 We used to talk a lot about death, because we knew very well that someday luck won't be on our side, they will kill us. He even said it's socialism or death, because we want it, no matter what it takes, no matter what it takes, even if it means death. Because we can't really continue living in this inhuman conditions. 28-year-old Lendukole Manguni, the chairperson of the Ikhanana Commune of South African Shack Twillers Movement, Abaklali Base Mojandolo, was gunned down at his home in Durban on August 20. Manguni was out of prison on bail at the time of his assassination. According to eyewitnesses, his two assassins were part of the hit squad that had killed Ikhanana's deputy chairperson Ayanda Ingeela on March 8. Both of them had been facing charges for the same murder along with two others, Ikhanana branch secretary Maphiwe Gasela, a mother in her mid-20s, and 34-year-old Lando Shazi, chairperson of its youth league. Ingeela, Manguni and Shazi had been first arrested in March 2021 and charged for the murder. All charges were dropped after it was proven in court that the witnesses of the police had provided false testimonies. Only months after the release, in the end of September 2021, the three along with Maphiwe Gasela were arrested again in January 2022 and charged with another murder. They were released on bail by the end of February after the police were once again unable to show any evidence to make their case. They were given a hero's welcome at the Abaklali General Assembly in the Ikhanana commune on March 6. After the assembly had concluded, Endukozo Engubane, one of the police's false witnesses in the previous murder charge and her brother, Kaya Engubane, led goons into an attack on the common members. Two days later, Kaya Engubane, along with three other gunmen, assassinated Ingeela according to eyewitnesses. After Engubane's arrest, his father, Samson Engubane, an alleged local leader of the ruling African National Congress, threatened Abaklali members in the premises of Turban Court that there will be bloodshed in Ikhanana. Samson is interested in dragging the commune land into the real estate market. This was stated by Nokuthala Mabaso, a mother of four who was a key witness to Engela's murder. In the affidavit she had prepared to oppose Kaya Engubane's bail. Even before she was to present it in court, Mabaso was also assassinated. Samson Engubane and his brother were arrested for her murder on July 26. Following her murder, it had become evident that there was danger to the lives of Mengoni, Shazi and Gasela. They were moved from the commune to a safe house. But on the day Mengoni was killed, they had come to the commune to work on its poultry farm and vegetable garden among the key projects which make Ikhanana Abaklali's landmark accomplishment. Since its inception in 2005, Abaklali has been occupying lands and building shacks with the collective labour of its own members to house the urban poor. Ikhanana is once such occupation with 3,000 shacks. Since it was established in 2018, its residents have come under attacks several times. Work on the commune's vegetable garden, poultry farm and tuck shop had come to a halt after the killing of Engela and Mabaso. Residents have been living in fear as gunmen have allegedly been frequenting the commune and opening power in the air at night. It was however resolved that the vegetable garden and poultry farm had to be revived. To contribute their labour to this work, Mengoni, Shazi and Gasela had come out of their safe house to the commune on Saturday. After the work, Mengoni had stayed back for a meeting in the evening to discuss the way forward for these projects. A couple of hours after the meeting, gunmen broke into the occupation and killed Lindukhole Mengoni. In its statement, Abaklali described him as a fearless leader who always stood for his community. Mengoni knew that he had chosen to live and struggle in the shadow of death. He made it very clear in his calm and gentle way that he had chosen socialism or death, the statement said. Since the movement began, Mengoni has become the 25th leader who has been lost to an assassination. Our forefathers, our grandparents, they were promised that if they struggle, if they defeat apartheid regime, all their problems will be solved. If they defeat apartheid regime, they will reach to socialism. They said everyone will have access to land. They said so because they knew the impoverished wanted to have access to land. But what happened in 1994? If we believe in socialism or want to bring socialism into existence, yet land is not on top of the table, will forever languish in poverty.