Death Threats by Armed Men Against Leaders in the Zikode Extension Occupation

1. Death Threats by Armed Men Against Leaders in the
Zikode Extension Occupation
Today is day 16 of the Zikode Extension Land Occupation on
the East Rand, between Boksburg and Germiston. Many of us
are sick after 15 nights on the land. Some of us are still carrying
wounds from the brutal police assault on 17 May. Our shacks
have been repeatedly destroyed and the building materials
burnt or confiscated. Cars used to transport the materials to the
occupation have been impounded. We are also facing death
threats. Armed men, unknown to us, are looking for our
leaders.
In many cases people having been living in the shacks that
have been demolished. There is no court order authorising
these demolitions and they are therefore illegal and criminal
acts by the police and the Municipality. The police are also
guilty of abuse and assault. On 17 May when they tried to stop
us from moving back to the occupation from the Good Hope
settlement they attacked us with rubber bullets, tear gas and
bricks. People were attacked while they were running away and
hiding. A baby in Good Hope had seriously difficulty breathing
as a result of the teargas. Babies have died from teargas in
Durban and in Palestine. We could have lost this baby too.
When a woman fell as she was running from the police
Siyambusa Mpolase, our Deputy Secretary, turned back and
ran to help her. He was arrested. The police shouted “This is
the dog we have been looking for.” They kicked him and beat
him with the back of their guns. They then took him to another
place, a dark place, in their van. When they got there, they

2. continued to beat him with the back of their guns. After that
they took him to the police station.
The police have made it clear to us that they are being
instructed to attack us, our homes, and the occupation by
Geoffrey Mthembu, the ANC Ward Councillor in the area, and
Grant Nkosi, an official from the Gauteng Human Settlements
Departments.
ANC leaders in the Good Hope Settlement, including Vusimuzi
Geqeza and the Good Hope ANC chairperson Oliver Silele,
along with other members of the branch have threatened us.
Clear threats have been made against our leaders, including
death threats. People in the local ANC have told us that they
can pay people to come and kill us. Specific death threats have
been made against six of our leaders. On three separate
occasions strange men have been asking where they can find
Sizwe Mpaxa, our organiser. On Thursday strange men were
asking where Luyanda Fitshane, our Deputy Chairperson,
stays. This morning three strange men with guns were in Good
Hope looking for our chairperson, Mlamli Gomo. They were
using a car but we are not sure how many other people were in
the car. We have witnesses who can testify to this if they can
be given anonymity.
No pro bono law firm has been willing to help us so far. We had
to use our own money to get a lawyer for the bail application for
Siyambusa. We also used our own money for a lawyer to seek
an urgent interdict against the Municipality to stop their illegal

3. evictions. Our application was dismissed on Thursday on the
grounds that it was ‘not urgent’. We have also had to use our
money to buy and transport building materials after each
demolition. If anyone is willing to support the occupation with
food or with blankets we would appreciate it.
We are tired and many of us are sick. Our children are staying
with relatives and friends and this is painful for us. We are
running out of money for food. We are living in fear. Yesterday
the rich were celebrating Africa Day. We have nothing to
celebrate when impoverished people must still pay for land with
blood. The same government that wants to us to celebrate
Africa Day is sending the police to shoot us when we occupy
unused land.
Our women are very strong. They will not turn back. Even when
they are sick and coughing with the flu they don’t want to turn
back. S’fiso Ngcobo was fighting for the same struggle as us
when he was assassinated in Durban.
Our oppressors don’t want us to be strong. If you raise your
voice up, if you organise and act and if they see that you are
intelligent they will treat you like a wild animal to be hunted.
When we are strong they take us a threat. They promise land
but they will not allow us to participate in returning the land to
the people. For them democracy does not include people like
us. For them our job is to just to obey and to vote.
There is no way that we can go back. If that means that we

4. have to die here then we will die here. We were ready to die
when we first occupied the land we remain ready to die.