Backyarders hosting 'Anti-Vote Election Summit' on 14 May

To Abahlali baseMjondolo,
To Anti-Eviction Campaign,
To the SNI and Blackwash,
To Andries Tatane and all victims of police violence,
To all progressive movements,
To supporters and friends of the poor,
To politicians and government officials,
To enemies of our movements,
To everyone who is not quite sure yet where they stand,

The Mandela Park Backyarders intent to remind you that we will be holding an Anti-Vote Election Summit at 09h00 on Saturday the 14th of May. In attendance will be people from as close as across the street and supporters from as far as Johannesburg.

Click here to see Abahlali baseMjondolo's statement in support of our event.

See also the attached letter from ANC alligned Khayelitsha Human Settlement's Forum and the well-written reply by fellow Backyarder Mabhuti Matyida.

The purpose of the event, as explained in our previous statement, will be as follows:

The summit objective is to expose the housing crisis in Mandela Park that is leading to a serious attack and violation of people’s dignity. We challenge all political parties (all of whom have ignored us or attacked us) to explain why they think we should vote on the 18th of May.

- In Mandela Park, the City is still cutting our water and installing anti-poor pre-paid water meters. The City seems to have no intention to meet with the community to resolve this issue
- In Mandela Park, even though people qualify for housing subsidies from the state to settle their bills, there are still banks that ignore this and prevent us from using our subisidies. In the name of profit, they evict us instead of trying to negotiate a solution with residents.
- In Mandela Park, there still houses built in 2006 with no electricity. Phambili Nombane which is a subsidiary of Eskom refuses to electrify our houses. They are claiming that the developers did not pay for installation of electricity and therefore people should pay for themselves in order to get installation. This contradicts the housing code and is an illegal refusal of service delivery by Eskom.

We will have testimonies of victims of the above circumstances telling their painful suffering at the hands of our government and how this has affected their lives. We will then discuss why these circumstances have led the people of Mandela Park not to vote in upcoming local government elections.

We invite all government officials, bank officials, and media to come and attend. We challenge all politicians and political parties to explain why they have been ignoring our communities for 15 years and only coming to us during election-time.

Our votes are conditional. We want quality public schools, hospitals, RDP houses, not broken schools, probek hospitals, broken houses, and broken promises.

For comment or directions, contact:

Loyiso: 0737662078
Slu: 0736200781
Nomonde: 0781862142

Our Website: mpbackyarders.org.za
Email us: [email][email protected]
Call us: mpbackyarders.org.za/contact-us
Follow us: twitter.com/backyarders
Join us: Backyarders Facebook Page

LETTERS

10 May 2011

TO: ABAHLAI BASEMIJONDOLO
MANDELA PARK BACKYARDWELLERS
GET UP STANDUP NGO
PROGRESSIVE YOUTH MOVEMENT
SEPTEMBER NATIONAL IMBIZO

Dear Sir/Madam

RE: OPEN LETTER OF REQUEST FOR THE SUSPENSION OF THE CALL FOR “ANTI-VOTE ELECTION CAMPAIGN”

Once again I feel obliged to write this letter of response to you as you are Khayelitsha residents, and I am the chairperson of the Khayelitsha Human Settlement Forum under Khayelitsha Development Forum and all of us coming from this disadvantage poor community about the forthcoming local government election to be held on the 18th May 2011.

We do not want to take for granted as Khayelitsha Human Settlement Forum your call to “Anti-Vote Election Campaign” this is a simple appeal to you to suspend this call with immediate effect. The Khayelitsha Human Settlement Forum is the legitimate body to represent the interest of the Khayelitsha community and advocate any call a campaign to embark on and as stakeholders of our forum you should convince us first.

We are requesting you to defend, secure and advance the gains of the 1994 breakthrough of democracy, and stop cutting out the community of Khayelitsha from the city and from their rights to vote for the government of their choice. It is also very disturbing ,surprising and too suspicious to find that the call is done in areas of black communities particularly in Khayelitsha while the white areas remain intact ready to vote in numbers. It must be borne in your minds that the white people benefited in the previous apartheid government until 1994 and currently in this racial Western Cape government, and this call gives the unfair advantage to the white communities and posses the high risk include disadvantage to black communities particularly Khayelitsha community as the budget is given proportional as per the number of the people according to the census result for the period of ten years, and according to the number of the voter turn out I that particular area.

Therefore if the Khayelitsha community does not vote it will mean that the slice of budget which is suppose to get into Khayelitsha development will never come to this community for progress and development. It is imperative to record that the action of the none voting will be like cutting the nose in order to spite the face and that will make a huge celebration to the white community as they will enjoy the fruits of the huge budget in their communities as it is currently happening in the Western Cape racial development will happen for a long time to come, that can cause the generations to come will find us as failures who are suppose to be unforgiven and Sell-Outs for the centuries to come.

We do not want the Third Force actions implemented in our black communities especially in the Khayelitsha community as it was the experienced during the apartheid era, and we would like you to immediately distance yourselves to this third force hand tricks which is resulting to the wealth, development and delivery accumulated by white communities in the Western Cape while the black communities especially Khayelitsha facing atrocities, consistent under development, crass detoriation and further destruction of our black communities in particular the Khayelitsha.

It is crucial to note that before 2006 there was a progress of 55% of development coming to the black areas especial in Khayelitsha but after 2006 we have faced a decline of development by 5% to 50% even more during the past five years, and the question is whether we need a progress or none progress in Khayelitsha. When we point out this gain prior 2006 we are not in any way suggesting that the government of the Western Cape prior 2006 have not been having problems and challenges. Of course there were many problems but if we look at that particular government prior 2006 and was still ruling progress on a number of arrears could have been faster. We must try not to score a political own goal which will result in even these progress that still exist which were done prior 2006 and declined in the past five years to be reversed further as per the current conjuncture.

