Koketso Phasha|Published3 hours agoActivists mourn slain Abahlali leader while EFF stands with Hollywood residents

Activists mourn the death of Abahlali baseMjondolo leader, Zweli Mkhize The Economic Freedom Fighters in Emfuleni have pledged their solidarity with residents of the Hollywood informal settlement, as the residents attended an eviction case against Matlo projects at the Sebokeng Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning. The party says every citizen must have shelter and none must be left on the streets. Meanwhile,South African workers’ organisations mourn the passing of Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize, the treasurer of the eNkanini branch of Abahlali baseMjondolo.

Mkhize was fatally shot on Thursday evening during a social visit in theeNkanini settlementin Ellandale, Gauteng. The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) said: “Mkhize did not die alone, but his death is a devastating loss for the poor and the dispossessed of our country”. GIWUSA President, Mmametlwe Sebei, said: “Khabazela is the latest in a long line of Abahlali baseMjondolo leaders to be silenced by assassins’ bullets.

This endless wave of killings targeting the movement’s leadership represents a war against the poor waged through the barrels of guns.” Sebei said the political establishment is responsible for Mkhize’s killing and many other killings: “We state clearly and without equivocation: we hold the political establishment responsible for this death. Whether they orchestrated it directly or not, they bear full responsibility for creating the conditions in which such assassinations have become commonplace.” “The political establishment is responsible for the horrific conditions ininformal settlementsacross this country, conditions marked by intolerable levels of criminal violence, poverty, and abandonment. Their ongoing criminalisation of the movements of the poor who dare to resist these conditions has created a climate of persecution.

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The state’s repeated violent evictions, its refusal to engage meaningfully with organisations of the poor, and its portrayal of these movements as illegitimate have all contributed to making leaders like Khabazela targets,” he remarked UNEMPLOYMENT and desperation has driven hundreds of South Africans to place themselves in harm’s way in a precarious informal settlement. Residents face daily threats from illegal electricity connections, treacherous terrain, and extreme weather. The South African Federation of Trade Unions(SAFTU) has expressed similar sentiments saying killings are becoming rampant by the day, SAFTU spokesperson Newton Masuku said:” This killing is not an isolated incident. It forms part of a disturbing and unacceptable pattern of assassinations targeting Abahlali baseMjondolo leaders and community activists across South Africa.

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