Squatters return to N7 bridge

N7 bridge squatters who were evicted from the damaged structure have moved back into their old homes and have vowed to resist being moved again.

But the City of Cape Town is about to obtain a court order preventing them from reoccupying the land.

The squatters, who were living under the bridge, were evicted last year after a shack fire broke out in October, killing two people and causing structural damage to the bridge.

‘The city officials can do all they want to us, but we won’t be moved’

Most of those evicted were temporarily accommodated in a community hall in Factreton, and the city has been trying to prevent them from returning to the bridge, giving them the option of moving to Happy Valley near Delft, or to Langa.

But the evicted have rejected this offer. They say these places are too far from where they work and from their children’s schools.

More than 50 of the squatters now live in makeshift structures next to the bridge, and the number is growing as more squatters from the community hall join their “family” near the bridge.

Mwabile Ndzaba has been living under the bridge for more than three years. He says he can’t relocate to other areas as he works nearby.

The squatters claim to have constant fights with Metro Police officers who, on several occasions, have dismantled their homes.

Ndzaba initially moved to the community hall after the fire.

He said he dismantled his home, made of blankets and cardboard, every time he went to work to save it from being destroyed by city authorities.

“We refuse to move to the other areas because they are so far away,” he said.

“We work here and our children go to school here. The city officials can do all they want to us, but we won’t be moved. We are not going anywhere.” Cape Argus