Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign

Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Statement
25 October, 2009

Tomorrow (Monday) morning at about 09h30, the Gugulethu Anti-Eviction Campaign will be holding a mass protest outside the new Gugulethu Square Mall.  Mzoli Ngcawuzele, Group 5 and Old Mutual have ignored residents pleas for local job creation.

Despite a Jobs@Gugs P.R. campaign by Mzoli, most of the jobs in the new mall are going to outsiders even though there are plenty of residents without jobs who are also qualified.
We also know that some of the ward councillors have been allowing their friends such as someone named Sipho Kuse to sell jobs at the mall.  This mall is clearly a corrupt partnership between local government and big business.  First they sell off our land for 11.70 Rand as reported in the M&G; then the government helps rich men like Tokyo Sexwale (through Group 5) get even richer.

But if residents of Gugulethu are having their livelihoods destroyed by this new monstrosity of a mall, the least Mzoli, Shoprite, Cashbuild, etc could do is guarantee jobs for unemployed residents like ourselves.

This is why we are demanding that 80% of all jobs at the Guguletu Square Mall must be given to locals in a transparent (not in a corrupt) manner.

This is why we, the Guguelthu Anti-Eviction Campaign, decided in a mass meeting this afternoon, that we will stop the opening of the mall which we have heard is set for the 28th/29th of October.  If Mzoli continues to refuse to give jobs to local residents, the mass protest that will begin tomorrow will continue into the week preventing the mall from opening ontime.

This is why we say: No Jobs, No Vote! No Jobs, No Mall!

For more information, please contact:

Mncedisi 078 580 8646
Pule 073 644 8919
Mbulelo 073 674 7077