58 000 left homeless by Katlehong shack demolitions MORE than 58 000 people have 'But today/ he said, 'the capit Calvin Makgalcng said the East lost their homes in the East alist system is experiencing an Rand Administration Board was Rand Administration Board's economic recession and the building 'heavenly mansions' in campaign to clear out 'illegals' bosses are shifting the burden oL the 'homelands' of Lebowa and from the Katlehong township the crisis on to workers by mak KwaNdebele. near Germiston. ing them redundant/ 'Why is workers' money being Over the past year, ERAS 'A large number of workers used to promote separate devel officials have systematically now find themselves unemploy opment - why is our money broken down shacks and have ed and the State wants to drive being used to promote home sent more than 29 000 people them back to the homelands to lands? he asked. back to the drought-stricken avoid the responsibility of grant He said that influx control had 'homelands*. ing them social benefits/ been introduced to the gain of Recently, three FOSATU Brother Mofokeng said these employers and therefore the members who all live in Katle unemployed workers were seen employers should take on the hong gave a public talk on the as a 'political threat1 by the responsibility of worker hous issue of shacks. State so it was demolishing the ing. Brother Ronald Mofokengsaid shacks and sending these work- But this did not mean building that the shacks were make-shift en away from the urban areas. 'unchristian' hostels, he added. homes made out of corrugated 'However, the workers have He said workers must begin iron, timber, cartons and plastic. been resisting in different parts to 'pressurise* employers to pro He said that with the establish of the country and have shown vide 'decent* houses for them or ment of the capitalist system in their resistance by squatting,' to buy land so that workers can Above: This pile of corrugated iron was once somebody's home South Africa, rural people were he said. build their own houses. Below: A FOSATU member stands outside his 'shack' forced to leave their land to seek Brother Baznaar Moloi said work in the cities and mines* that in Dukathole in Germiston And because the State did not there were so many shacks that ever take the responsibility to one cannot even walk through build houses for the workers, them. people were forced to build 'But up to now nothing has shacks happened with those shacks bec He said in some cases the emp ause they are not owned by loyers took up this responsibility migrant workers/ and built large corrugated comp He said a shack was only a ounds. shack because it did not have the However, because the shacks approval of the authorities — were a 'health hazard1 arid as this was a political decision. illness would affect production, Brother Moloi said shacks had the State eventually built 'ash- been built in Katlehong as early brick shacks*. as 1945 when people were mov 'But since it is not in the inter ed from the old location leaving est of the profit hungry bosses only 'coloureds* and 'Indians* and their Slate to meet the behind. needs of workers, a large section Why did they move people? of the working class never rec He said this was done to separ eived any accomodation/ Broth* ate the different race groups and erMofokeng said. to make it easier for the new in He explained that during the dustries to draw on their labour boom period, industry develop 'Because the economy was ed and a large number of work* booming and the employers crs were drawn from the labour needed labour, they never comp camps* in the rural areas. lained about the shacks - but 'With the housing shortage al now the recession has cursed our ready high, these workers were acceptable houses/ he said. forced to bufld more shacks/ The last speaker, Brother