Abahlali reveals chilling threats against slain activist before assassination

Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize, treasurer of the eNkanini branch of Abahlali baseMjondolo, had been living under constant threat before his assassination last week.

According to the shack dwellers' movement, Mkhize had received a chilling warning on 20 January 20 this year, a caller allegedly told him to “stop what you are doing” or face death. The caller also reportedly offered to spare his life if he paid a ransom, a demand Mkhize defiantly refused, saying the caller should “do what you have been paid to do.”

He continued his work, organising residents and opposing illegal land sales in the eNkanini occupation near Midrand, Gauteng a commitment which his colleagues say ultimately made him a target.

“There have been five murders in eNkanini and the neighbouring Mayibuye settlement between February last year and this month,” the movement said. “There have been no arrests and the local police have shown no interest in the killings.”

The movement called for “a rigorous and independent police investigation” into the deaths.

The Assembly of the Unemployed strongly condemned the assassination, describing it as “an attack on the entire movement of the poor.”

“Zweli Mkhize was not simply a leader in name; he was a committed activist who dedicated his life to advancing the rights of shack dwellers and the unemployed,” the Assembly said. “His assassination represents a devastating loss to the broader movement for social justice in South Africa.”

The Assembly also framed Mkhize’s killing within a wider climate of intimidation: “For years, leaders in poor and working-class movements have been subjected to threats, harassment, unlawful arrests, and assassinations. These acts form a disturbing pattern that reveals how dangerous it has become to organise at the grassroots level, particularly when such organising challenges powerful interests, corruption, or state neglect.”

It called for “an immediate, thorough, and transparent investigation” and warned that justice must be real, decisive, and comprehensive.

Abahlali baseMjondolo links the violence to disputes over land in the eNkanini occupation, which was established in August 2023 and rapidly grew to around 4,500 households. The movement says residents had been subjected to attempts by groups to sell land and collect escalating fees under the guise of legal costs to oppose evictions.

“Until our humanity is recognised, the killing will continue, and for the poor the price for land will continue to be paid in blood,” the statement reads.

After residents affiliated with the movement elected a local council, the new leadership moved to abolish the sale of land and improve community infrastructure. The movement believes that this shift in control is linked to Mkhize’s killing. “Our members believe that this is why he was killed,” it said.

Both Abahlali baseMjondolo and the Assembly of the Unemployed have urged the state to intervene and protect activists.

“No society can tolerate a situation in which groups of armed men openly extort a community, threaten democratic organisation, and murder people who do not give in to their threats,” the movement said.

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