This weekend the shack dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo buried another leader, Nokuthula Mabaso, murdered in front of her children. Abahlali claims ANC and state complicity and police have carried out no investigation of the crime scene. Alarmingly, not only is there government silence, but major organisations concerned with democratic rights have said nothing -- a grave signal to the poor.
On Saturday 14 May 2022, Nokuthula Mabaso, an Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) leader was buried, after being gunned down in front of her children. A few weeks earlier Ayanda Ngila, also a leader of the eKhenana commune was killed. Mabaso witnessed that murder and could potentially have been a witness to any trial for his murder that may emerge. The murderers in both cases are known in the community.
The police have not even examined the crime scene in the case of Mabaso. They did with Ngila, indicating that there remains some professionalism among some of the police, even in stations complicit in killings of AbM members.
It has been repeatedly reported that murders of Abahlali baseMjondolo leaders and activists, now 23, have passed without much public or police attention. Police attention towards AbM has mainly been to harass or illegally...
