1. Tuesday, 9 July 2019
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement
Baby Khwezi Mlingo Is No More
Last night at about 8pm a 2-year-old baby girl, Khwezi Mlingo
was left in the house in the eNkanini land occupation with her
two brothers, one is 7 years and the other is 12 years.
The mother of the 3, Mbali Mlingo was still on her way back
from work. She had asked the neighbour who is running a
creche nearby to check on her kids. The father had left to work
for his night shift duties. The self-connected electricity went off
and the neighbour helped to light the candle. The candle fell
causing the shack fire. The 12-year-old boy and the 7 year
boys were burnt trying to help their sister. They sustained minor
injuries and were rushed to hospital. They were treated and
discharged. However, the 2-year-old baby girl Khwezi could not
make it. Khwezi was burnt to ashes.
We wish to express our deepest condolences to the Mlingo
family and the community of eNkanini.
Those of us who arrived at the scene are shocked. Many of us
who witnessed the incident are still trying to come to terms with
trauma. Losing a baby in this way is traumatic. Over the years
our movement has had to mourn the deaths of a number of
babies including Mhlengi Khumalo who died in a shack fire in
the Kennedy Road settlement in 2005, and Jayden Khoza who
died after the police fired teargas into the Foreman Road
settlement in 2017.
If we had water and electricity the community would have been
able to put the fire off. The provision of basic services in the
settlement would have saved Khwezi's life. The recognition of
our human dignity would have saved the life of Khwezi and
many more children whose only crime is to be raised by
impoverished families who are forced to live in shacks.
2. The winter season is always a dangerous season for the shack
dwellers and all impoverished communities. Year after year we
are left to burn. This is the politic of contempt.
We call on government to provide electricity, water and other
basic services to all shack settlement as a matter of urgency
while we wait for decent housing. We call on government to
recognise our humanity irrespective of our socio-economic
status. We also call on all our communities to work together to
look after our children together and to ensure that candles and
paraffin stoves are never left unattended.
Usually the first major project after land has been successfully
won is to build a creche which can be run by the community to
keep all the children safe. Every time a land occupation is
attacked by the state the building of a creche is delayed and
more children are put at risk.
