By Dorothy Mecer
(Tokologo African Anarchist Collective)

There are three issues that cause evictions in townships, which result in people being left hurt, miserable, heartbroken, humiliated and abused.

First, family problems: when children fight over the family inheritance, after their parents pass away, .or when a crisis between the wife and her husband leads to divorce. The man sometimes becomes angry and sells the house, ignoring the fact that children are involved: the buyer will pay the sheriff to evict them.

Second, when a loan from the bank is granted to those working, and they cannot pay it. After some time, contract work comes to an end, or workers are retrenched, and income becomes low. Payment to the bank starts to become a problem, and the workers face arrears.

The bank then decides to take the house, and auction it off to bidding agencies. They sell your house and get police assistance to evict you: the police protect the agent, the buyer and the sheriff. And when they evict you they destroy your furniture and steal your money. If you are not at home they still do this, and then change the locks.

Third, the politicians: if a town councilor realizes that the owner of a house has passed away, and that only the children or unemployed people live there, they take the chance to illegally sell the house to those who have money. Then they call the police to accompany them and evict the poor people, knowing that they will not get assistance from the police station, or have money for a lawyer or advocate to defend them.

We anarchists must organize and educate the working class community to build a strong society based on correct principles. This will help build confidence in people to have a politically independent mind, and  to make their own decisions, and ultimately have the ability to fight the government and business people  the ruling class who dominate society.