Latest news with #AbahlalibaseMjondolo
IOL News
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Nomzamo Zondo: SERI has defended human rights before Operation Dudula was even formed
Nomzamo Zondo, executive director of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) Image: Nelseon Mandela Foundation/Instagram The Socio-Economic Rights Institute says it is not intimidated by threats of being closed down, following the march last week by vigilante anti-immigration group Operation Dudula to the offices of SERI in Johannesburg. IOL reported last week that despite the heavy police presence monitoring the situation, tensions were high as two opposing protests between Operation Dudula and Abahlali baseMjondolo converged on the corner of Jorissen and Melle streets in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The atmosphere escalated quickly as members of the two movements, which have opposing views on immigration, clashed, resulting in the police using pepper spray to defuse the situation. Operation Dudula and Abahlali Basemjondolo converged on the corner of Jorissen and Melle streets in Braamfontein as tensions rose between the two movements, which hold opposing views on the issue of foreigners in the country. Image: Itumeleng English / Indepedent Newspapers Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading On Sunday, Abahlali baseMjondolo's general secretary Thapelo Mohapi issued a statement, saying members of his organisation are receiving death threats following the clash with Operation Dudula at SERI offices in Braamfontein on Thursday. 'Following Operation Dudula's humiliation in Braamfontein, our movement has been targeted by a vicious campaign of attack on social media. Some of the profiles participating in this attack are obviously and crudely fake but others are clearly real,' said Mohapi. 'This attack has included numerous death threats.' He shared some of the death threats made on the Abahlali baseMjondolo Facebook page. 'People making such public death threats must be exposed and held accountable. If we come under attack and it is necessary for us to engage in self-defence we shall do so,' said Mohapi. 'Operation Dudula has no base. They are a small group of fascists who are unable to mobilise popular support and are attacking migrants with the support of authoritarian, corrupt and repressive political forces that want to destroy democracy.' During the clash on Thursday, Operation Dudula leader, Zandile Dabula, was quoted as saying her organisation would find a way to return and shut down the SERI premises in Braamfontein. Speaking to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika on Sunday, Nomzamo Zondo, SERI's executive director said her organisation will not be intimidated. 'SERI has, in the past 15 years, represented protestors. In fact, the reason I got this job is because I identified as a protester. No protester has ever insisted that they must go inside someone's offices. Secondly, we are not intimidated by threats of saying they will close us down, because we existed for 12 years before Dudula was even formed," said Zondo. 'Beyond that, SERI's work supports thousands of people living in South Africa. It is impossible for an organisation like Dudula to shut us down. Lastly, one thing that concerns us is the continuing death threats, the death threats that were made to us, to our staff, on the day of the protest, including to me. The death threats are being made on social media, on emails, and on telephone calls. 'That concerns us because those threats are the ones that could result in something catastrophic. At this point, we are calling on Operation Dudula, which sets itself up as a military organisation to exercise some control, to exercise some authority over its membership," she said. IOL reported last week that the march against non-governmental organisations like SERI and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) comes just as Operation Dudula, alongside the March in March movement, recently intensified its campaign, preventing undocumented immigrants from accessing healthcare services in some parts of the country. It is this campaign that has received criticism from the SAHRC as well as the National Department of Health, and other sectors of society, condemning Operation Dudula for turning away those deemed illegal immigrants from accessing free healthcare services. IOL News
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Shack dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo rallies against Operation Dudula's anti-migrant march
Abahlali baseMjondolo defends the Socio-Economic Rights Institute against Operation Dudula's accusations, calling for unity and compassion in the face of anti-migrant sentiment. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives As Operation Dudula prepares to march on the offices of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), accusing it of being 'unpatriotic' for defending migrants' rights, the shack dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo has come out strongly in defence of SERI and of human dignity for all. 'This is an all-out and cowardly attack on vulnerable people,' the movement said, condemning Operation Dudula's recent actions, including blockading public hospitals and denying healthcare to people accused of being foreign nationals. The organisation stated it would join civil society organisations on the streets in solidarity with SERI, an organisation it described as 'genuine movement lawyers' who have 'worked with respectful, principled and dedicated commitment year after year.' 'SERI is our comrade, and we will stand with them, as we stand with all people and organisations under attack from Operation Dudula, or any other expression of fascist politics,' the movement stated. The movement criticised the targeting of migrants as a deliberate distraction from the real causes of the country's suffering. 'Scapegoating migrants for this crisis, and aggressively denying them access to hospitals, is not just cowardly and cruel. It is also a form of public political miseducation that diverts attention away from the real causes of the crisis.' Abahlali pointed to years of austerity, mismanagement, and looting in the public healthcare system as the root cause of the crisis. 