Democratic spaces vital for rights-claiming and holding political leaders accountable have increasingly come under threat in South Africa. Social movements, groups and communities that have dared to organise themselves around a cause that is critical of the state have often been met with blunt.
SERI and other civil society organisations call for the protection of Abahlali baseMjondolo iol.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iol.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
This week Nokuthula Mabaso, a leading Abahlali baseMjondolo figure was gunned down. This is the 23rd hit on Abahlali members, with only one case leading to a murder charge and conviction. Evidence suggests ANC and state involvement. But it is part of the wider criminality of the state against the poor and vulnerable. Albeit not conforming with technical legal definitions, morally it is treason. Although Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) is a much smaller organisation than the ANC has been for some time, it is nevertheless comparable in many respects to what the ANC once was.
This week, Nokuthula Mabaso, a leading Abahlali baseMjondolo figure, was gunned down. This is the 23rd hit on Abahlali members, with only one case leading to a murder charge and conviction. Evidence suggests ANC and state involvement. But it is part of the wider criminality of the state against.