The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will visit Delft on Thursday to investigate whether the rights of people evicted from the N2 Gateway houses they invaded had been violated.
Leaders of the Adam Kok V Royal House lodged a complaint with the SAHRC on Thursday after hundreds of people, including children and the disabled, slept in the open and later sat in searing heat following Tuesday's eviction.
"In essence, the complaint is that not much or nothing was done in terms of the Emergency Housing Act. Concerns were raised that children were out on the street and people were left destitute, with no access to water and proper nutrition, and worried about their safety,"SAHRC spokesperson Vincent Moaga said.
"The commission will conduct its own investigation to establish the facts. After this we will have an idea if there is a violation of human rights case. The complaint will go through the relevant processes, including contacting the local authorities who are respondents in this matter."
Adam Kok V Royal House leader Nico Nel said their concerns stemmed from what happened in Delft before, during and after the eviction.
"It is about the allocation of N2 Gateway houses in Delft. The 70/30 split between squatters, mainly African people from Joe Slovo, and backyard dwellers, mainly coloured people, is pitting amaXhosa and the coloured Khoi people against each other.
"Both were oppressed by colonialists and previous regimes. We've also asked the commission to investigate the use of force by the state when they evicted people.
"We believe that the rights of people, particularly children and the elderly, were violated," Nel said.
Meanwhile, three NGOs provided meals to those left homeless. Police patrolled the area, security guards kept watch at vacated houses and an animal welfare van arrived to pick up abandoned pets.
Symphony Way was blocked off because people erected shelters on the pavements.
"I had to sit and sleep in the cold last night and now the sun is beating down on me. This is terrible. I'm not that young anymore and pray to God to relieve me and them of this pain," said 61-year-old wheelchair-bound Maria Davids as she watched children playing on nearby dunes.
There were a few rare minutes of joy when a bakkie loaded with plums stopped and the driver allowed people to help themselves to the fruit.
Anti-Eviction Campaign leader Ashraf Cassiem said: "The night was peaceful. They will stay here until alternative accommodation is found."
DA ward councillor Frank Martin said council officials had started preparations to clear a piece of city land in Delft, but said that it would take a few days to install basic services such as water. - Cape Times
Leaders of the Adam Kok V Royal House lodged a complaint with the SAHRC on Thursday after hundreds of people, including children and the disabled, slept in the open and later sat in searing heat following Tuesday's eviction.
"In essence, the complaint is that not much or nothing was done in terms of the Emergency Housing Act. Concerns were raised that children were out on the street and people were left destitute, with no access to water and proper nutrition, and worried about their safety,"SAHRC spokesperson Vincent Moaga said.
"The commission will conduct its own investigation to establish the facts. After this we will have an idea if there is a violation of human rights case. The complaint will go through the relevant processes, including contacting the local authorities who are respondents in this matter."
Adam Kok V Royal House leader Nico Nel said their concerns stemmed from what happened in Delft before, during and after the eviction.
"It is about the allocation of N2 Gateway houses in Delft. The 70/30 split between squatters, mainly African people from Joe Slovo, and backyard dwellers, mainly coloured people, is pitting amaXhosa and the coloured Khoi people against each other.
"Both were oppressed by colonialists and previous regimes. We've also asked the commission to investigate the use of force by the state when they evicted people.
"We believe that the rights of people, particularly children and the elderly, were violated," Nel said.
Meanwhile, three NGOs provided meals to those left homeless. Police patrolled the area, security guards kept watch at vacated houses and an animal welfare van arrived to pick up abandoned pets.
Symphony Way was blocked off because people erected shelters on the pavements.
"I had to sit and sleep in the cold last night and now the sun is beating down on me. This is terrible. I'm not that young anymore and pray to God to relieve me and them of this pain," said 61-year-old wheelchair-bound Maria Davids as she watched children playing on nearby dunes.
There were a few rare minutes of joy when a bakkie loaded with plums stopped and the driver allowed people to help themselves to the fruit.
Anti-Eviction Campaign leader Ashraf Cassiem said: "The night was peaceful. They will stay here until alternative accommodation is found."
DA ward councillor Frank Martin said council officials had started preparations to clear a piece of city land in Delft, but said that it would take a few days to install basic services such as water. - Cape Times
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