Abahlali was formed at a meeting of 34 people held in Durban on 4 October 2005. When the movement celebrated its 21st anniversary in Durban on 4 October 2026 it had more than 200 000 members across five of South Africa's nine provinces.
In 21 years of struggle it has won large tracts of urban land, extracted significant policy concessions and resolutely opposed the xenophobia that is systemically used to divided impoverished and working class people in South Africa. It has also built strong connections with radical movements around the world and has, in recent years, moved towards building communes.
The struggle has come at a high cost. As of 4 October 2026 26 lives have been lost in the course of the struggle.
This archive runs from the movement's formation in 2005 till 4 October 2026 and includes a complete list of all the statements it has issued, memoranda delivered at marches as well as the articles and speeches by its members which are archived on the movement's website.
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