Two unknown assailants shot and killed housing rights activist Zweli ‘Khabazela’ Mkhize on February 12. Treasurer of the eNkanini branch of Abahlali baseMjondolo, a shack dwellers' movement that has faced significant threats and violence from both state and non-state actors, Mkhize was killed while visiting a friend near Midrand in Johannesburg.
Abahlali baseMjondolo, comprised of urban shack dwellers advocating for land, housing, and dignity, alleges that the “shack mafia” who operate as local militias killed Mkhize.
In the months leading up to his death, Mkhize received death threats, including a phone call on January 20 warning him to stop his activism or be killed, according to Abahlali baseMjondolo. The caller also offered to spare Mkhize’s life if he paid R40,000 (approximately USD$ 2,500), an offer Mkhize refused. Just seven hours before his killing, the Durban office in Kwazulu-Natal received a call threatening Mkhize and other leaders.
When he was shot, Mkhize was mobilizing members of the eNakinini informal settlement—where he was killed—and adjacent settlements to mobilize against forced evictions and for access to adequate housing, water, and electricity. Abahlali baseMjondolo say residents were subjected to illegal coercive efforts by the shack mafia to sell occupied land to residents and collect exorbitant fees under the guise of legal costs to safeguard against evictions.
Activists say Mkhize’s work led to the shack mafia putting a target on his back. Fearing for their safety, six leaders from eNkanini settlement have gone into hiding since Mkhize’s killing; residents fear that the violence will continue.
There have been five killings, but no arrests, in eNkanini between February 2025 and February 2026, according to an Abahlali baseMjondolo statement.
Amnesty International South Africa, in a 2024 report documented that 25 activists and members of Abahlali baseMjondolo have been killed since its inception in 2005, with many of these deaths directly linked to their human rights work. Despite the severity of the violence leveled against Abahlali baseMjondolo, there have only been two convictions in connection with members’ killings.
South African authorities should provide comprehensive safeguards and protection for Abahlali baseMjondolo members and initiate prompt, thorough, and independent investigations into the killing of Mkhize and the organization’s other members and leaders; authorities should also hold those responsible for the killings accountable.
