We live in constant fear: leader of Abahlali baseMjondolo as report calls for killings to end

The leaders of the Abahlali baseMjondolo (ABM) shack-dwellers movement have been living in constant fear though their only “crime” has been trying to create better living conditions for people.

This is according to the president of the movement, Sbu Zikode, who indicated during the release of a report into the threats to and killing of the organisation's members that the past few years “have been hell”. 

“Over the past few years, it has been very difficult for us. I cannot explain the pain we have gone through; we have deep scars. Some of these scars are emotional, some spiritual and they are deep,” he said. 

Zikode spoke about the group's fears during Wednesday's release of Amnesty International's report at Constitutional Hill.

The report, Our Lives Count for Nothing, which investigated threats, attacks and killings of members of the shack-dwellers movement in KZN, has found that authorities failed to protect its members. Since its inception in 2005, at least 25 members affiliated with the movement have lost their lives.

According to the report, the group has been threatened and attacked in KwaZulu-Natal’s eKhanana informal settlement, and authorities have not ensured justice has been done.

Amnesty examined a pattern of threats, attacks and killings. The report details the state’s failure to adequately respond to various forms of harassment, intimidation and violence, including almost complete impunity for perpetrators. The report indicated that about 24 out of the 25 killings were documented in the Socioeconomic Rights Institute of SA's (Seri's) report in 2022.

“According to ABM, some of these killings occurred during protests, police raids and evictions, while some were targeted killings,” read the report.

The international organisation, which campaigns for human rights, said it has not set out to investigate nor verify each of the killings, as the purpose of the report was to highlight the duty and failures of the state in protecting ABM human rights defenders (HRDs).

This was done to ensure justice for those killed and create a conducive and safe environment within which HRDs can do their work.

Zikode said their crime was to call for the immediate release of land to everyone, the provision of houses and decent basic services. 

“We do not need water and electricity, but our lives need water and electricity. This is not what we are being killed for, we are being killed for organising the unorganised (especially shack-dwellers) and we have been killed for organising outside state control,” he said. 

He added that members have been killed for exposing corrupt activities implicating “high-ranking politicians” and construction mafias. 

He said after the elections the threats cooled down and it was quiet but, unfortunately, they have been living under close security.

He said Abahlali baseMjondolo leaders don't have freedom of movement, especially in KZN. He hoped President Cyril Ramaphosa would not ignore the report's findings.

He added that he hoped the report, while shining a light on their plight, would attract international attention since the research was conducted by an international organisation. 

Zikode said they knew who the perpetrators were and had reported them to all of the security agencies.

“Some of them are politicians who tell us right in our faces that it is their time to eat, and they are eating for us, and they are eating on our behalf, and Abahlali is disturbing them,” he said.

Amnesty International SA executive director Shenilla Mohamed said the authorities were failing to protect members of the ABM movement who play a crucial role in ensuring accountability and advancing human rights and social justice.

“Tragically, many of these brave individuals face intimidation, harassment, threats and attacks, sometimes even deadly, simply for their efforts to defend human rights. 

“For over a decade, ABM members, who are human rights defenders, often become the targets of those wishing to silence and suppress their struggle. This is exactly what we have seen happening in eKhenana, which is bearing the brunt in the worst way possible,” she said. 

While activists have been targeted, the report focuses on eKhenana after recent killings in the area due to the community’s struggles that represent the risks and challenges experienced by the wider movement. 

Interviewed activists allegedly told the organisation of a pattern of police refusing to open cases or conduct thorough and effective investigations, collect evidence, or make arrests after threats and attacks. 

It said three members killed in 2022 all received threats ahead of their murders but police did not take any measures to protect them.

The report recommended that the Presidency take urgent measures to end impunity for attacks and threats against ABM members, including by recognising the work of the movement and HRDs and the need for their protection.

It is also recommended that the police ministry provide greater oversight and ensure accountability of SAPS officials tasked with investigating cases.

Other recommendations include the police initiating independent and impartial investigations and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) conducting independent investigations into complaints received of police misconduct.

TimesLIVE