R2K Statement - Stop the harassment and unlawful arrests of Activists: Free Abahlali activists! r2k.org.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from r2k.org.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bishop Rubin Phillip, a partisan of liberation theology and at one point the deputy to Steve Biko in the Black Consciousness student organisation remains committed to the self-organisation of the oppressed. He has just released a statement of solidarity with the eKhenana Commune, a land occupation organised by Abahlali baseMjondolo in Durban, that has faced sustained state violent, and now a series of arrests on trumped up charges. The Commune includes the Frantz Fanon Political School, which is used for radical education for activists around South Africa.
In the midst of a serious economic and social crisis in South Africa, including youth unemployment at just under 75% and endemic hunger, the State authorities have targeted the 109 families of the eKhenana (Canaan) land occupation and settlement. In 2018 two hectares of land were occupied and held in the face of regular armed attacks from the state. The occupation was developed into a working commune and a road, homes, water and electricity systems, a recreation centre built, a co-operative .