Eviction!

Cape High Court rejects appeal by Delft squatters to stay on in illegally occupied houses

Thubelisha Homes, which manages the N2 Gateway Housing Project outside Cape Town, has welcomed a ruling by the Cape High Court rejecting an appeal by Delft squatters to stay on in illegally occupied houses.

Early this month, Judge Deon van Zyl ordered the occupants to leave by the evening of the 17th of February. Legal representation for the community filed for leave to appeal at the last minute on Friday.

Yesterday, judge van Zyl dismissed the request saying it had no merit. Thubelisha spokesperson Prince Xhanti Sigcawu says it is now up to the court sheriff to execute the court order.

Lawyers representing the dwellers are considering approaching the Supreme Court of Appeal. The illegal residents say they will not leave because they have been waiting for houses for years. - SABC

Heavily armed police and security officials have cordoned off with barbed wire the area in Delft where the eviction of about 1 000 backyard dwellers is set to go ahead on Tuesday, SABC news reported.

The Western Cape's anti-eviction campaign has appealed to Delft residents not to resort to violence.

This follows the dismissal on Monday of backyard dwellers application for leave to appeal an eviction order in the Cape High Court.

More than 1 000 backyard dwellers are illegally occupying housing units which are part of the N2 gateway housing project.

A lawyer for the backyard dwellers William Booth said that they were considering petitioning the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein against the High Court ruling. - Sapa