Cape residents to hold rally against eviction

Pandemonium erupted at another meeting yesterday in Delft attended by Western Cape Housing Minister

Tensions are expected to run high at an Anti-Eviction Campaign rally in Gugulethu on the Cape Flats this afternoon. The AEC says they are expecting Cape Town Mayor, Helen Zille, to address them on pending evictions in Gugulethu, Nyanga and Mandela Park.

However, Zille's spokesperson, Robert MacDonald, says she will not be attending the gathering. MacDonald says Zille was only informed about the rally on Thursday. He says she will be at an anti-drug march in Macassar near Somerset West later this afternoon.

"The anti eviction campaign can send questions to the office of the mayor....she will then respond or get a relevant official to answer the questions, but today she will not be able to attend as she already committed to other events."

Yesterday, pandemonium erupted at another meeting in Delft where Western Cape Housing Minister Richard Dyantyi met with backyard dwellers, illegally occupying housing units in the area.

The dwellers disrupted the meeting because their ward councillor Frank Martin was not present. They demanded that he address them but he was not allowed to do so. Martin then stormed out of the gathering and some of the dwellers followed him. Dyantyi continued with the meeting. - SABC