S'bu Zikode
Encyclopedia
Sibusiso Innocent Zikode is the president of the South Africa
n shack dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo
. According to the Mail & Guardian
"Under his stewardship, ABM has made steady gains for housing rights."
, in the midlands of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. He was raised by a single mother working as a domestic worker. He completed Matric at Bonokuhle High School where he joined the Boy Scouts
Movement.
A few years later he enrolled as a law student at what was formerly known as The University of Durban-Westville
and is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal
. However he was unable to pay fees or rent and in 1997 had to abandon his studies and move to the Kennedy Road
shack settlement. He found work at a nearby gas station as a petrol pump attendant.
dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo
since October 2005. Before that he was the Chairperson of the Kennedy Road Development Committee. Although the movement campaigns for basic services, like water and electricity, as well as land and housing, Zikode is clear that its demands go beyond immediate material needs. He has said that ""The house on its own cannot solve the problem. It's not only money that creates dignity. All governments should accept that our communities are part of the greater society." He argues for an immediate assertion of equality and for meaningful engagement with the poor by saying that, "The government and academics speak about the poor all the time, but so few want to speak to the poor".
Commenting in response to Zikode's newspaper article 'We are the Third Force' veteran South African journalist Max du Preez
commented that "I have never read anything as compelling, real and disturbing as the piece written in The Star last week by S'bu Zikode".
He had been critical of evictions linked to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
and supported the August 2010 Public Sector Worker's strike in South Africa.
Mark Hunter argues that Zikode evokes a conception of housing rooted in an idea of dignity rather than a technical, numbers driven approach to the housing crisis.
His writing has been anthologised in the Verso Book of Dissent.
.
, were arrested on trumped up charges and tortured by Superintendent Glen Nayager in the Sydenham Police Station.
In September 2009, Kennedy Road
was attacked by a mob reportedly affiliated with the African National Congress. Violence continued for days. Zikode's home was destroyed during the violence and he and his family fled. Zikode, who is in hiding because he fears for his life, considers himself a political refugee.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n shack dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo
Abahlali baseMjondolo
Abahlali baseMjondolo , also known as AbM or the red shirts is a shack-dwellers' movement in South Africa which is well known for its campaigning for public housing. The movement grew out of a road blockade organized from the Kennedy Road shack settlement in the city of Durban in early 2005 and now...
. According to the Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
The Mail & Guardian is a South African weekly newspaper, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a strong focus on politics, government, the environment, civil society and business.- The Mail & Guardian newspaper :...
"Under his stewardship, ABM has made steady gains for housing rights."
Biography
He was born in the village of Loskop in 1975 and grew up in the town of EstcourtEstcourt, KwaZulu-Natal
Estcourt is a town in the uThukela District of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The main economic activity is farming with large bacon and processed food factories situated around the town. The N3 freeway passes close to the town, linking it to the rest of South Africa.-Location:Estcourt is...
, in the midlands of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. He was raised by a single mother working as a domestic worker. He completed Matric at Bonokuhle High School where he joined the Boy Scouts
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
Movement.
A few years later he enrolled as a law student at what was formerly known as The University of Durban-Westville
University of Durban-Westville
The University of Durban-Westville was formerly a university situated in Westville, Durban opened 1972. It now forms part of the campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Known as UDW, it was initially established for Indians as during apartheid there were few universities that admitted non-White...
and is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal
University of KwaZulu-Natal
The University of KwaZulu-Natal or UKZN is a university with five campuses all located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.-History:-University of...
. However he was unable to pay fees or rent and in 1997 had to abandon his studies and move to the Kennedy Road
Kennedy Road, Durban
Kennedy Road is a shack settlement, in the suburb of Clare Estate in Durban, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was founded by a Mr. Mzobe in the late 1970s. The land on which the settlement was founded is steep and runs down between the Municipal Dump and the 6 lane Umgeni Road...
shack settlement. He found work at a nearby gas station as a petrol pump attendant.
Activism
Zikode has been the elected head of the South African shackShack
A shack is a type of small house, usually in a state of disrepair. The word may derive from the Nahuatl word xacalli or "adobe house" by way of Mexican Spanish xacal/jacal, which has the same meaning as "shack". It was a common usage among people of Mexican ancestry throughout the U.S...
dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo
Abahlali baseMjondolo
Abahlali baseMjondolo , also known as AbM or the red shirts is a shack-dwellers' movement in South Africa which is well known for its campaigning for public housing. The movement grew out of a road blockade organized from the Kennedy Road shack settlement in the city of Durban in early 2005 and now...
since October 2005. Before that he was the Chairperson of the Kennedy Road Development Committee. Although the movement campaigns for basic services, like water and electricity, as well as land and housing, Zikode is clear that its demands go beyond immediate material needs. He has said that ""The house on its own cannot solve the problem. It's not only money that creates dignity. All governments should accept that our communities are part of the greater society." He argues for an immediate assertion of equality and for meaningful engagement with the poor by saying that, "The government and academics speak about the poor all the time, but so few want to speak to the poor".
