Dear Mandela

Dear Mandela (5 min cut) from Sleeping Giant on Vimeo.

Dear Mandela is an upcoming documentary film due for completion in June 2010. It describes South Africa's "new apartheid", where forced evictions and extreme poverty are an ongoing way of life, where no longer the country is divided into black and white but rather the increasing margins between rich and poor. At present about one million people live in shack developments in Durban, South africa. In time for the World Cup 2010, the city has been aiming to "erradicate the slums". Sadly much of this has been happening at gun point and people are being fined up to 20 000 rand if they don't evict their properties.

Often shackdwellers are left homless and in fear of their life.

Abahlali baseMjondolo, The Shack Dwellers Movement, has been facing considerable opression in trying to affect such change. In recent weeks some members have have had to go into hiding for fear of their lives.

Last weekend, residents of Kennedy Road settlement, in Durban, were attacked by a 40 strong crowd of men, with knifes and guns. The target was a meeting of the Kennedy Road Development Committee (KRDC).
Shots were fired and several were killed. Over thirty shacks were rampaged and destroyed.

Calls to the police were ignored. Thousands fled the community overnight.

See witness reports...

The Shackdwellers are upset at the thought that the World Cup simply symbolises a demolition of their own homes. This event at Kennedy Road marks a turning point. It signals that the concept of a 'rainbow nation' is now ending and, sadly political unrest due to this opression of the poor may become a defining fracture in the country.

The film, Dear Mandela follows the life of three young shackdwellers who have joined The Shackdwellers Movement to try to bring about a grassroots change in the Constitution in how shackdwellers are being treated.

International crew in the making of the film "Dear Mandela" are believed to have witnessed the attack.