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Cato Manor is a working-class area located from the city centre of
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. It was formed when Indian market gardeners came to settle in the area some time after it was given to
George Christopher Cato George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
in 1865, who was the first mayor of Durban in 1854. The area attracted attention during the
Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
era.


History

Cato Manor became recognised when Black Africans came to settle in during the 1920s, and rented land from Indian landlords who were there since the early 20th century. To earn a living, people started brewing beer and selling it in the streets of Durban to the workers. The local authorities welcomed people in town for labour but had fears of being overwhelmed by their population.


The Durban System

Local authorities then started the so-called
Durban system Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
which required permits from people who were in town to restrict the influx of population. The authorities then instituted the
Native Beer Act of 1908 Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and enterta ...
, which allowed the municipality to brew and sell beer for self-finance. That became a success and the municipality reaped huge profits which meant that anyone brewing illegally was arrested. That started a dispute between the authorities and the people, culminating in riots.


Riots and Forced Removals

Towards the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, about 30,000 squatters had built their shacks in the place, which started even bigger riots between 1949 and 1950 when the
Group Areas Act Group Areas Act was the title of three acts of the Parliament of South Africa enacted under the apartheid government of South Africa. The acts assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system o ...
was passed by the government. The apartheid government decided to forcibly remove residents from the area. People were forced to move to townships like
KwaMashu KwaMashu is a township north of Durban, South Africa. The name is in honour of Sir Marshall Campbell and means ''Place of Marshall''. KwaMashu is bordered by Newlands East to the south, Newlands West to the west, Ntuzuma to the north, Phoenix t ...
and the Indians moved to places like Chatsworth and
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
. The forced removals from Cato Manor are considered the Durban equivalent of what took place at
District Six District Six (Afrikaans ''Distrik Ses'') is a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town, South Africa. Over 60,000 of its inhabitants were forcibly removed during the 1970s by the apartheid regime. The area of District Six is now ...
in Cape Town and
Sofiatown Sophiatown , also known as Sof'town or Kofifi, is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sophiatown was a black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid, It produced some of South Africa's most famous writers, musicians, politicians a ...
in Johannesburg. On 23 January 1960, a mob attacked 4 white and 5 black policemen at the Cato Manor Police station; they killed the men and mutilated their bodies. An excerpt from ''An Ordinary Atrocity'' by Philip Frankel: "The small police force had been obliged to barricade itself in two adjacent huts which were eventually stormed by more than a thousand rioters. The more fortunate of the nine police who had died had simply been stoned to death, but there were cases of disembowelment flowing from the 'naked aggression and bloodlust of the rioters'."


Cato Manor today

The area began to come to life again in the early 1980s when the Cato Manor Development Association (CMDA) was formed and delivered much-needed infrastructure. The area then was funded by private donors and the Cato Manor Area Based Management was instituted by the eThekwini Municipality to overseeing the development of the area. Cato Manor today has primary schools, a clinic, a market, and a multi-purpose center, and talks for new development are underway.


Housing corruption and violence

Cato Manor has been a site of intense contestation over housing and service delivery. This has led to a number of struggles for housing and against corruption in the area. The struggles have led to a high number of assassinations of activists and political figures in the area. In 2013, three members of the shack dweller's movement
Abahlali baseMjondolo Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM, , in English: "the residents of the shacks") is a socialist shack dwellers' movement in South Africa which organises land occupations, builds communes
were killed including Cato Crest branch chairperson
Nkululeko Gwala Nkululeko Gwala (died 2013) originally from Inchanga in KwaZulu Natal, was a resident of Cato Crest, which is part of Cato Manor in Durban and a supporter of the Marikana Land Occupation (Durban). He was also a prominent member of the shackdwelle ...
by unnamed gunmen and
Nqobile Nzuza Nqobile Nzuza was a resident in the Marikana Land Occupation in Cato Crest, which is part of Cato Manor in Durban, South Africa. She was a member of the shackdwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo. Death On 30 September 2013, at the age of 1 ...
by a Cato Manor police officer. On 1 November 2021, Ward 101 candidate Siyabonga Mkhize was killed along with his bodyguard. His predecessor and successor, Mkhipheni Mzimuni Ngiba was later arrested for his murder. In 2022, three more prominent leaders of Abahlali baseMjondolo were killed in the
eKhenana Commune The eKhenana Commune ( en, Canaan Commune) is a prominent land occupation in the historic working-class area of Cato Manor in Durban, South Africa. According to the Socio-Economic Rights Institute "The eKhenana settlement is organised as a coop ...
. These were
Ayanda Ngila Ayanda Ngila (1992–2022), was a land activist, a prominent leader in the shack dweller's movement Abahlali baseMjondolo and deputy chairperson of its eKhenana Commune. He was assassinated on 8 March 2022. Arrest eKhenana, a well known branc ...
,
Nokuthula Mabaso Nokuthula Mabaso, (1981/1982 – 5 May, 2022) was a prominent leader in Abahlali baseMjondolo and one of the leaders of its women's league. She was a leader in the eKhenana Commune. She was assassinated on 5 May 2022. Activism She was ...
and branch chairperson Lindokuhle Mnguni. A local pastor and prominent ANC members, as well as other members of his family, were arrested for these assassinations. The killings were widely condemned, including in a widely publicised letter from over 130 local and international human rights organisations.Civil Society organisations condemn the South African government for allowing the targeting of Abahlali baseMjondolo human rights defenders.
''SERI'', 9 September 2022


References


''Metro Beat''
April 2006 Issue 87. {{Authority control Suburbs of Durban