5 Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign members to appear in Khayelitsha Magistrates court : IMC-SA

5 Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign members to appear in Khayelitsha Magistrates court today
8:30am
26 February 2003

Five Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign members will appear in two separate cases in Khayelitsha Magistrates court today, on various charges. These charges all relate to the harassment of the Khayelitsha Anti-Eviction Campaign, part of a 'crackdown' ordered by Western Cape Community Safety MEC Leonard Ramatlakane.

The cases are expected to start around 10 or 11 am. The first case is that of Max Ntanyana, who was abducted from outside his house on Sunday night and then later arrested. He is appearing on 'contempt of court' charges, apparently related to bail conditions imposed on him - these bail conditions are extremely harsh and possibly unconstitutional, as they include restrictions banning him from speaking in public meetings, and banning him from having contact with any evicted person.

The second case is that of 4 Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign activists who are charged with 'kidnapping' an undercover policewoman on Sunday night. What happened was that the community identified women who had been talking to the men who later abducted Max, and one of these women was held in order to get information on what had happened to Max (who had earlier been abducted in an unmarked car, with no number plates and tinted windows). In retaliation, the police have now laid these charges against well known activists from the Anti-Eviction Campaign.

The Western Cape Anti-Eviction campaign denounces the harassment of the poor, which has been an ongoing campaign since June last year, and has especially intensified in Khayelitsha since November last year. The government and the banks are making people's lives impossible – forcing people into a situation where they are forced to fight for their lives against the full might of the state.

We also note the absolute lack of coverage of this matter from the side of the media. For over 6 months, the poor of Cape Town have been faced with increasingly brutal police action simply because they resist evictions, repossessions, water cutoffs, etc. Are they expected to just die quietely? The lack of attention the media is paying to this war on the poor reflects badly on its claims to 'objectivity'. We call on all media outlets to provide coverage of today's events in court, and furthermore, we call on the media to expose the reality of life for the poor majority - not just that minority who can afford World Cup Cricket tickets.

ENDS