An investigation into politically motivated violence in eTwatwa (Gauteng) and other Landless People's Movement affiliated settlements during May 2010. A report prepared by Jared Sacks at the request of the Gauteng Landless People's Movement, July 2010.
Reports of political violence in South Africa are on the upsurge. There has been a clear increase in aggressive attempts to undermine social movement activities in the past few years. As a result of the violence, social movements activists, migrants and ethnic minorities have often been forced into exile from their communities.
The following report investigates allegations of politically-sanctioned and coordinated attacks on the Landless Peoples Movement in the informal settlement area of eTwatwa in the Municipality of Ekurhuleni in Gauteng. These attacks have resulted in the forced removal of numerous residents who have, as a direct consequence of the attacks, been forced from their homes and, often, into hiding. This report focuses on the historical context behind the attacks as well as how the attacks have affected the relevant communities.
This report is based on interviews conducted during the first weeks of June 2010. The interviews focused on the experience of landless people in eTwatwa in which 15 community-members were interviewed both individually and in groups. Interviews were also conducted with members of the Protea South community. Unless otherwise cited, all the information contained within the report is the product of these anonymous interviews and empirical evidence gained from the investigations into the events of May 2010.
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