Violent and Illegal Eviction Underway at the Barcelona 2 Transit Camp, Lamontville

1. Violent and Illegal Eviction Underway at the Barcelona 2
Transit Camp, Lamontville
Mayor Zandile Gumede has started her ‘dealing’ with
Abahlali
This morning at around 10:00 a.m. the Anti-Land Invasion Unit,
accompanied by heavily armed security guards, attacked the
Barcelona 2 ‘Transit Camp’ in Lamontville. It is a short walk
from where Sibonelo Mpeku, our chairperson in the Sisonke
Village land occupation, was kidnapped and murdered on 19
November last year.
No court order was provided therefore this is eviction, carried
out at gunpoint, is an illegal and criminal act.
Barcelona 2 is a so called ‘transit camp’ that was built by the
Municipality to hide impoverishment and homelessness during
the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Many families were forcibly evicted
from their homes and moved into ‘transit camps’.
‘Transit camps’ were also used by the apartheid regime. They
are like concentration camps used to hide impoverished black
people and to take control over their communities. They are not
fit for human beings. It is incredible that a democratically
elected black government would do this to our people.
The people moved into Barcelona 2 were told that they would
not stay there for longer than three to six months. They have
now been there for more than seven years. The houses that
were meant for them were instead given to ANC members via
SANCO and people claiming to be MK veterans.
The Councillor in the Ward is Eunice Khanyile. A large number
of ANC supporters in the ward refused to vote for her in the last
local government election and instead voted for an independent
candidate. After the election there were sustained claims of
fraud. Boxes of ballot papers were found at a local dumpsite.

2.
We managed to hold a meeting despite the ongoing attack on
the community. The residents reported that Khanyile has said
that she is “cleansing the area of amaMpondo”. This is
outrageous but not surprising in Durban. We continue to insist
that South Africa belongs to all who live in it. On this principle
there can be no compromise.
The Anti-Land Invasions Unit said they will finish evicting at
22:00 this evening.
From what we could tell in the confusion 47 households have
been evicted so far. At least one person has been injured.
On Wednesday the Durban Metro Police shot at least four
people at the Kennedy Road settlement. They shot people who
are trying to survive by picking metals and other materials from
the Bisasa landfill site. They used live ammunition and three of
the four remain in hospital seriously injured and fighting for their
lives.
‘Dealing with us’ has come in different forms. We have counted
16 people in or near to our movement that have been killed as
a result of repression since 2009. It is clear that the Mayor can
assist the police and the general public in explaining to what
extent the project to ‘deal with us’ has been effective.
The ANC in Durban is a violent, criminal and dangerous enemy
of the dignity, safety and unity of the people. We will continue to
build unity in struggle and to resist the ongoing violence and
criminality of the ANC in Durban. We will not accept their
attempt to run this city as if it were a Bantustan.
We stand for a free and democratic city in a free and
democratic South Africa. A neighbour is a neighbour and a
comrade is a comrade. It makes no difference what province or
country they were born in, or what language they speak at

3. home.
We are determined to resist the gangsterism of the ANC in
Durban, and its police and Anti-Land Invasion Unit. We are
exploring the possibility of legal action against the Mayor and
her Anti-Land Invasion Unit. The struggle continues.