eMacambini is a rural area in the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

which is mostly populated by members of the Macambini clan. It is near

Mandeni Mandeni (also Mandini) is a town in iLembe District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The town is roughly 22 km north-east of Stanger and 96 km north of Durban. The town has four shopping centres, namely: Mande ...

on the Zululand coast, just north of

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

and close to the new

King Shaka International Airport King Shaka International Airport , abbreviated KSIA, is the primary international airport serving Durban, South Africa. It is located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately north of the city centre of Durban. The airport opened its doors ...

Threatened eviction

In November 2008, the community of eMacambini held a 5,000 strong march of about 10 km to protest against the proposed AmaZulu World development slated to be built by Ruwaad Holdings from Dubai. Earlier in the year, Ruwaad had signed a memorandum of understanding with KZN Premier S’bu Ndebele. The planned R44m development by Ruwaad would have occupied 16,500ha. In addition to the AmaZulu World Theme Park, plans included the largest shopping mall in Africa, a game reserve, six golf courses, residential facilities, sports fields and a statue of Shaka at the Thukela river mouth. To achieve this, the proposed development necessitated that the eMacambini community be displaced from their rural land and rehoused on less land in a suburban township. If the plan went ahead, 29 schools, 300 churches, three clinics and brand-new RDP houses would have been demolished. Especially relevant to the community was the proposal to demolishing ancestral graves. In all, between 20,000 and 50,000 people in the region would have been forcibly removed if the plan had gone ahead.

Protest

On 4 December 2008, the eMacambini community blockaded the N2 and R102 freeways to protest

S'bu Ndebele Sibusiso Joel "S'bu" Ndebele (born 17 October 1948) is the former Minister of Correctional Services serving from 2012 to 2014. He has been on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) since 1997, and was the ...

's non-reply to their memorandum handed over in a previous march. Police responded with rubber bullets injuring about 50 people and arresting 10. There were reports that many shot were innocent bystanders pulled out of their homes. There are also reports that many of the 10 people arrested were refused medical treatment. Police have justified their actions by claiming that residents threw stones at oncoming cars. As a result of the road blockades the deal was called off and the people remain on their land.

Support

The community worked closely with

The Poor People's Alliance The Poor People's Alliance was a network of radical grassroots movements in South Africa. It was formed in 2008 after the Action Alliance, formed in December 2006, was expanded to include two more organisations. It become defunct following the ...

, and, in particular the shack dwellers' movement bahlali baseMjondolo, and also lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission. On 16 January 2008 the

Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) was a Geneva-based international non-governmental organisation founded in 1994 by Scott Leckie as a foundation in the Netherlands (Stichting COHRE). Offices At its height in 2008, COHRE maintaine ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

issued an open letter to S'bu Ndebele strongly condemning the proposed evictions and the violent police response to protests against it.COHRE letter to S'bu Ndebele, 16 January 2008
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Threatened eviction

Protest

Support

References

See also