South African Evictions: Chatsworth

Russell Grinker grinker at mweb.co.za
Wed Feb 9 05:06:55 PST 2000


from Heinrich Bohmke, Durban


>
>Dear Debaters
>
>I include a posting I tried to send yesterday, for those who may be
>following this issue on the list. It contains a pamphlet/press release
from
>the oddly and hastily-christened Concerned Citizens' Group (CCG).
>
>The CCG is an organisation
>that started off as, I guess, a front to mobilize Indian voter support for
>the ANC before 1999, using the device of a survey into the conditions of
>people living in certain very poor units of Chatsworth, but which
>then mutated under the pressure of its own findings to become so radical
>that the ANC now condemns it as being reactionary. (That the last sentence
>actually makes perfect sense is frightening).
>
>Together with local civic organisations, which have risen up to meet it,
the
>CCG has, amongst other things, since done fantastic work in stopping the
>evictions of indigent people all across Durban in all communities.
>
>The latest is but another episode in an ongoing battle with a muncipality
>made the richest in the country by all the real estate garnered from forced
>removals. It is highly probable that some of the people earmarked for
>eviction now are from families shifted under apartheid. The only
>difference, and one so sickening that no amount of macro-economics can
>explain it away, is that, whereas an avowedly anti-Black and anti-poor NP
>dominated muncipality shifted people to townships like Chatsworth in the
>past, the effect of the just-as-ruthlessly- pursued evictions of an ANC
>dominated municipality is that people are shifted into the further
>degradation of shacks and pavements.
>
>Trickle down.
>
>In line with the concluding paragraph of the press release below, I
>suppose the best that can be done is to facilitate this "message" and
others
>like it that are already out there in some form - being exchanged. Perhaps
>we may formulate a few messages of, dare I say, resistance of our own.
>
>Greetings
>
>
>Heinrich Bohmke
>
>
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: Ramesh Harcharan <harcharanr at mtb.und.ac.za>
>> > To: <che at law.co.za>
>> > Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2000 5:59 PM
>> > Subject: Press Release Evictions Chatsworth
>> >
>> >
>> > > Early on Tuesday morning 8 February the security corps of the Council
>> > > armed with teargas, dogs and semi-automatic weapons moved into 26
>> > > Stork Place, Unit 2 Chatsworth. They were backed up by City Police
and
>> > > the local SAPS. Their objective was to effect an eviction of a tenant
>> > > that the council considered "illegal".
>> > >
>> > > The "illegal" was one Mr. Emmanuel Fani Mhlongo, 41 years old. It
>> > > turns out that Mr. Mhlongo, was a resident of the area for the last
9
>> > > years. Not at home at the time the armed corps produced a ladder and
>> > > prepared to smash their way into Mr. Mhlongo's first floor flat. As
>> > > the council security force got organised groups of residents started
>> > > to gather. Mainly women, they proceeded to form a human chain. A very
>> > > tense standoff ensued for over a hour. An attempt was made to wrench
>> > > the ladder away. The security edged closer with their semi- automatic
>> > > weapons. Do you know that whips are back in vogue? Some "aunties"
>> > > were hit and the dogs let loose.
>> > >
>> > > But the people regrouped and the crowd grew. Hundreds. Some local
>youths,
>> > > some would call them gangsters, also swelled the ranks. Frustrated by
>> > > the determination of the resistance one of the
>> > > policeman remarked why the residents were standing up for an African.
>This
>> > > led
>> > > to a howl of abuse from the crowd. Clearly Mr. Mhlongo was a valued
>> > > and respected member of the community. One resident asked-'how could
>> > > Mr. Mhlongo be illegal if he was living in the flat for 9 years and
>> > > the community clearly wanted him to remain '. There was no answer.
>> > >
>> > > Mr. Mhlongo arrived just as the security force was retreating after
>> > > receiving an 'instruction' that our hastily arranged lawyers had
>rushed
>> > > to court to take some or other half-baked technical point that would
>> > > nevertheless save him. For now. He was
>> > > elated. The community was relieved
>> > > but wary that the security would return late at night, as is their
>habit,
>> > > like the security branch of old.
>> > >
>> > > In the same economically depressed area, hundreds more evictions are
>> > > planned. And so: It is here that "Indo- African" relations are
being
>built.
>> > > It is here that the poor are uniting around common deprivation. It is
>here
>> > > civic organisations are once again resurrecting themselves to protect
>the
>> > > little they have.
>> > >
>> > > This community has 65% unemployment. Many are relatively recent
>> > > victims of the government's macro-economic policy that has led to
>> > > thousands of job losses in the clothing industry. With "job-loss
>growth"
>> > > and the continuing spiral of retrenchments, many of these people will
>> > > never work again. To adopt policies which you know will harm them
>> > > and then to evict them is nothing short of evil. One feels at times
>like
>> > these
>> > > that it is the perpertrators of these actions that deserve to be
>confronted
>> > > with force.
>> > >
>> > > The Concerned Citizens Group, lead by Prof Fatima Meer, condemns the
>> > > evictions and is determined to resist all evictions in Durban. Our
>suggestion is
>> > > that the Council use its
>> > > resources to build these emergent non-racial communities rather than
>> > > re-racialise and destroy them.
>> > >
>> > > If such a constructive approach is impossible because of central
>government's
>> > > fiscal policies, then central government must be opposed by those on
>> > > Council who claim to represent the people being evicted and those who
>> > > are soon likely to be.
>> > >
>> > > But there are bigger questions raised by the events in Chatsworth for
>> > > all progressives to start asking.
>> > > How are we to react to these instances of militant uprisings against
>"law
>> > > and order"? Do we channel them through the institutions of the law
>courts,
>> > > the CCMA, the Human Rights Commission, the Churches, the rent
offices,
>> > > the local offices of the RDP, oops, Gear? Do we get into committees
>which
>> > > naturalize our poverty and explain our expolitation away? Do we have
>> > marches
>> > > to let of steam and thereafter have political leaders remonstrate
with
>our
>> > > "ringleaders" for lacking discipline?
>> > >
>> > > Or do we seek ways of expanding these struggles for bare survival to
>wider
>> > > and wider audiences? Do we seek to link up with persons everywhere
>who
>> > > have suffered enough - bond boycotters, rates defaulters, striking
>workers,
>> > > disgruntled voters, opposers of privatisation, anti-neo-liberal
>> > > intellectuals, the hungry, poor and other "anti-social elements"? The
>CCG
>> > > has embarked on the latter strategy because, stupidly, we have tried
>> > > the others and they have failed totally. Now, first we must confront
>the
>> > > impossibility of ever living that "better life for all" that was the
>goal of our
>> > > struggle, if things continue as they are. Next we must take steps to
>attain
>> > > those things that would make for a better life: like, for a start,
>> > electricity,
>> > > water, housing, enough food, education, proper health care, human
>> dignity.
>> > >
>> > > When have we ever let men with guns and dogs - stop us before?
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > for further info call Ramesh at 261 - 9301 (code 031)
>
>



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