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Yesterday there was a blockade in Clare Estate. This morning there are
blockades in iSiyanda and uMlazi. Three comrades, including the
chairperson are under arrest in uMlazi. She still has her phone with her and she is
strong. A police car turned over in uMlazi. This was because the driver
failed to control it. We did not attack it. However we were attacked with tear
gas and rubber bullets - the same bullets that killed Andries Tatane - in both
iSiyanda and uMlazi.

uTata Nelson Mandela said that if the ANC does to us what apartheid did
to us then we must do to the ANC what we did to apartheid. We are living in
apartheid under black management. Therefore we are back to the streets. In
these actions we are honouring Madiba.

The demands that are being issued on these blockades are clear. The first
one is the same demand as the one issued in Cato Crest on Monday, in Clare
Estate yesterday and in Clare Estate, iSiphingo and Cato Crest last week. That
demands is that we want a full and proper response to the memoranda that
we handed over to the Municipality on our march on 16 September. We have a
new demand to now: Free Bandile Mdlalose!

Abahlali baseSiyanda Statement

Statement from the Siyanda blockade

During the early hours of this morning, aBahlali baseMjondolo in Isiyanda,
have taken their anger to the Dumisani Makhaye and Malandela road
intersection and blockaded the two roads. This is as a result of a frustration when the
majority of the poor people, the marginalised, the forgotten, only count
when it comes to the voting time, and immediately thereafter nothing happens
for them.

This comes after a series of telephone calls, e-mails, letter writing
protest marches, promises to meet at meetings with eThekwini Municipality that
have never sat to discuss the needs of the poor people and lies after lies by
politicians and government officials. After all the peaceful attempts to
meet the responsible officials, by the poor people, these are only met by the
arrogance of government officials, police brutality, constant arrest of
the protesters and even murdering the leadership of the movement of which
these murders are not investigated although the culprits are known to the
public and the police. This is only seen by us in the movement, as an attempt to
silent and dampen the spirits of the South African "LAW ABIDING CITIZENS".

Isiyanda shack dwellers are also part of the victims, who are now in the
streets at this very moment to show to the world their anger and
frustration.

The eThekwini Municipality, Provincial and National Governments are to
blame for this, since their silence while the voters suffer, is actually now
making too much of noise. The police have now tried to disperse the people using
teargas and rubber bullets. We do not know as the time progresses whether
or not they will opt to using live ammunition as if they are shooting at the
game as usual. One becomes very sad if the Government officials and the Police
are the first in a row to violate the Constitution, when they are supposed to
be the custodians of the it (Constitution).
Our humanity does not count to them.