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The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) condemns the assassination of Zweli ‘Khabazela’ Mkhize, treasurer of Abahlali baseMjondolo’s eNkanini branch in Gauteng. Mkhize was shot and killed on Thursday evening, 12 February 2026. In a statement, Abahlali baseMjondolo reported that he was assassinated by two gunmen while visiting his friend’s home in the settlement in Allandale, Gauteng. Before he was killed, Mkhize received threatening calls in 2025. He joins a long list of Abahlali leaders and members who have been targeted and assassinated since 2009. SERI stands firmly in solidarity with Abahlali and extends its condolences to Mkhize’s loved ones, the eNkanini branch and the broader Abahlali movement.

Mkhize has been described as a pillar of the eNkanini branch and is remembered by Abahlali and his comrades as an intelligent, honest, and committed leader who prioritised his community's needs and interests. His murder has robbed his branch and the movement of a principled leader who has paid the ultimate price for his work with Abahlali baseMjondolo. He was 52 years old at the time of his death and is survived by his spouse and three children.

Mkhize’s assassination follows a sustained pattern of violence against Abahlali baseMjondolo. In 2022, Abahlali lost four of its members, three of whom were also targeted and assassinated for their role as leaders in the eKhenana branch. In July 2023, Khayalihle Gwabuzela (also known as Khaya Ngubane) was found guilty of murdering Ayanda Ngila, the deputy chairperson of the eKhenana branch. Ngila was 30 years old at the time of his death and was a respected leader in Abahlali.

Before this conviction, two members of the African National Congress (ANC) and a hired hitman were convicted for the murder of Thuli Ndlovu, who was shot and killed in her home in 2014. Ndlovu served as the chairperson of Abahlali’s KwaNdengezi branch and was 36 years old at the time of her death. She was known for her bravery and courage as she exposed corruption in KwaNdengezi. Despite these convictions, justice and accountability for politically motivated assassinations of Abahlali leaders remain rare.

In March 2024, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) announced that a task team by the South African Police Service (SAPS) would investigate the assassinations suffered by the movement over the years. This task team was to report to the SAHRC regularly. Unfortunately, the updates that Abahlali has received from the SAHRC reflect very slow progress, and Abahlali fears that the matter is not being treated with the seriousness it deserves.

As a result of the assassination, six leaders from eNkanini are now in hiding. Three leaders from Abahlali’s National Council have been in hiding following threats and attempts on their lives in the past. The targeted victimisation and violence levelled against Abahlali baseMjondolo is evidence of shrinking democratic space and the use of violence against dissenting voices. Over the years, Abahlali has been attacked for insisting on the dignity of impoverished people and that they too deserve to have access to land, basic services, and the freedom to exercise their civil and political rights, which are promises encapsulated in South Africa’s 30-year-old Constitution. A failure to hold those responsible for these assassinations breeds a culture of impunity that further corrodes the little trust left in South Africa’s criminal justice system.

SERI calls for a thorough investigation into the assassination of Zweli Mkhize and other Abahlali leaders who have been targeted and assassinated. We also urge the state and the police, in particular, to prioritise all cases of political killings, including activists and whistleblowers who are targeted for their activism. We also call for the protection of movement leaders and individuals associated with Abahlali baseMjondolo facing intimidation and repression. Finally, we call for justice for Zweli Mkhize and mourn his untimely death.  

Contact details: 

• Thato Masiangoako, SERI researcher: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Nomzamo Zondo, SERI executive director: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

>> Download the statement here. 

In this newsletter we cover highlights May to November 2025. During this period, SERI launched three research products. The first is a Women’s Spaces publication entitled, ‘A Gendered Analysis of Informal Settlements in South Africa’, which explores land and housing through a women's equality lens by focusing on women's equal access to, use of, and control over land and housing in an informal settlement context. The second is a research report, entitled, ‘Food for Thought: Reflections on Food (In)Security. Laws, Experiences, Interventions’, which aims to better understand how some of SERI’s partners and client groups have been affected by, and responded to, food insecurity and hunger issues. Lastly, SERI launched a new rights guide for retail market traders in eThekwini entitled, ‘Trading in Retail Markets in eThekwini: Your Rights’ in partnership with the South African Informal Traders Forum (SAITF). The guide provides a comprehensive overview of the rights of retail market traders, relevant laws and policies, and the responsibilities of the municipality. It also outlines avenues for recourse in instances where traders’ rights are infringed.

The litigation highlights during this period include Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia v Operation Dudula, where the Johannesburg High Court declared Operation Dudula’s conduct unlawful and affirmed that “human dignity has no nationality”, interdicting Operation Dudula and its leaders from harassing people they assume are foreign nationals. In November, the Johannesburg High Court ordered the City of Johannesburg to urgently engage with informal traders following their unlawful removal from inner-city sites. In October, the Pietermaritzburg High Court halted evictions of KwaDukuza residents until strict conditions and meaningful engagement are met.

SERI’s advocacy efforts this period included hosting an exhibition and panel discussion highlighting informal trade in Johannesburg, participating in the 2025 Public Interest Legal Gathering, and rolling out a new guide for community advice offices.

>> Access the full newsletter here.

Today, 10 December 2025, marks International Human Righs Day. To commemorate the day, Daily Maverick has published an op-ed written by SERI's Boitumelo Mabogoane entitled, "SA must protect the work of legal advocacte and turn rights into reality." The op-ed situates South Africa’s human rights journey within the broader history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and examines the role of public-interest legal services organisations in advancing human rights, particularly at a time when civic space is shrinking, misinformation is rising, and human rights defenders face increasing hostility.

"Public interest legal services organisations have used the law as a vehicle for change, ensuring that the voices of everyday South Africans are reflected in the policies that affect their daily lives. However, despite their importance, the work of these organisations has increasingly become contested or perceived as a threat. They and the movements they support bear the brunt of the hostility from both the state and some sectors of society," she writes

>> Read the op-ed here. 

On 21 November 2025, SERI's Musawenkosi Cabe spoke on a panel entitled, 'On the Right to the Imagination and the Right to the City'. The panel formed part of a day-long event, the Joburg Revival, which was hosted by the Creativity for Social Change Hub and the Moleskine Foundation.

He spoke alongside Melusi Mhlungu (Creative Director, Jozi My Jozi), Thomas Coggins (Senior Lecturer and Researcher, University of the Witwatersrand), and Noluthando Mdayi (Co-CEO, Makers Valley). The panel discussion was facilitated by Lwando Xaso of the Creativity for Social Change Hub. Panellists reflected on what the 'Right to the City' means in the context of Johannesburg's inner-city, and a revived Johannesburg would mean for them and the work they do.

Musawenkosi reflected on SERI's work with inner-city residents and informal traders, who are often on the receiving end of efforts to exclude them from Johannesburg's inner city. He also shared his own reflections on what he observed of the Usindiso Building fire that claimed the lives of 76 people in August 2023 and recounted how quickly various politicians tried to blame the fire on the victims themselves. He discussed how important the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry has been for dispelling the prevailing narrative of building 'hijacking' that sought to criminalise inner city residents—much like how informal traders were blamed for the current state of the inner city, which served as justification for their unlawful removal by the City of Johannesburg in the lead up to the G20 Leaders Summit. Instead, the Commission found that dire poverty and the shortage of affordable housing are what drive people to live in the unsafe conditions of the inner-city and that the widespread assumption of large-scale “hijacking” of inner-city buildings is misplaced and not supported by the evidence uncovered by the Commission of Inquiry. He emphasised the important role that the Constitution plays in enabling the struggle waged by marginalised communities and groups for greater equity and inclusion in South Africa.