With all of this we are appealing to each one of you not to forget the bigger picture. Boycotting elections and the worse part of not voting for a party of our own choice and allow the party that its policies seek to reinforce the power and control of a wealthy and racist white minority in the society will be a huge mistake.

We hope that you will adhere to our request which is raised after thorough consideration of many factors and result to the issuing of this open letter of request to you to go and participate in the voting process on the 18 May 2011.

Khayelitsha Development Forum hereby humble requests your organization / Departments to send two representatives (with a voting status) to the launch of the Khayelitsha Human Settlement Forum (KHSF) as per discussions on the 25 September 2010.

On 25 September 2010 Plenary Meeting we resolved to proceed with the launch on 02 October 2010. The launch will discuss the Human Settlement challenges within the district of Khayelitsha and strategically explore possible solutions. Furthermore, the launch will in the main be characterized by the election of a new leadership to champion the Human Settlement objectives.

Yours in the struggle for a proper Human Settlement Development.

Bongani Vakele
Chairperson of KHSF
072 313 5295

Dear Mr. Vakele and all the other interested stakeholders,

Thank you Mr. Vakele for responding to our invitation. It is rare for community leaders to even acknowledge communication that comes from communities they claim to represent.

However, before one even gets into detail of responding to the said letter, it is interesting to note that you also sent this communication to the SACP and ANC of the Western Cape, which is suggestive of the parties with which you and the KDF [Khayelitsha Development Forum] are aligned. This does lead one to assume that the position you are articulating is in resonance with the position of these parties. This would be an unfortunate turn of events as the organizers had communicated with all the relevant parties, including political parties standing in this election, with the view of articulating the position we as the Mandela Park Backyarders, Abahlali baseMjondolo WC, the SNI, the Progressive Youth Movement, Get Up Stand Up, and BlackWash has adopted ahead of the fast approaching elections.

Your non-participation in our event is viewed as an opportunity lost on your part to do your usual electioneering and attempting to convince us why we should vote. You should attend our summit which is an chance for you to outline your achievements and challenges of the recent past.

Be that as it may, let me get into the core of this response:

In your letter you make sweeping statement of who we are and what we stand for. You go into detail on why not voting would mean less for the development of Khayelitsha. This is unfortunate because you were with us at the Welcome to Hell March when we made it clear that as long as we live in these Sub-Human conditions, we shall find our own way to redemption without the help of any political party. As long as parties are part of the architects of our condition, we will not vote. This includes the current and bosses of the Western Cape. Therefore you of all people should note who we are and what we stand for. So if you intended on making our Movement a political toy by being in front with Pastor Xola and Andile at the march...well, you have come to the wrong place mhlekazi. A DA flag and t-shirt was burnt at the Welcome to Hell March and if there was an ANC flag or t-shirt, it would have been burnt too. But I'm sure you did at least see the Helen Zuma poster? I hope this answers your question in this regard.

You mention, also, that we should first Convince KDF why NOT VOTING is an option of protest for the poor. But the question remains: why should we convince KDF? KDF does not own us in Khayelitsha or anyone in the Western Cape for that matter. We did not elect you. We do not need permission from KDF to do whatever we deem necessary as a response to our condition. We think it necessary to make that very clear.

You go further to suggest that this call we are making is part of a Third Force. If this is what you call the poor who refuse to continue to vote till horses grow horns, who instead choose to challenge the whole system as it exists today, then go ahead and call us the Third Force. If the ANC is the First Force, and the DA the Second Force (both of who had done nothing for us), then maybe it is true that we are Third Force. We are a Force to force all government officials, state agencies, local councillors, etc to use public serviecs (like we do) before they can even think of ever coming to us wit the promise of a better life or a promise of service delivery. We are a force that says: no more private schools, private health care and private cars for government officials. We are a force for the abolishment of that evil ministerial handbook with no author!

The assertion that a small voter turn out will mean even less services for the Townships is neither here nor there because even the 55% development you are taking about is news to us because we are where we have been for the past 55 years and more! In fact what is 55% development? What does that mean in real terms? To us, this development does not even exist!

We would still appreciate your presence if at all possible Dear Sir because the Summit is going ahead with or without KDF or any other politicised body that feels that our cause of ending our hellish condition is nothing but political grand standing. In which case you will be missing the point of our engagement completely!

We still maintain: No House, No Vote! No Dignity No Vote!, etc etc etc..

Yours,

Mabhuti Matyida
Mandela Park Backyarder Activist

Dear Mr. Vakele

It is very sad that, you and what you claim to represent, clearly appears to be distanced from the objectives of the call we made. Furthermore, housing problem at Mandela Park did not start as a yesterday's issue, but yesteryears in fact. How convenient that only now the Khayelitsha Human Settlement Forum (KHSF) is about to be launched...

Secondly, coming to the racial realities, it an inescapable reality that we still live in a racially and economically divided society in South Africa including land ownership, and the list goes on... However, you demand to be convinced, while all along the evidence is right under your nose.

Without going any further in discussion, as my colleagues have already tabled some aspects in response. I will rather say that the KHSF and ourselves need to find establish a form of communication space and channels, through which a clear understanding amongst of all parties involved. Unfortunately, this is what we have been struggling to get from not only local authorities, but all the way up to the Human Settlements Ministerial office.

Any disregard of the people's conditions calls for necessary measures, until the dire and excruciating conditions of the people are properly addressed. As such, this Ant-Vote call is simply one of them.

We reiterate, No House, No Vote!!!

Thank you,

Loyiso Qanya
Mandela Park Backyarder Activist

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