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Our movement is growing in uMlazi. We are very strong in the eMhlabeni
land occupation and the Silva City transit camp. On Friday last week three
comrades were arrested on an uMlazi road blockade organised to demand (1) the
release of Bandile Mdlalose and (2) that the City stops its repression and start
negotiations with us on our demands given to them at the march on 16
September 2013. We are demanding democracy, not just voting but real democracy,
everyday democracy, and an end to repression.

These three comrades were kept in the holding cells till Monday. On Monday
morning some comrades went to the Durban Magistrates’ Court and others
went to the court in uMlazi to support comrades in detention. Before the court
was in session our members were singing outside as is their right. The police
came, threatened them, and said that if they were not be quiet they would know
who start with when the shooting started. They said that they would shoot
two people. After this the people stopped singing. We have signed statements
on the threat from the police to shoot two people.

When the case was called people began to enter the court building. They
had to go through security which means that it is certain that no-one was armed.
At the door of the court two security guards (Fidentia) started pushing
people out and refusing to let them in. They were then attacked from behind by a>group of police officers (between 7 and 10) who peppered sprayed them and
shocked them. Amanda Nokobeni and Nyati Gcinithemba were pushed into a
room.

Amanda has made a signed statement to the police about what she saw. A
security guard took out a small black gun. He fired two shots. The first
shot hit his own hand. The second shot hit Nyathi in the chest, on the left
side near his heart. The police officers then pushed him to the floor, beat
him, tied his hands and continued to beat him. This was also witnessed by one
of our members, Emmanuel Mangcoba. He has made a signed statement to the
police that he looked through a window and saw Nyathi being beaten while his
hands were tied.  Nyathi said he needed to go to hospital. This was refused. An
off-duty paramedic wanted to help but was not allowed too. At first Nyathi was
trying to sing while the beating continued.  But he lost a lot of blood
and stopped talking and his eyes closed. We then rushed to report this
attempted murder to our lawyer, Shabna Palesa Mohamed and to Pastor Ngubane. The
police forced everyone to leave the court and wouldn’t allow anyone to see
Nyathi.

More police came with helmets, tear gas, rubber bullets etc and forced the
comrades to leave the area outside of the court. Naythi was taken to hospital where he was kept under police guards as if was a dangerous criminal. He was charged with assault. As far as we know none
of the police officers who assaulted Nyathi have been arrested and the security
guard who shot him has not been arrested either.

As usual the media reported the very violent and near fatal police attack
on us as ‘a violent protest’. It is becoming clear that some of the media
will always consider any protest during which poor people are violently
attacked by the police (or the Land Invasions Unit or private security guards) to be
‘a violent protest’ even when the only violence comes from the police. They
make our suffering as normal and they take state violence as normal. At the
same time they take our demand that our dignity must be recognised as violent
and criminal. We are supposed to remain in silence in our dark corners. It is
unacceptable that peaceful protests in which no person is harmed are
continually described as ‘violent’ protests in the media when they include
road blockades or when they are attacked by the police. It is unacceptable
that violence by the police, private security and the Land Invasions Unit
is often not described as violent but presented as normal and necessary.

The prosecution failed to be bring a docket to the court for the case
against Themba Msomi, Thembeka Sondaba & Fikiswa Mgoduka and so they were sent
back to the holding cells without the bail application being heard.

Nyathi was released on Tuesday. He still has the bullet in his chest.

Themba, Thembeka and Fikiswa were only released on Wednesday. They were
released on free bail. They have sign in to the police station each week.

As repression gets worse and we are treated like animals in a slaughter
house more and more people who are supposed to be part of the system of
repression are breaking ranks. Some ANC members are supporting our protests. Anyone
with eyes to see can see that the politicians have lied to the people and will
continue to lie to the people and that our cause is just.

We note that some middle class resident’s associations are calling for the
Tactical Response Team of the SAPS and the army to replace the Public
Order Policing Unit. Their local newspapers are saying that ‘the city is under
siege’. We are asking the middle classes to please note that three housing
activists have been killed this year and that three others have been
shot. We are asking the middle classes to note that no one has been arrested for
these murders and shootings even when witnesses have publicly stated the names
of the murders and shooters. We have killed no-one and we have shot no-one.
We are asking the middle classes to please note that large numbers of people
have been illegally evicted from their homes and arrested on trumped up
charges.

Many of those who have been arrested have been assaulted in custody. We
have driven no-one from their home and we have detained no-one against their
will. We are not the threat to this society. The threat is coming from a
corrupt and violent political class that is using public housing for its own
enrichment rather than for the public good.

Everyone knows how corrupt the City is. This affects the middle classes
too. The time to stop corruption is now. The time is coming when the violence
against the poor will start to affect the middle classes too. On
Wednesday a middle class man was shot at while driving by a blue light cavalcade. The
politicians are becoming a threat to everyone. The time to stop state
violence is now.

Poor people across this city have given notice that we will no longer
accept to live in shacks with no refuse removal, no toilets, no paths, no drains
and regular fires. We have given notice that we will not accept transit
camps. We have given notice that we will not accept reruralisation via forced
removals to human dumping grounds. We have given notice that we will no longer
accept corruption, lies and repression.

We stand for an inclusive city, a democratic city, a city for all. The
Municipality stands for corruption and violence. They want to intimidate
us into accepting oppression instead of negotiating a better way forward. If
the middle classes join the Municipality in supporting the campaign of violent
intimidation, and even murder, against us the democracy that is left will
be destroyed for everyone. If they join with us and stand for an end to
corruption, for an end to lies and for a city that respects the dignity
of all who live in it, a shared city, a just city, then democracy can be
deepened. That is the choice that the middle classes must make.

We have made our choice. Across the city the message from our branches is
the same. There is no turning back.