Homeless plan to build shacks at stadium

A shack dwellers' organisation says it will try to build shacks outside Cape Town Stadium on Friday to highlight its demand for proper homes.

Mthobeli Qono, spokesman for Abahlali baseMjondolo in the Western Cape, said on Thursday about 100 members of the organisation would gather in the city on Friday morning.

They would march to the offices of Western Cape housing minister Bonginkosi Madikizela, then head for Green Point.

"At Green Point we'll try to build our shelters before the stadium if it's possible," he said.

"We'll take material with us if we have transport to do so."

If it was not possible to build the shelters, they would move on to the office of city mayor Dan Plato.

Qono said Abahlali was demanding that residents of Khayelitsha's QQ and other sections be relocated to formal housing, something he said the city had promised but not fulfilled.

"We want the whole world to see that the government is really arrogant about the people of South Africa. They don't care about the poor people," he said.

Earlier, Abahlali said in a statement that the planned protest was "viewed as illegal" in terms of the law.

"It suggests that we need to notify the police 14 days before such action but according to us our action is genuine and legitimate," the statement said.

"We see no reason for us to notify them while we are going to occupy their offices because we refused to be controlled in any way in our actions."

Authorities have said there would be tight security around the stadium on Friday.

It is the venue on Friday evening for the second match of the soccer World Cup - France versus Uruguay.

- Sapa