Abahlali raises concerns about murder of members, leaders

LEADERS of the shack dwellers’ organisation, Abahlali BaseMjondolo, have alleged that a fierce dispute over land use in the eKhenana area in Cato Manor is behind a spate of murders of its members and leaders that have rocked the area recently.

Nokuthula Mabaso of eKhenana commune is the latest victim; she was shot dead on Thursday. The organisation said she had been at their meeting and was attacked while heading home.

Abahlali said the eKhenana commune has been under attack for years, and alleged that there had been more than 30 illegal evictions, including evictions in violation of court orders.

Describing Mabaso as “a powerful leader in eKhenana”, Abahlali said she was also a key figure in the establishment and management of a chicken farm that was part of the very successful food sovereignty project at the commune.

It said Mabaso’s murder took the tally of their leaders and members who had been killed since 2009, to 23.

It said it had written to different government organisations asking for help, but to date there had been no response.

“In the eKhenana area, there is a fierce dispute over land,” said Abahlali leader Thapelo Mohapi.

“There is a piece of land that is being used by members of Abahlali as a commune for farming projects for the benefit of all community members, and others in the area want the land to be used for more commercial reasons, which is the source of the friction,” he said.

Abahlali said that in March, another one of its activists was murdered because of the land dispute, and Mabaso had witnessed the murder.

It said she could have potentially been a witness if the matter went to trial. It said she had prepared an affidavit that was going to be used in court at the bail hearing of a suspect linked to the murder of their activist.

Mohapi said they were aware that she had received death threats.

“The person who shot her, shot her four times in the back, and turned her over and shot her twice in the front, so it’s clear that the person responsible wanted to make sure that she was dead,” said Mohapi.

The organisation was also critical of the police response to the shooting.

“The Cato Manor police station is about 500m away from where she was assassinated. The police confirmed that they had heard gunshots, but it took two hours for them to arrive at the scene.”

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said charges of murder and house robbery were being investigated by Cato Manor SAPS after a 40-year-old woman was shot and killed by an unknown suspect, and her cellphone was taken.

She said the matter was under investigation.