Sanibonani :)

Thanks for the messages, guys! Yesterday was quite the interesting experience. We had two guest lecturers, one on cosmopolitanism by a Sociology lecturer from UKZN, and another on the shackdweller's movement "Abahlali BaseMjondolo," based just outside of the city in the Kennedy Road community. Basically, the settlement has organized in protest of the conditions in the shacks. The government has wavered back and forth on their policies regarding informal settlements, and haven't always respected their right to housing as guaranteed by the South African Constitution. Recently, the government has renegged on its promise to provide basic services to the shacks, such as toilets, water pipes, and electricity. Since most community members (in this approximately 9,000 person settlement) do not have electricity, they turn to open flames and paraffin lamps for light and heat. This poses an imminent fire hazard, especially since the shacks are packed in close together, made out of extremely flammable materials--mostly plastics and wood. The Kennedy Road settlement has burned 8 times already this year, the two most recent times two and three weeks ago--dispacing over 300 families total. Keep in mind that the average shack/ "household" in this community has 4 children. People suffer severe injuries and death during these shack fires, because the water supply is unreliable and inaccessible. The fire department does not always come when its' called--but even when it does, there are no pathways large enough for the trucks to access all areas of the community. There is a lot more to the story, but basically the government hasn't been effective in dealing with this vital human rights issue.

Our SIT group had the opportunity to visit this community, and to meet the leaders of the shackdweller rights movement, Abahlali. We also had the privilege of hearing their nationally recognized zulu a-capella group (the type of music has a name,but I forget it at the moment). It was a great experience, and really eye-opening. Something I found particularly interesting was Abahlali's strong stance against xenophobia--they have taken specific measures towards preventing anti-foreigner violence in their community. They also have an interesting system of community policing and mutual respect--any criminals that may live in Kennedy Road would never disrespect the community by committing crimes within the settlement. I was really struck by this experience, and I am considering returning there to complete my ISP, either with the movements itself or with the migrants from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique who live in the community.

Today, we have just a few hours of class and then we will embark on our weekend beach excursion to the South Coast! We are staying at a place called The Merry Crab (which you can find online if you're interested--it's beautiful!) http://www.durban-venues.co.za/themerrycrab/ At the moment it's pretty rainy here in Durban, but hopefully it will clear up for the weekend. I'll update you all with more details when I return from the trip, but I don't know how much internet access I'll have for the next few days. Have a great weekend! Salani kahle,

Jenny