Lungani Zungu
Abahlali baseMjondolo activist Lindokuhle Mnguni knew he was living on borrowed time after he received a series of death threats from unknown people.
Mnguni’s fate was sealed on Saturday when gunmen stormed his house in Durban’s Cato Manor and shot him several times.
His girlfriend, who was also shot, is currently fighting for her life in hospital.
“He knew he was going to die soon, but he continued to fight for social rights for the neglected shack dwellers,” his emotional uncle Thami Mnguni told Scrolla.Africa.
Lindokuhle Mnguni, 24, who was the chairperson of the eKhenana Commune in Durban, is the 24th activist killed since the formation of the organisation in 2005.
Growing up in a shack with no electricity and water led him to join Abahlali baseMjondolo – a movement that boasts over 100,000 registered members.
Not even the chilling death threats and six months in jail could derail him from his quest for justice for shack dwellers.
Mnguni was arrested and charged with the murder of a man whose body was found in the informal settlement. He spent six months behind bars before the charges were dropped.
“He was a young and also a brave man who was not afraid to confront the system that continually oppresses shack dwellers to this day,” his uncle said.
Mnguni was forced to go into hiding in March this year for fear of being killed.
But seeing his own family in ruins and his personal ambition of social justice prevailing in tatters, Mnguni decided to come out of hiding and continue his fight in June.
The urban farming projects, the collectively owned shop and kitchen, a crèche and a poetry project were among the projects Mnguni was part of in the area.
Sbu Zikode, the president of Abahlali baseMjondolo, described Mnguni as a “powerful intellectual with a mind like a razor”.
He lamented the public’s silence amid the onslaught from what he called hired hitmen, mafias and gangsters.
He also lambasted the government and justice system. “These institutions have failed to protect us. It’s clear that our blood means nothing to them.”
The movement is still reeling from the murders of its activists, Ayanda Ngila in March and Nokuthula Mabaso in May.
KwaZulu-Natal Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo confirmed the incident, adding that no arrests have been made in the three killings.
Details of the funeral are yet to be announced.
Image source: Twitter
