The people living beneath an N7 bridge on Vanguard Drive will have to move if a temporary court order awarded to the City of Cape Town is made final.
The group have been asked to appear in the Goodwood magistrate’s court on June 21 to give their reasons why the order should not be made final.
Members of the disgruntled group met on Sunday to discuss their objections.
‘All of us are prepared to go to court’
A fire in October 2006 razed 70 shacks, killing two men, in the informal settlement under the bridge.
Many of the squatters moved to a Factreton community hall after the blaze, but most of them - complaining about unpleasant conditions and saying they experienced abuse - have since returned.
Kensington community leader Phindile “Jimmy” Xalipi said: “The City of Cape Town didn’t research why those people came back to stay in Acacia Park. All of us are prepared to go to court.”
The group wanted housing and law enforcement officials to be present at the court hearing in June, Xalipi said.
The group were originally given the option of moving to Happy Valley, Delft or Langa, but they refused as their homes under the bridge were closer to their places of work and their children’s schools.
Other options for the group are a disused Maitland school and a development project at Wingfield.
The head of the city’s informal settlement management department, Steven Erasmus, confirmed that a court order had been granted as a precautionary measure.
“Going the legal route is an absolute last resort. We will try to assist them until the last minute. But we cannot allow lawlessness to take place and we can’t be seen acting to be in certain instances and not in others.”
Other alternatives were being looked at, Erasmus said, but he declined to give details. Cape Times
The group have been asked to appear in the Goodwood magistrate’s court on June 21 to give their reasons why the order should not be made final.
Members of the disgruntled group met on Sunday to discuss their objections.
‘All of us are prepared to go to court’
A fire in October 2006 razed 70 shacks, killing two men, in the informal settlement under the bridge.
Many of the squatters moved to a Factreton community hall after the blaze, but most of them - complaining about unpleasant conditions and saying they experienced abuse - have since returned.
Kensington community leader Phindile “Jimmy” Xalipi said: “The City of Cape Town didn’t research why those people came back to stay in Acacia Park. All of us are prepared to go to court.”
The group wanted housing and law enforcement officials to be present at the court hearing in June, Xalipi said.
The group were originally given the option of moving to Happy Valley, Delft or Langa, but they refused as their homes under the bridge were closer to their places of work and their children’s schools.
Other options for the group are a disused Maitland school and a development project at Wingfield.
The head of the city’s informal settlement management department, Steven Erasmus, confirmed that a court order had been granted as a precautionary measure.
“Going the legal route is an absolute last resort. We will try to assist them until the last minute. But we cannot allow lawlessness to take place and we can’t be seen acting to be in certain instances and not in others.”
Other alternatives were being looked at, Erasmus said, but he declined to give details. Cape Times
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