Commenting in response to Zikode's newspaper article 'We are the Third Force' veteran South African journalist Max du Preez
Max du Preez
Max du Preez is a South African author, columnist and documentary filmmaker and was the founding editor of Vrye Weekblad.-Vrye Weekblad:Du Preez founded Vrye Weekblad, an Afrikaans-language weekly newspaper, in November 1988...
commented that "I have never read anything as compelling, real and disturbing as the piece written in The Star last week by S'bu Zikode".
He had been critical of evictions linked to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
and supported the August 2010 Public Sector Worker's strike in South Africa.
Mark Hunter argues that Zikode evokes a conception of housing rooted in an idea of dignity rather than a technical, numbers driven approach to the housing crisis.
His writing has been anthologised in the Verso Book of Dissent.
Awards
On 16 December 2009 he was presented with the Order of the Holy Nativity by Bishop Rubin PhillipRubin Phillip
The Right Reverend Rubin Phillip is bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Natal. The great-grandchild of indentured labourers from Andhra Pradesh, Phillip is the first black South African to hold the position of Bishop of Natal...
.
Repression
In 2006 Zikode, along with a number of other members of the movement, was forced out of his job after his boss came under pressure from the Mayor. In September 2006 Zikode, and the then Deputy Chair of the movement Philani ZunguPhilani Zungu
Philani Zungu was the Deputy-President of the South African shack dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo in 2006 and 2007 and continues to play a key role in the movement. He is also the chairperson of the Pemary Ridge Development Committee...
, were arrested on trumped up charges and tortured by Superintendent Glen Nayager in the Sydenham Police Station.
In September 2009, Kennedy Road
Kennedy Road, Durban
Kennedy Road is a shack settlement, in the suburb of Clare Estate in Durban, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was founded by a Mr. Mzobe in the late 1970s. The land on which the settlement was founded is steep and runs down between the Municipal Dump and the 6 lane Umgeni Road...
was attacked by a mob reportedly affiliated with the African National Congress. Violence continued for days. Zikode's home was destroyed during the violence and he and his family fled. Zikode, who is in hiding because he fears for his life, considers himself a political refugee.
External links
Online articles and speeches
- We are the Third Force
- Transcribed speech given at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
- We are the Restless Majority
- Make Crime History
- Silencing the Right to Speak, is taking away Citizenship
- When Choices Can No Longer Be Choices
- Land & Housing: The burning issues
- 2008 AGM Speech
- Meaningful Engagement
- The ANC Has Invaded Kennedy Road
- Party Politic Vs Living Politic in Kennedy Road
- Democracy is on the Brink of Catastrophe
- Serving our Life Sentence in the Shacks (with Zodwa NsibandeZodwa NsibandeZodwa Nsibande is the General Secretary of the Abahlali baseMjondolo youth league.She has been critical of the impact of the FIFA 2010 World Cup on shack dwellers in Durban and supports the popular appropriation of electricity....
) - Land is a Political Question
- When Loyalty Becomes a Threat to Society
- When the Poor Become Powerful Outside of State Control
- Presentation at CUNY Graduate Center for Place, Culture and Politics
- The Politic of Land and Housing, Presentation to University of Chicago Students in Cape Town
- Transcription of talk on Frantz Fanon, Rhodes University, South Africa, 2011
Interviews
Online films
- Txaboletan bizi direnak by Elkartasun Bideak, 2009 (English dialogue with Basque subtitles)
- Amandla Awethu by Elkartasun Bideak, 2009
- From the Shacks to the Constitutional Court by Dara Kell & Christopher Nizza, 2008
- Dear Mandela by Dara Kell & Christopher Nizza, 2008
- A Place in the City by Jenny Morgan, 2008
- The Right to Know: The Fight for Open Democracy in South Africa by Ben Cashdan, 2007
- Nayager Falls, Abahlali Rises by Sally Gilles and Fazel Khan, 2007
- Breyani & the Councillor by Sally Gilles and Fazel Khan, 2006
- Kennedy Road and the Councillor by Aoibheann O'Sullivan, 2005
Poems and songs
- Dada South (for S'bu Zikode) by Aryan KaganofAryan KaganofAryan Kaganof is a South African film maker, novelist, poet and fine artist. In 1999 he changed his name to Aryan Kaganof.-Filmography:...
- Abahlali by the Dlamini King BrothersDlamini King BrothersThe Dlamini King Brothers are an isicathamiya choir from the Kennedy Road shack settlement in Durban, South Africa. They were formed in 1999.On 27 September 2007, they beat 108 other choirs to win the 11th Annual Isicathimiya Competition held at the Playhouse Theatre in Durban...