New documentary highlights struggle of South African shackdwellers, who denounce post-apartheid “freedom” without “economic emancipation”
Thousands of members and supporters of the shack dwellers movement Abahlali baseMjondolo marched through the streets of Durban to mark “Unfreedom Day”
Thousands gather for "Unfreedom Day" on April 25, 2025 (Photo: Abahlali baseMjondolo)
On July 31, Peoples Dispatch and Pan Africanism Today released a short documentary depicting the commemoration of “Unfreedom Day” by thousands of members and supporters of the shack dwellers movement Abahlali baseMjondolo, uniting thousands in a sharp critique of the post-apartheid government of South Africa and to fight for land, housing, and dignity.
The documentary recounts the events of April 25, 2025, when Abahlali baseMjondolo members marched through the streets of Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa to mark “Unfreedom Day.”
“What kind of freedom is without jobs and without economic emancipation?” asked S’bu Zikode, the president of Abahlali baseMjondolo – which translated to “The Residents of the Shacks”. In many ways the sprawling shacks on the margins of major cities in South Africa have become symbolic of the unfinished project of post-apartheid democracy.
“What can we make of freedom without land, without decent housing, without access to basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity, refuse collection, and road access?” asked Zikode.
“Unfreedom Day” demonstrators also were explicit about their solidarity with other struggles, including solidarity with Palestine and the Congo. “We are also going to be carrying the hearts of the people of Palestine as we are saying this country is not free,” said Mqapheli Bonono, the deputy president of Abahlali baseMjondolo. “We cannot be free if the people of Palestine are still facing this genocide.”
