EFF Condemns apartheid style Lwandle evictions as anti-black and anti-poor

03 June, 2014

Economic Freedom Fighters condemns the evictions of the people of Lwandle by SANRAL and the City of Cape Town. This eviction has occurred on rainy and cold winter days as if calculated to inflict maximum pain on the poor.

It is no secret that South African cities, due to historic and continued problems of unemployment, poverty and inequalities have always been zones of exclusion for the poor, black people in particular. This problem lies squarely at the hand of the state and it's leadership who fail to transform people's livelihoods despite the advent of democracy.

By SANRAL's own admittance, the interdict being acted on at the moment was received "earlier this year". That they have forcefully removed the now homeless people of Lwandle just yesterday, soon after the election, is a confirmation that the ruling party and the Democratic Alliance are in an anti people alliance. For if it was genuine, it would have happened right then.

Demolitions and evictions are unnecessary and solve no problem except to subject poor people to total destitution. No one is South Africa, particular the state, should be allowed to evict anyone without providing alternative accommodation: it is irresponsible and in gross violation of the very basic human dignity that government should protect.

The ruling party, through Sanral has clearly legitimized its attack on poor people through a court order. In addition, the eviction is in response to the DA which has been putting pressure on the ANC to evict the people from state owned land.

The evictions in Lwandle are a crude reminder that political power without economic power is meaningless. EFF calls for all apartheid style evictions to be stopped and for the state to be forced to provide alternative accommodation to the evicted before any evictions.

EFF encourages fighters, who were the first activists to arrive on the scene, to continue assisting the community of Lwandle. Evictions of poor people, without alternative arrangements must be completely burned by law. People occupy land not because they are criminals but because they are landless in their own country.

EFF members of parliament have sent a delegation of EFF MPs to visit the community which is being evicted at the moment.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, June 3 2014

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