'Our public healthcare system is in crisis due to years of austerity and massive looting by politically connected operators, some of them operating as violent mafias.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The movement, which has a long history of working with migrant communities, said it had requested a meeting with Operation Dudula to discuss common frustrations and the need for unity among the poor. However, the request was rejected. 'They refused to meet us, saying that we are also 'unpatriotic' and that we have taken them to court.' Reaffirming its founding principles, the organisation said: 'A person is a person wherever they find themselves: Unyawo alunampumulo.' Abahlali concluded, 'We must not allow right-wing forces to justify violence against the people in the name of the people. The political forces that try to divide the oppressed, to turn people against their neighbours, are always the enemies of the oppressed and the struggle for justice.' THE MERCURY
The Herald Scotland
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump to host South African president for trade, refugee talks
Ramaphosa called accusations of racial persecution against Afrikaners a "completely false narrative." Although apartheid - in which South Africa was controlled by the country's White minority and Black South Africans were deprived of basic civil rights, ended in 1994 - white people still own a large majority of the land and control a hugely outsized share of the country's wealth. Ramaphosa to talk between South Africa and US Trump has said the White South Africans are the victims of "genocide" - an accusation the South African government and human rights experts say is not supported by evidence. Ramaphosa told reporters May 17 ahead of his trip that he wasn't worried about a hostile welcome at the White House. "There is no genocide in South Africa," Ramaphosa said. "We are going to have good discussions on trade." John Steenhuisen, the South African minister for agriculture, said on social media May 20 that he had a constructive meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. "Trade is essential between our two countries and we are determined to ensure that access for agricultural products remains open in a mutually beneficial way," Steenhuisen said. "Trade means jobs and a growing economy." The United States had an $8 billion trade deficit with South Africa in 2024. Trump suspends refugee program for most other than Afrikaners Upon taking office, Trump immediately suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and ordered most potential refugees to remain in other countries. But an exception Trump ordered Feb. 7 was for "Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination" who he offered admission and resettlement in the United States as refugees. The Trump administration warmly greeted 59 White people from South Africa upon their arrival on May 12, after granting them refugee status. But experts on South Africa say Trump's claims of anti-White discrimination - much less genocide - are baseless. "Genocide has a very clear definition and what is happening in South Africa with White South Africans does not fit the definition at all," said Mandeep Tiwana, chief officer of evidence and engagement at CIVICUS, a human rights advocacy organization headquartered in South Africa. "In fact, White South Africans are a privileged minority." "There is no White genocide. It is a story that has been sold," said Thapelo Mohapi, secretary general of Abahlali baseMjondolo, a South African poor people's movement. "It is very unfortunate, as a poor South African that lives in a shack, seeing somebody going abroad on a flight with gifts and clothing and receiving a warm welcome from the presidency in the U.S., with a lie that they are being persecuted," Mohapi said of the Afrikaners granted refugee status. "We, in fact, are the ones who are living in poverty," Mohapi said. Some White Afrikaners have praised Trump for highlighting what they say is the discrimination they face. Theo de Jager, an Afrikaner who chairs the Southern African Agriculture Initiative, wrote in a letter to Trump that "the opportunity you have extended" to enter the U.S. as a refugee could be the "only viable path forward" for some Afrikaners. But, he added, some Black families suffer "just as much--if not more." "It is critical for you to understand that the tensions in our country are not simply a black-and-white issue." Trump's admission of the Afrikaners also angered refugee assistance programs. The Episcopal Church announced it would shutter its refugee resettlement program on May 12 after Trump asked it to help resettle the group of Afrikaners - even as the flow of refugees from all other countries had stopped. "This is a corruption of the U.S. refugee program," Kenn Speicher, co-founder of Northern Virginia Friends of Refugees, said at Dulles Airport, where he was protesting the Afrikaners' arrival. Disputed claims of 'genocide' in South Africa Genocide is defined in the Genocide Convention, an international treaty that criminalizes genocide, as the killing of members of a group because of their race, religion or national origin, as in the Holocaust. "White farmers are being brutally killed," Trump told reporters May 12 in the White House Roosevelt Room. Ramaphosa has branded the claim a "false narrative." In South Africa, White people are much less likely to be murder victims than Black people. The group Genocide Watch has said that while South Africa's population is 7% White, White people make up just 2% of its murder victims. The South African government said on May 9 that "The South Africa Police Services statistics on farm related crimes do not support allegations of violent crime targeted at farmers generally or any particular race." Allegations of a White "genocide" in the country have been heavily bolstered by Elon Musk, Trump's close advisor, who is South African by birth. Last week, users of X, the social media site owned by Musk, widely reported that its AI chatbot