London Demonstration to Defend Abahlali baseMjondolo’s Right to Protest in South Africa
Date: Thursday 3rd October 2013
Time: 4:30pm – 7pm
Venue: South African High Commission, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DP
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1400244306873500/

South African Police have shot dead a 17 year old girl, Nqobile Nzuza and arrested the Secretary General of War on Want partner, Abahlali baseMjondolo, Bandile Mdlalose.

Nqobile was shot twice from behind at 5am on Monday 30 September. Two other women were also shot and are in hospital. Bandile was arrested whilst coming to offer her condolences to the family. The crime of those shot was to protest against being forcefully removed from their homes and to be supporters of the shack-dwellers movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo. Nqobile is the third person killed in the settlement, Cato Crest, this year.

This is just the latest outrage perpetrated against the urban dispossessed of South Africa, Marikana being just one horrific example. Abahlali baseMjondolo Solidarity UK and War on Want call on all those who supported the struggle against apartheid, all who are against forced evictions, and those who are angered by police brutality to join our solidarity demonstration on Thursday 3 October, outside South Africa House at 4:30pm until 7pm.In a press release, Bandile Mdlalose’s comrades said: ” Bandile Mdlalose has been denied bail. We went to court today to bring Bandile home. We had to leave without her. She was denied bail”.

“Thembinkosi Qumbelo is dead. Nkululeko Gwala is dead. Nqobile Nzuza is dead. Nkosinathi Mngomezulu is in hospital. Luleka Makhwenkwana is in hospital. Our members have been beaten during evictions, during protests and in the police stations. Our homes have been destroyed again and again even though this is against the law, the constitution and all the court orders that we won”.

“And yet they say that Bandile is suspected of ‘public violence’ and is too dangerous to society to be allowed out of jail. Bandile has killed no-one. She has injured no-one. She has beaten no-one. She has destroyed no-one’s home. Bandile arrived in Cato Crest after the police had killed Nqobile Nzuza, with two shots in the back, and injured Luleka Makhwenkwana. She participated in peaceful march, in protest at the killings, on the police station”.

“Yet she must stay in jail while the killers, the shooters, the beaters and the demolishers walk free. There is no justice for the poor. It is taken as criminal for us to ask that we be treated according to the law. It is taken for us as criminal for us to refuse to be intimidated. It is taken as criminal for us to oppose corruption. It is taken as criminal for us to live and to protest in the spaces reserved for the rich. It is taken as criminal for us to organise ourselves outside of the ruling party”.

“We note that much of the media continues to see people who are poor and black as a threat to society rather than as part of society. But we acknowledge those journalists that have not just repeated the lies of the police and have spoken to people who witnessed the murder of Nqobile Nzuza. We acknowledge the solidarity of the church leaders that came to court today and then proceeded to visit the injured comrades in hospital. We acknowledge the solidarity of comrades around South Africa and around the world that have sent us messages of support and indicated their willingness to take action against the repression we are facing”.