News

South African Shackdwellers’ President Embarks on Tour of United States

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NESRI, along with over thirty organizations across the United States, have coordinated the national tour of esteemed movement organizer and public intellectual S'bu Zikode, founding member and current President of Abahlali baseMjondolo, or Shackdwellers' Movement, post-apartheid South Africa's largest social movement led by the militant poor.

Zikode touches down in Chicago tomorrow, then travels to Ithaca, New York; New York City; Philadelphia; Los Angeles; and the San Francisco Bay Area, all to exchange lessons and strategies with leaders of the United States' own grassroots movements to end poverty. From the privatization of public goods to the criminalization of human rights leaders, U.S. groups fighting for the rights to land, housing, and other fundamental human needs have found parallels with the South African situation. Visit the Campaign to Restore National Housing Rights website for full information and to download a complete list of public events in the six cities. 

Read NESRI's national press release. Read the Abahlali baseMjondolo press release.