Hundreds of people from the Landless People’s Movement and the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) gathered in central Johannesburg on Wednesday to protest against the slow delivery of services to the poor and the destitute.
About 1 600 people were expected to take part in the march to the Department of Home Affairs to hand over a memorandum requesting basic services that the APF believe have been ignored by the government for 20 years.
“There are people that have been living in shacks for 20 years, there are people that are homeless in their own communities … enough is enough and we are sick and tired,” said founder and chairperson of APF, Bricks Mokolo.
Dancing and singing along to struggle songs, 72-year-old Florence Mkhwashu from Soweto said: “We have had enough of struggling … People do not have houses. Those who put up something for themselves are forcibly removed.
“I personally had to deal with water and electricity cuts, although I always ensure that I pay for them every time I get my pension grant.”
The Landless People’s Movement had asked permission to march on August 29 and the APF had asked permission on September 12.
According to Silumko Radebe, spokesperson for the Landless People’s Movement, the state and the police had been trying to repress the march. Radebe said that the police had threatened the movement in a meeting on Tuesday, saying that if the march went ahead the police would be there to intimidate the crowds and perhaps “open fire” on them.
“But they gave us no legal reason for why we can’t march,” he said.
“The Gatherings Act requires organisations to notify authorities not later than seven days before the date of the event … In our case, they had more than three weeks’ [notice].”
“They did not get back to us until yesterday [Tuesday] … notifying us that the march will not be allowed to take place.”
A spokesperson for the SAPS said that metro police would be at the march to “monitor the situation”.
Eric Siswane, an unemployed 64-year-old, made the trip up to Johannesburg from the Eastern Cape to show his support.
“We have the same problems with housing in the Eastern Cape, even worse problems.”
Thandi Uxolo (19) lives with seven people in a two-bedroom house in District Six after being evicted from their house in Orange Farm. “In our place there are only streets and sharks. There’s no electricity, no water; we have to go to rivers that are diseased. When it rains our houses fill with water. We’re tired of paraffin; we want electricity.”
“[The government] keeps making promises that they don’t keep … My sister’s small child must sleep down on the floor because there is no space,” said Xolani Mnuni (21).
The memorandum, which is expected to be passed on to the mayoral committee of Johannesburg and Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu. The memorandum requests basic services such as electricity, 100% free water, sanitation and housing.
“Housing, water and electricity are a priority and come before the 2010 World Cup; people don’t care about soccer, they just want water,” said Mokolo.
Mokolo said that the apartheid government provides a poor standard of comparing municipality houses. “The size is 30m squared and eight to ten people live in that house … the apartheid government made houses that were 48m squared … it’s an insult and a sign of disrespect,” he said. - M&G
About 1 600 people were expected to take part in the march to the Department of Home Affairs to hand over a memorandum requesting basic services that the APF believe have been ignored by the government for 20 years.
“There are people that have been living in shacks for 20 years, there are people that are homeless in their own communities … enough is enough and we are sick and tired,” said founder and chairperson of APF, Bricks Mokolo.
Dancing and singing along to struggle songs, 72-year-old Florence Mkhwashu from Soweto said: “We have had enough of struggling … People do not have houses. Those who put up something for themselves are forcibly removed.
“I personally had to deal with water and electricity cuts, although I always ensure that I pay for them every time I get my pension grant.”
The Landless People’s Movement had asked permission to march on August 29 and the APF had asked permission on September 12.
According to Silumko Radebe, spokesperson for the Landless People’s Movement, the state and the police had been trying to repress the march. Radebe said that the police had threatened the movement in a meeting on Tuesday, saying that if the march went ahead the police would be there to intimidate the crowds and perhaps “open fire” on them.
“But they gave us no legal reason for why we can’t march,” he said.
“The Gatherings Act requires organisations to notify authorities not later than seven days before the date of the event … In our case, they had more than three weeks’ [notice].”
“They did not get back to us until yesterday [Tuesday] … notifying us that the march will not be allowed to take place.”
A spokesperson for the SAPS said that metro police would be at the march to “monitor the situation”.
Eric Siswane, an unemployed 64-year-old, made the trip up to Johannesburg from the Eastern Cape to show his support.
“We have the same problems with housing in the Eastern Cape, even worse problems.”
Thandi Uxolo (19) lives with seven people in a two-bedroom house in District Six after being evicted from their house in Orange Farm. “In our place there are only streets and sharks. There’s no electricity, no water; we have to go to rivers that are diseased. When it rains our houses fill with water. We’re tired of paraffin; we want electricity.”
“[The government] keeps making promises that they don’t keep … My sister’s small child must sleep down on the floor because there is no space,” said Xolani Mnuni (21).
The memorandum, which is expected to be passed on to the mayoral committee of Johannesburg and Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu. The memorandum requests basic services such as electricity, 100% free water, sanitation and housing.
“Housing, water and electricity are a priority and come before the 2010 World Cup; people don’t care about soccer, they just want water,” said Mokolo.
Mokolo said that the apartheid government provides a poor standard of comparing municipality houses. “The size is 30m squared and eight to ten people live in that house … the apartheid government made houses that were 48m squared … it’s an insult and a sign of disrespect,” he said. - M&G
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