EVERY year on 27 April, Mzansi pauses to commemorate Freedom Day.
But shack dwellers said they couldn't observe this day while they still live under inhumane conditions.
Shack dwellers under Abahlali Base Mjondolo painted the streets of Durban red on Thursday, 27 April, as they marched to the Durban City Hall to hand over their memorandum of demands to the eThekwini Municipality.
Among their grievances were the problems of decent housing, the assassination of their activists and all forms of violence against their members.
ALSO READ | WATCH: 'Freedom Day can't be erased from the calendar'Opens in new window
The president of the movement, Sbu Zikode, led the march. He said 27 April marked exactly 29 years since black South Africans voted for a better life but yet there was no real freedom for the majority of them.
He said this was why they called this day "Unfreedom Day".
"In every disaster whether it is floods, fires, pollution or diseases, we are most at risk. The state does not treat us like other people.
"We are regularly ignored, insulted, harassed, assaulted and robbed by state officials. The state regularly destroys our homes and our street stalls at gunpoint," he said.
Zikode said last year alone, four of their members were murdered, one allegedly by a masked police officer and three by izinkabi.
"Abahlali has lost 24 activists to murder and assassination. Last year alone, within the space of six months, four of our leaders were murdered. These killings include traditional leaders, whistle blowers and human right activists, not to mention women and children," said Zikode.
He said as long as their members were still living in substandard housing conditions like pigs in the mud they won't stop fighting for equality and land.
One of the shack dwellers, Nozibusiso Dlamini (32) said the government doesn't care about them and they were not free at all.
"We don't have decent housing and the government has turned a blind eye on us. We demand equal treatment. We also voted for a better life," said Nozibusiso.
The memorandum was accepted by Dr Sipho Cele from the office of the Ethekwini mayor, who promised hand it over to the relevant departments.
