The national Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) is set to follow in the footsteps of the City of Cape Town as it plans to file for eviction for the unlawful occupation around the Castle of Good Hope in the CBD.
The Castle, one of the oldest buildings in the city and is a Grade 1 National Monument, has been plagued in recent years with occupants housing themselves on the side of the Castle.
Both the Castle's reputation as a renowned tourist destination and the safety of the local community are being negatively impacted by the illegal occupation.
DPWI spokesperson Thami Mchunu confirmed the court papers were signed last week already.
He said seeing that the matter is against homeless people, it is required that the government apply for a special service date, which is July 31.
“The purpose of the special service date is to have our papers translated into Afrikaans and isiXhosa and also for a Sheriff of the Court to do loud hailing informing the occupiers about the eviction. Thereafter, on September 17, the application is to be served before court,” Mchunu said.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the City welcomes DPWI's eviction application for the Castle, which is a long outstanding matter since the unlawful occupation began during the national lockdown period.
He said it was high time that site was restored for public use, not only for its tourism and economic importance. “But also for the sake of the unlawful occupants, as accepting social assistance to get off the streets is the best choice for dignity, health and well-being.
“No person has the right to reserve a public space as exclusively theirs, while indefinitely refusing all offers of shelter and social assistance,” HillLewis said.
The City social development has since assisted by documenting the personal circumstances of each of the unlawful occupants via on-site surveys.
While the eviction application procedure is ongoing, offers of interim housing at City Safe Spaces and night shelters managed by non-governmental organisations have also been made over time.
Castle of Good Hope CEO Calvin Gilfillan said he will avail himself once a decision has been made.
The announcement comes days after the Western Cape High Court had also granted the City of Cape Town a final eviction order, enabling it to begin evicting hundreds of illegal street people occupying public places in the CBD.
The final eviction order is for the people living at City owned sites such as along Buitengracht Street, FW de Klerk Boulevard, Foregate Square, taxi rank and Foreshore, Helen Suzman Boulevard, Strand Street, Foreshore/ N1, Virginia Avenue and Mill Street Bridge in the city.
Two similar eviction orders have already been handed down in recent months for the unlawful occupants at the Green Point Tennis Courts, in the vicinity of the Nelson Mandela Boulevard intersection with Hertzog Boulevard, Old Marine Drive, and Christiaan Barnard Bridge.
Carlos Mesquita, a homeless activist said they have begged the City to provide other housing alternatives where privacy and agency are paramount.
The City Safe Spaces offers social programmes to assist people off the streets sustainably, reintegrate them into society, and reunite them with family.
Meanwhile, referrals for mental health, medical, and substance abuse therapy are provided, along with personal development planning and employment prospects.
Mesquita said: “The City is again suggesting moving those individuals looking for privacy and long term housing alternatives to informal settlements on the outskirts of Cape Town, again, adding to the spatial divide between the haves and have-nots.”
There are now 510 shelter beds available across the City’s two Safe Spaces at Culemborg in the east CBD, and a new 300-bed Safe Space in Green Point is scheduled to open in the upcoming months.
“So the solution to the City’s own strategy is no solution at all and those living on the streets will remain imprisoned in homelessness,” Mesquita added.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za