A group of homeless people have been evicted from the Castle of Good Hope after living on the property for two years. Picture: Leon Lestrade / Independent Newspapers.
Cape Town - Squatters who occupied the land outside the Caste of Good Hope have finally been evicted after resisting a mandate by the Western Cape High Court to relocate by October 17. This after the court ruled in favour of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).
After more than two weeks since the residents were ordered to vacate the precinct outside of the iconic space, the eviction of the unlawful occupants was completed yesterday morning under the direction of the Sheriff of the Court, with the assistance of the SAPS and Cape Town Metro Police.
The City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis described it as a positive move.
“The City of Cape Town welcomes this positive milestone. Positive for the whole city, positive for this heritage site, and positive for those who were living in indignity at this site for several years.
“This has been a very visible site of urban decay in recent years, and its clean up today is an important moment for urban restoration in the city.
“We also appreciate the urgent attention this matter has received in recent months from the custodian of the Castle, the national Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.”
Castle of Good Hope CEO, Calvyn Gilfellan previously said the eviction process could turn ugly, as he believed some individuals may resist leaving voluntarily.
“There will be some unpleasantness because poverty is a violent method against the poor. Any act, even if they break up one tent, will be seen as an act of aggression.
“It’s not like the community did not have an opportunity through the court order to take up the City’s offer for Safe Spaces.”
But the occupants calmly vacated the space as heavy-duty equipment entered to clean out the space.
A man who asked to remain anonymous said: “We could’t leave with anything but our bags and blankets, no plastic, sheeting or other materials of our structures.
“When the count down started, we had to take what we need and leave the space. We left peacefully but I will come back when its dark, I’m coming back to see what I can save to take with me.”
Unclaimed possessions were moved to the City’s Ndabeni storeroom where occupants could retrieve their belongings.
City social development professionals assisted the national DPW by documenting the personal circumstances of each of the unlawful occupants via on-site interviews. Offers of transitional shelter at City Safe Spaces and NGO-run night shelters have been made, and remain available.
Safe Spaces offer social programmes to assist people off the streets sustainably, reintegrate them into society, and reunite them with family.
Personal development planning and employment opportunities are made available, as are referrals for mental health, medical, and substance abuse treatment.
The evictions ended a long saga where homeless people invaded land and open spaces during the Covid-19 pandemic, without the government interfering.
This has resulted in spaces on pavements, and any open space being invaded and tents being erected. These invasions happened in spite of the City providing demarcated spaces around the city during the pandemic.
When the pandemic ended the City had to go the costly route of getting eviction orders through the courts.
The tardiness of the national government to evict people from national government land, meant the City was powerless to act and had to wait for national government departments to get eviction orders. This led to a proliferation of squatter communities around the city.
Mayor Hill-Lewis further stated: “The unlawful occupation began during the national lockdown, and we are relieved it has come to an end, not only because of the Castle’s tourism and economic importance, but also for the sake of the unlawful occupants.
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.
“The City has been pushing for more than two years for the owner of the site to take responsibility for it. We are grateful to Minister Dean Macpherson for showing leadership and getting his Department to act as the land custodian for the Castle precinct.”
The City’s Safe Space model includes: dignified shelter, comfort and ablutions, two meals per day, access to a social worker on-site, personal development planning, various social services including ID Book and social grant assistance, family reunification services, access to substance and alcohol abuse treatment, skills training, help finding a job, and access to Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) work placement.
venecia.america@inl.co.za