Abahlali baseMjondolo began in Durban in October 2005. It is the largest movement of the organised poor in post-apartheid South Africa.
Abahlali baseMjondolo, or AbM, is a shack-dwellers' movement in South Africa. The movement grew out of a road blockade organized from the Kennedy Road shack settlement in the city of Durban in March 2005 and now also operates in the cities of Pietermaritzburg and in Cape Town as well as a number of smaller towns in KwaZulu-Natal. It is the largest shack dweller's organization in South Africa but has its strongest base in Durban where it is a real force in the city. The movement has faced serious repression including the destruction of its members homes, arrests, assaults and murder.
Dignity is at the centre of ubuhlali. We are organising for a society where everyone counts and where capital and the state are subordinated to society.
Umhlaba Izindlu Nezithunzi
