20200401

1. Sekwanele! Enough is enough!
We as the Women's League of Abahlali baseMjondolo see the
need to express our pain and fear, and our deep
disappointment and anger at the eThekwini municipality. We
need to issue a clear warning that we will not continue to
accept oppression.
Abahlali as a movement teaches respect. Men must respect
women. People of different generations must respect each
other. People who are born in different countries and people
who speak different languages at home must respect each
other. We have struggled for years in our movement to ensure
that poor people are treated with respect. In this crisis caused
by the corona virus we have respected the President’s call to
stay indoors even though this is very difficult when there are
many people living in one shack, and even though this is very
difficult when we don’t get paid when we don’t work.
It has been promised by national government that there will be
no evictions during the lockdown. But by day five of the
lockdown the eThekwini Municipality had already attacked us,
violently, and unlawfully, three times. They destroyed our
homes and left many people injured. It is very sad and
unjustifiable what they are continuing to do to us as
impoverished people. They are undermining us and rendering
our rights useless even during this time of darkness, not only in
our country but even globally. Is this happening because we
are not counted as human? Is this happening because we do

2. not count as citizens of this country? Is this happening because
we do not have rights as shack dwellers?
Sizokuthola nini ukuphumula ezweni lethu uma sihlukumezwa
kanje?
How are we going to be indoors while our houses are being
demolished? Some of us we are single parents who not
working. We can't afford to buy more building material after the
securities, armed men sent by the government, have broken
and burnt it.
As women we have been denied the right to housing. Even
when we build our own houses they are destroyed. Housing is
not possible without land and we are denied the right to land.
We have been oppressed by the Kings in our rural areas. You
are denied access to land if you are a single mother. We have
moved to the city and now we are still facing the same
oppression from the eThekwini Municipality.
It is really so sad for a single mother and her children to be
chased away from their homes at this very hard time. It is such
a humiliation. What must a mother say to her children? It is
such an embarrassment to our government. What happened to
the ‘women empowerment’ that the President of the party in
power promised us at the beginning of the year? It is clear to us
that this ‘women empowerment’ is not for us. When we work to
empower ourselves securities are sent to attack us.

3. We are afraid of the corona virus, but there is no virus worse
than not having a place to stay. There is no virus worse than
armed men attacking and destroying your home. There is no
virus worse than armed men shooting at your family, including
children and old people. There is no virus worse than having to
sleep outside, where there is always the fear of rape. There is
no virus worse than our children waking up at night crying and
shouting in fear.
We say that enough is enough. The struggle for land and
dignity in the cities goes back more than a hundred years. Our
struggle to occupy land, build homes and defend our dignity
was the struggle of the Industrial and Commercial Workers’
Union. It was the struggle of the United Democratic Front. We
do not want this struggle to also be the struggle of our children.
It is enough.
We have buried our children and husbands as a result of these
violent evictions. Right now, some of our men are in hospital, or
at home with serious injuries. The brutality of the SAPS,
municipal security, private security, the Red Ants and the Anti
Land Invasion Unit has taken too many lives and left too many
people injured. The blood of too many innocent people has
been spilt. It is enough.
Ukubekezela kwethu sekuphelile. Isibindi sethu siqinile.
Our movement organises the oppressed and projects the voice
of the voiceless, the voice of the landless and homeless people

4. of our country. Since it was established in 2005 we have been
invited to a variety of different meetings by the departments of
housing and land affairs, as well as municipalities, regarding
the issues of land distribution and evictions. We have been to
many meetings but not even one of those meetings has helped
us with resolutions of the eviction situation we are facing. Why
are we still invited to those meetings if our ideas and views are
not going to be taken to consideration? It is enough.
After fifteen years of struggle we continue to face unending
evictions, relocations, the demolition of our vital belongings, the
demolition of our houses, threats to our members and leaders,
and killings. It is enough.
Now in this crisis, as we speak, we don't know how to make
sure that we stay safe from the corona virus. Some of us don't
have even food to put on the table because we're self-
employed. Those of us who are street vendors are already
devastated by the lockdown. Now we're stressed about where
we are going to rebuild our children’s homes. We are stressed
that when we do rebuild the securities will return to attack us
again and destroy our homes again. It is enough.
As the Abahlali baseMjondolo Women’s League we will hold
the government responsible for anyone who will die because of
the corona virus since we told our children to stay indoors and
to wash their hands. But where are they going to practice this
hygiene if they are homeless? We built homes for our children.
It was the municipality that destroyed them. It is enough.

5.
The Government is always saying that he is worried about
Gender Based Violence but he sends armed men to attack us
and leave women and children homeless and destitute. If there
is any rape or murder of a women or a child who has been
made homeless in these attacks we will hold the government
responsible since he doesn’t care about our safety. He is even
sending the SANDF to victimise impoverished people across
the country. It is enough.
As Abahlali baseMjondolo Women’s League we think that this
21 day shutdown has been implemented with a top down
approach. Why we were not told on time to prepare ourselves?
Why were we not included in decision making so that our
suggestions could be included in the planning? The
government is always deciding for us like we can’t think for
ourselves. It is enough.
It is not right that blood must still be shed for the land that our
fathers and mothers fought for so that we could live without
fear. For how long are we going to live with fear and tears in
our only homes? This is a war against the poor. It is enough.
We will act.
How many lives must we lose during evictions? How many
husbands must we lose? How many children must we lose?
Each and every human life counts as a human life. Rich or poor
a human is a human.

6. Senzeni na?
When the President says that "our people should remain
indoors" but our homes are destroyed it becomes clear to us
that we are not classified as people of this nation. When the
President addresses the nation he speaks as if the role of the
government is to protect its citizens yet the same government is
the cause of harm and despair for its citizens. The way we are
treated as women during evictions is so humiliating, disgusting
and devastating.
Women have too much work on their shoulders. If you are a
women you have to go to work after work because you take
care of your family and do cooking and chores. But in these
communities who are currently facing these illegal evictions you
also have to figure out how are you going to rebuild your
children's home. On top of that when these illegal evictions
occur the securities abuse us and our children like nobody's
business. There is always sexual harassment and assault.
They beat us up very badly. They don’t care whether you're
carrying a baby or not. As a result of this brutality some of us
end up finding it very difficult to receive grant money because
our Sassa cards are being destroyed along with all our other
belongings. Some of us are defaulting on our treatment
because our medication and clinic cards are destroyed so our
health is at risk. Some of us experience miscarriages.
Sometimes we even lose our partners.
We as the Abahlali Women's League call upon the President to

7. end his silence on the attacks on our movement, and all the
other abuse from the police and the army against poor people
across the country, including three murders. He must give us
the answers. When will this violence and abuse stop? How are
those of us who have been evicted going to spend 21 days
without shelter? Where do they really want us to go at this
critical time? We have complied with the request of the
President of the country. However, if the eThekwini Municipality
can't respect us we won't tolerate their disrespect. We will act.