repeatedly spitted out statements that the South African White genocide is real in unrelated conversations. Musk has also frequently used the platform to broadcast his accusations that White South Africans are victims of targeted racial violence. "When a farmer dies, then the whole world must know, because that farmer is White and the farmer is privileged," Mohapi said. "Black people can die anytime, like flies." Rubio, Kaine clash at Senate hearing over South African refugees The conflict over South African refugees erupted at a Senate hearing May 20 between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Kaine disputed that Afrikaners are refugees because their political party is part of the government. "I assert that this claim that there is persecution of Afrikaner famers is specious," Kaine said. Rubio said the Afrikaners who arrived as refugees felt persecuted because "their farms were burned down and they were killed because of the color of their skin." Rubio denied the Trump administration favored Afrikaners as refugees because they are White. He said accepting refugees from more countries would lead to millions of more people arriving. "It was acting as a magnet," Rubio said of the refugee program. "They can't all come here." Black South Africans suffer disproportionate poverty Trump's allegations of a White "genocide" in South Africa center on recent land reform legislation signed by Ramaphosa in January called the Expropriation Act. The bill, aimed at rectifying inequality in land ownership left over from South Africa's racial apartheid system, opens pathways for the government to seize private land for public use - sometimes without compensation. The White House's executive order slammed the bill as "in shocking disregard of its citizens' rights" and Musk branded it "racist." But South Africa's racial wealth gap leans starkly in the opposite direction. Whites make up just over 7% of the population, but own around 72% of the country's farms and agricultural land, according to a 2017 government report. The country's inequality levels - consistently rated by the World Bank as among the worst globally - impact its Black population at a vastly disproportionate rate. Last year, the unemployment rate hit 37.6% for Black South Africans, while 7.9% of Whites were without a job. Around 10% of Blacks had medical care in 2018, as compared to 72% of their White counterparts. "We are finding ourselves in a very tight and difficult situation," said Mohapi. "People celebrate when they get a meal a day." "We are defending White privilege rather than to actually talk about the real issues, the bread and butter issues," he said.
Eyewitness News
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Housing rights group Abahlali baseMjondolo hosts 'UnFreedom Day' in Soweto
JOHANNESBURG - While South Africans mark Freedom Day on Sunday, housing rights group Abahlali baseMjondolo has decided to use the occasion to highlight stark inequality and the struggles of the country's poor citizens. The movement is hosting an "UnFreedom Day" rally in Braamfischervill in Soweto, where members will gather to discuss issues including unemployment, housing and a lack of basic services. Freedom Day commemorates South Africa's first democratic elections, held on 27 April 1994. But the group's Luyanda Futshane says true freedom is still out of reach for many of the country's citizens. "How can we be free if we are landless, we are homeless? The situation is we have been made poor, but after 21 years of so-called freedom, it's called fake freedom because it's for elite people."
The South African
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Abahlali baseMjondolo march in Durban over housing issues
Abahlali baseMjondolo movement took to the streets of Durban to march over housing issues on Friday, 25 April 2025. Since Freedom Day is approaching on Sunday, the movement said they would not be celebrating, citing unaddressed concerns. Speaking to The South African, Bongiwe Mpanda, a protester, said there's no freedom as they are still living in shacks. Mpanda expressed, 'We won't be celebrating Freedom Day on Sunday, as we are still not free.' 'We don't have any proper housing; we still live in shacks and we don't have any jobs, so we want the municipality to answer us.' The president of Abahlali baseMjondolo, Sibusiso Zikode, highlighted some of the issues they were facing, which are landlessness, poor housing, unemployment, jobs that don't pay enough and a lack of service delivery. 'Today, municipalities are forcefully removing us from the land of our ancestors. We want land, decent housing, dignity, upgrading of shack settlements where we currently live and not forced removals.' 'We also want provision of basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation in all our settlements,' he said. Zikode added that the community of Enduduzweni in Umlazi township had suffered for too long in the hands of the eThekwini municipality, Department of Social Development, now Public Works, who sold land to Mangosuthu University of Technology. Additionally, he criticised the MEC for Transport and Human Settlements in KwaZulu-Natal, Siboniso Duma, for prioritising transport issues over human settlements. 'He does not have time for shacks. He only has time for shacks. The government should give us a new MEC for human settlements in KwaZulu-Natal.' 'We are not saying roads are not important, but who's going to use those roads while people don't have decent housing?' he questioned. Zikode said they were forced to write a letter to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, as the MEC for COGTA, Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi, ignored them after writing multiple letters requesting assistance. 'The KwaDukuza Municipality is doing as it pleases. They are working with the wealthy white people and black Boers,' he stated. Minister of COGTA, Velenkosini Hlabisa, said he acknowledged the issues Abahlali baseMjondolo are facing. 'We are going to have a meeting with the leaders of the movement to come up with a solution,' the minister said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
