20200512

1. Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Abahlali baseMjondolo
State Attacks Continue in Durban
Today the eThekwini Municipality’s notoriously violent Anti-
Land Invasion Unit and the equally notorious Calvin & Family
Security threatened residents in three occupations, and
destroyed homes in two occupations. In all cases they were
acting with the backup of the national and municipal police
forces.
The eKhenana occupation
They first went to the eKhenana occupation in Cato Crest and
threatened the residents. On 24 April we won an interdict
against the Municipality preventing them for carrying out illegal
evictions in this community.
We had previously secured an interdict against illegal evictions
in this community in February 2019 but we had to return to
court as the municipality was evicting in violation of this
interdict, the law, the Constitution and the lockdown
regulations.
Shortly after we secured the interdict against the eThekwini
Municipality on 24 April, Mr. Mkhize, the leader of the city’s
notorious Land Invasion Unit went to eKhenana to continue his
attack on the community. Mkhize went wild in anger at Abahlali
winning in court and fired live ammunition at the community

2. seriously injuring one person. This is not the first time that we
have been violently attacked after winning in court.
Our first attempts at opening a charge of attempted murder
against Mkhize were refused by the police but after a number of
attempts we were eventually successful. It is very worrying to
see that Mkhize has not been suspended and that he led the
team that intimidated and threatened residents today.
The Ekuphumeleleni occupation
Calvin & Family security, the South African Police Services and
the Durban Metro Police also visited the Ekuphumeleleni
occupation in Marianhill today. They took photographs,
threatened people and told them that they will be forcibly
removed to transit camps by the notorious local councillor,
Khekhe. They then proceeded to demolish two homes. There
was no court order and this was, therefore, an illegal eviction in
terms of the law as well as the lockdown regulations.
The Azania occupation
The Azania occupation in Cato Manor has suffered more than
forty state attacks since 2019. The attacks on this occupation
are ongoing. On 1 May 11 homes were demolished. On 5 May
17 homes were demolished. On 8 May 26 homes were
demolished and people’s belongings loaded onto a truck and
taken away. Today 14 homes were demolished and the
building materials, and people’s belongings, were burnt.

3.
People lost Sassa cards, ID cards, school books, school
uniforms, work clothes, clinic cards and medication in these
fires.
All these evictions are unlawful in terms of the Constitution, the
law and the lockdown regulations. We repeat that in Durban we
are dealing with a rogue municipality that is engaged in violent
and criminal attacks on impoverished black people on an
organised and systematic basis. We note that neither the
President nor the Minister of Human Settlements have
condemned these attacks or taken steps to stop them.
We demand an immediate end to these evictions, the
immediate suspension of Mkhize from the Anti-Land Invasion
Unit pending a full criminal investigation into the case that we
have opened of attempted murder, and the immediate
suspension of all activities by Calvin & Family Security pending
a full investigation into this company’s ongoing criminal
activities.