Mandela Park Backyarders
Encyclopedia
The Mandela Park Backyarders or just Backyarders is an unfunded Khayelitsha
-based South African social movement
made up of poor and marginalised residents of Mandela Park that is working for housing rights and against evictions.
The focus of the movement is on providing legal support for residents on housing issues, fighting for the rights of its members in relation to government housing policies, as well as conducting workshops and democratic discussions about housing issues.
The movement claims to be a socialist movement that believes in direct democracy
through open mass meetings with all members invited.
in government housing allocation in Mandela Park. They have been successful in compelling the Provincial Housing Department towards organising a probe into the illegal buying and selling of RDP houses in the area. Backyarder protests have also forced provincial government to fire corrupt contractors from Mandela Park developments.
whose purpose they see as providing legitimacy to corrupt politicians despite little change in their condition. They have become fed-up with the voting process which they see as an undemocratic ritual and have threatened not to vote in the upcoming elections.
Khayelitsha
Khayelitsha is a partially informal township in Western Cape, South Africa, located on the Cape Flats in the City of Cape Town. The name is Xhosa for New Home...
-based South African social movement
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
made up of poor and marginalised residents of Mandela Park that is working for housing rights and against evictions.
The focus of the movement is on providing legal support for residents on housing issues, fighting for the rights of its members in relation to government housing policies, as well as conducting workshops and democratic discussions about housing issues.
The movement claims to be a socialist movement that believes in direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
through open mass meetings with all members invited.
Campaign against housing corruption
Mandela Park Backyarders have alleged widespread corruptionPolitical corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in government housing allocation in Mandela Park. They have been successful in compelling the Provincial Housing Department towards organising a probe into the illegal buying and selling of RDP houses in the area. Backyarder protests have also forced provincial government to fire corrupt contractors from Mandela Park developments.
Protests and arrests of members
In September 2009, Mandela Park Backyarders protested against what they called a false promise of 23 houses from MEC for Human Settlements Bonginkosi Madikizela. 23 Backyarders were then arrested for allegedly vandalising government property. However, Backyarders claim that the 23 members were not involved and that police arrested anyone they could find connected to the Backyarder movement. The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence.Philosophy of the movement
The Backyarders have become increasingly critical of votingVoting
Voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an opinion—often following discussions, debates, or election campaigns. It is often found in democracies and republics.- Reasons for voting :...
whose purpose they see as providing legitimacy to corrupt politicians despite little change in their condition. They have become fed-up with the voting process which they see as an undemocratic ritual and have threatened not to vote in the upcoming elections.
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