SHIFT FOR CHANGE: Growing women leaders is the goal of land housing rights movement Abahlali baseMjondolo

This Women’s Day, the members of Abahlali baseMjondolo strongly believe that they play an integral role in changing their communities, and South African society more generally. The KwaZulu-Natal branch of the women’s league holds its congress to elect new leadership to mark the date.

“We are outside the prisons but it still feels like we are in a kind of bigger prison, like the whole world is really a prison for us.” — Abahlali baseMjondolo

Each year Abahlali baseMjondolo movement celebrates International Women’s Day on 8 March, and National Women’s Day on 9 August. 

Abahlali, a grassroots social movement, calls for the protection of land and housing rights for poor black people across South Africa. The name Abahlali baseMjondolo literally means “occupiers of informal homes”. A large majority of the organisation’s advocacy focuses on people living in shacks in informal settlements. 

National coordinator and cofounder of the land rights movement Zandile Nsibande, 60, says what motivates her to be in the movement despite repression is her dream to see women truly free financially and socially, and to have access to land, education and work opportunities.

She was part of the first group that fought for land in a Kennedy Road shack settlement in 2005. She says they had been promised land since 1994, and after all other avenues failed they formed the movement to fight for the settlement on Kennedy Road. 

Reasons for founding movement

“When we found the women’s league, part of it was because of the circumstances we saw women under in shacks where they would be getting beaten up and terrified to report, so we thought if we have the league and empower women mentally and help each other create income, there would be a difference,” said Nsibande.

Read more: This week — Launch of report into killings of Abahlali baseMjondolo members, US presidential election discussion, and marking Women’s Day

Nsibande says in the movement’s 19 years there has been a huge shift as women lead important marches, engage in general assemblies and take space in leadership positions without any fear or holding back. 

“Women are the anchor of the homes, communities and we see that reflected in our movement. Women create gardens, early childhood development and other tools that communities use to survive and develop,” said Nsibande. 

“In this year’s congress we will discuss how to have more women in leadership positions. We want the ladies we will elect in tomorrow’s congress to stay in their positions until the next election in two years time. We want 60% of the Abahlali baseMjondolo leadership to be women because even our members are 60% women. We don’t want them to be flowers but to be active decision-makers,” said Nsibande.

Skills sharing top of mind

Nsibande says the issues top of mind are skills sharing: each one teaches one initiative to help women acquire skills to have an income and create employment. “We can not always be waiting for government, we must create opportunities for employment or business to have financial independence. This also leads into the conversation about gender-based violence, which is a global cancer. When I worked for LifeLine providing psycho-social support, a lot of victims would say they can’t leave because their kids will go hungry as the man would be the provider,” said Nsibande.

Read more: Women have agency to fight for what’s theirs — it remains a tireless battle

She says women are also discussing land rights for women who were previously unable to secure land without a man, especially in traditionally owned land. Nsibande says they have partnered with non-profit organisations from Brazil and Kenya that teach members urban farming skills, among others. 

Abahlali is also commemorating female martyrs who have been killed due to their activism. Nqobile Nzuza was murdered by the police in Cato Crest on 30 September 2013. She was 17-years-old. Thuli Ndlovu was assassinated in KwaNdengezi, on the order of two ANC ward councillors. And Nokuthula Mabaso was assassinated in Cato Crest on 5 May 2022. 

In a statement the organisation said: 

“We are outside the prisons but it still feels like we are in a kind of bigger prison, like the whole world is really a prison for us. Our homes are destroyed and we are murdered by the police and the izinkabi when we stand up for our humanity. Our daughters are raped and our children, our sons and daughters, are killed. There is no respect for our lives and dignity, or for our homes and families.” DM