Zuma, Ramaphosa and ‘useless’ ANC govt failed the poor,’ says Abahlali

Civil society organisation Abahlali baseMjondolo has engaged a digital expert to track down the culprits of a disinformation campaign targeting the body allegedly to cause racial tension.

Abahlali also claimed the recent violence and looting was a result of widespread poverty and hunger, but the issue had been hijacked by agents provocateurs for a political agenda.

It accused the ANC government of being “useless” and specifically pointed to former president Jacob Zuma and President Cyril Ramaphosa for the failures.

“Zuma and Ramaphosa both failed the poor. The government has failed to bring food and peace. The state teaches the people violence and not discussion and negotiation. Corruption continues,” it said.

Abahlali represents the poorest of the poor and fights for better housing and other basic services countrywide, particularly in eThekwini where it has 73 871 members in 53 active branches in Durban.

But its steadfast challenge to authorities has seen Abahlali members targeted for attacks by municipal officials. Some ANC councillors have been jailed for the murders of Abahlali members. The body’s president, S’bu Zikode, has survived several attempts on his life.

Yesterday, Zikode said the organisation had become the target of a disinformation campaign on social media when someone manipulated an Abahlali statement issued on Tuesday last week on the recent violence and looting.

They were informed by their Muslim comrades in Durban and Johannesburg that someone had inserted an anti-Muslim message in the middle of the statement.

By that time the manipulated statement had already been widely circulated in various Muslim Whatsapp groups, which caused fear and anger.

Zikode said the intention of the manipulator was to cause racial tension and to divide the community. The organisation had engaged a digital expert to investigate and trace those behind the fake statement.

Zikode said Abahlali had always had Muslim members, worked closely with the Muslim community and lauded their organisations for providing food to the hungry despite the destruction of their own businesses.

“There are people pushing the agenda of the Zuma faction in the chaos. People are saying that it was ordinary hungry people who took the food, but that it is Zuma’s people who are burning the factories, warehouses, malls and infrastructure.

“What will happen to people’s jobs now factories and other places of work are burnt? That is not a revolution, it is destruction that will leave the poor poorer.”