the country ungovernable.
But we saw those same scenes again this past week. Read the rest of this entry »
Below we have included information about Sunday’s anti-xenophobia meeting. But first, as the Anti-Eviction Campaign, we would like to express our concern over continued misrepresentation of its activists in the media.
An article written a few weeks ago in the Die Burger by Nurene Jassiem entitled Xenofobiese Geweld: Somaliers ‘kry steun’ incorrectly implied that AEC coordinator Mncedisi Twalo felt that Somalians were the cause of strife amongst local businesses. When contacted, they refused to apologise or retract the implication.
This week, Mncedisi was again misrepresented when City Vision journalist Linda Kubeni wrote an article saying that Mr. Twalo is the leader of the local Gugulethu Business Forum. As an chairperson of the Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign, this blatantly untrue statement undermines Mncedisi’s role as an independent mediator between local businesses and Somali traders. The xenophobia issue is a very sensitive matter and such untruths threaten to derail the mediation. As the AEC, we expect an immediate apology and correction. Read the rest of this entry »
Richard Pithouse – BusinessDay
Published: 2009/07/23 06:30:32 AM
DU NOON, Diepsloot, Dinokana, Khayelitsha, KwaZakhele, Masiphumelele, Lindelani, Piet Retief and Samora Machel. We are back, after a brief lull during the election, to road blockades, burnt-out police cars and the whole sorry mess of tear gas, stun grenades and mass arrests. Already this month, a girl has been shot in the head in KwaZakhele, three men have been shot dead in Piet Retief, and a man from Khayelitsha is in a critical condition. Read the rest of this entry »
July 21, 2009 Edition 1
ANÉL LEWIS – Cape Times
DISGRUNTLED residents of 15 informal settlements in Khayelitsha say they will protest “until Jesus comes” if the City of Cape Town does not respond to their demands to be relocated to sites with better living conditions.
And they have threatened to continue with service delivery protests.
Mthobeli Qona of informal housing lobby group Abahlali baseMjondolo said protesters would “make Khayelitsha and the city ungovernable” until the city council responded. Read the rest of this entry »
Published: 2009/07/22 06:26:27 AM – BusinessDay
SERVICE delivery protests have accelerated since April, in what may be an indication of growing impatience not long after the making of election campaign promises.
Winter has always been the peak protest season in SA. “Perhaps it’s because that’s when people are most uncomfortable,” says Karen Reese, an economist and co-founder of Municipal IQ, which monitors service delivery across municipalities.
Cape winters are particularly uncomfortable, accompanied by rain and misery, especially for shack dwellers. However, Anti-Privatisation Forum spokesman Dale McKinley feels it is wrong to believe that all protests are over lack of service, or that they come and go. Read the rest of this entry »
17 July 2009
Canaan Mdletshe – Sowetan
A GROUP representing the unemployed in KwaZulu-Natal has threatened to set townships alight and unleash an army of looters on shops unless all jobless people
UP IN ARMS: Unemployed people have vowed to destroy shops in KwaZulu-Natal if the government fails to meet their demands within seven days . PHOTO: THULI DLAMINI
received a basic income grant of R1500 a month.
National spokesperson for the SA Unemployed People’s Movement, Nozipho Mteshana, said a survey the group commissioned had uncovered more than 26million unemployed people in South Africa, more than half of the population.
The figures had gone up recently because of job losses from the economic meltdown.
Mteshana said the country would soon be in flames if the government failed to do something because people’s anger could not be contained much longer.
“We give our government and eThekwini municipality, which is our focus at this point, seven days to give us answers.” Read the rest of this entry »
Disgruntled informal settlement residents have given mayor Dan Plato two weeks to respond to their service delivery demands.
The residents, drawn from various communities in Khayelitsha and Macassar Village, on Monday marched from Keizersgracht Street to the City of Cape Town to demand, among other things, relocation to higher ground, as well as better housing and serviced land.
A new range of bucket toilets has caused a stink among Gugulethu residents, who set them alight in the street to underline their demands for better sanitation.
The toilets were introduced into the Tambo Square informal settlement community almost two months ago. Read the rest of this entry »
July 19, 2009 Edition 1
VUYO MABANDLA – Cape Argus
Hundreds of Samora Machel residents took to the streets chanting songs directed at the government for its lack of service delivery – and carrying a cake to mark Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday.
This was the latest in a number protests held over the past two weeks that have highlighted the plight of the poor who are demanding that the government deliver on its promises to build houses. Read the rest of this entry »
THE MACASSAR backyarders, propped up by a host of communities from Khayelitsha and Gugulethu, were expected to march to Mayor Dan Plato’s office this morning to demand delivery on services. The backyarders, who recently unsuccessfully attempted to invade city land, said the march was in support of their demand for land where they could put their shacks, among other things. Housing activist Mzonke Poni said yesterday that the communities planned to engage in “militant action” ahead of the march. – Staff Reporter
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