Richard Pithouse's Blog

1 March 2026 Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement Five Children Lost in Devastating Shack Fire At 3 am on Saturday a fire broke out in the Ekuphumleni settlement in Shakas Head. The fire took the lives of five children from the same family. The devastation is beyond words. The community tried to stop the fire andContinue reading "Five Children Lost in Devastating Shack Fire"

20 February 2026 Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement The Land Mafias are Preying on the Poor Zweli Mkhize, known as Khabazela, was assassinated in the eNkanini Occupation in Allandale, near Midrand in Gauteng, at around 6:30 pm on Thursday, 12 February. He was the treasurer of the local Abahlali baseMjondolo council. We held a memorial forContinue reading "The Land Mafias are Preying on the Poor"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 17-02-2026 Swaziland United Democratic Front Statement on the Brutal Assassination of the beloved leader of Abahlali BaseMjondolo comrade Zweli ‘Khabazela’ Mkhize We have learned with shock and disappointment the killing of Abahlali activist and leader comrade Zweli Mkhize who is the Treasurer of the eNkanini branch of Abahlali in Ellendale, Gauteng andContinue reading "Swaziland United Democratic Front Statement on the Brutal Assassination of the beloved leader of Abahlali BaseMjondolo comrade Zweli ‘Khabazela’ Mkhize"

PRESS STATEMENT 17 FEBRUARY 2026 STATEMENT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF ABAHLALI BASEMJONDOLO’S ENKANINI LEADER, ZWELI ‘KHABAZELA’ MKHIZE The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) condemns the assassination of Zweli ‘Khabazela’ Mkhize, treasurer of Abahlali baseMjondolo’s eNkanini branch in Gauteng. Mkhize was shot and killed on Thursday evening, 12 February 2026. In a statement, AbahlaliContinue reading "SERI Statement on the Assassination of Abahlali baseMjondolo’s eNkanini Leader, Zweli ‘Khabazela’ Mkhize"

MEDIA ALERT 15 February 2026 GIWUSA Strongly Condemns the Assassination of Abahlali baseMjondolo Leader Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize and Holds the Political Establishment Accountable The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) is deeply shocked and angered by the brutal assassination of Comrade Zweli Mkhize, widely known as Khabazela, the treasurer of the eNkanini branchContinue reading "GIWUSA Strongly Condemns the Assassination of Abahlali baseMjondolo Leader Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize and Holds the Political Establishment Accountable"

Media Statement 15 February 2026 SAFTU STATEMENT CONDEMNS THE ASSASSINATION OF ABAHLALI BASEMJONDOLO LEADER ZWELI “KHABAZELA” MKHIZE The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) expresses its deepest shock, outrage, and anger at the barbaric assassination of Comrade Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize, the Treasurer of the eNkanini branch of Abahlali baseMjondolo, who was gunned down onContinue reading "SAFTU STATEMENT CONDEMNS THE ASSASSINATION OF ABAHLALI BASEMJONDOLO LEADER ZWELI “KHABAZELA” MKHIZE"

Another Abahlali baseMjondolo Leader has been Assassinated The treasurer of eNkanini branch of Abahlali baseMjondolo Zweli Mkhize, also known as Khabazela, was assassinated in his branch, eNkanini, in Ellandale, Gauteng, on the evening of Thursday 12 February. He was at the home of a friend, who he regarded as a brother, when two men arrivedContinue reading "Another Abahlali baseMjondolo Leader has been Assassinated"

12 February 2026 Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement The State of the Nation Address in a Time of Escalating Crisis This evening the attention of the country will be focussed on the State of the Nation Address. As usual it will be a case of well-funded and well-organised lying. The actual state of the nation isContinue reading "The State of the Nation Address in a Time of Escalating Crisis"

This short excerpt from a much longer interview with Mqapheli Bonono, the current deputy president of Abahlali baseMjondolo, by Richard Pithouse discusses the building of the Frantz Fanon School in Durban and the movement’s evolving approach to political education. Bonono reflects on how lessons drawn from Brazil’s Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) informedContinue reading "Building the Frantz Fanon School: An interview with Mqapheli Bonono"

6 November 2025 Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement Solidarity with the People of Sudan, Tanzania and Cameroon There is a deepening crisis across Africa. In Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, the Congo, Swaziland, Cameroon and elsewhere, governments and armed forces backed by corrupt elites and imperialist powers have turned their weapons against the people. Thousands have been massacredContinue reading "Solidarity with the People of Sudan, Tanzania and Cameroon"