NATIONAL NEWS - Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has welcomed the Western Cape High Court ruling granting the City of Cape Town, in partnership with the Departments of Home Affairs and Public Works and Infrastructure, authority to serve eviction notices at the Wingfield and Paint City sites in Bellville.
This follows the COVID-19 lockdown, when groups of people were relocated to the two sites after their removal from Greenmarket Square and the Central Methodist Church in Cape Town’s city centre.
While many accepted support and reintegration, approximately 160 people remained at Wingfield and 200 at Paint City, rejecting assistance and demanding relocation abroad – requests that government said were not legally feasible.
“This ruling demonstrates the importance of collaboration between national and local government. Together with the City and the Department of Home Affairs, we have taken a decisive step towards restoring these sites and ensuring that state-owned assets are protected and used for the benefit of the public.
“We are relentlessly pursuing our agenda to reclaim state assets and repurpose them for public good. The rule of law will be enforced. No person has the legal right to unlawfully occupy state land or to claim public buildings and land as their own. It is our responsibility to return these properties to their intended purpose so they can contribute to the upliftment of our communities,” the Minister said on Friday.
The Minister also stressed that the evictions will help relieve the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure of the millions of rands in costs paid each month to maintain tents and facilities at these sites, freeing up funds for essential infrastructure and service delivery.
The ruling allows the sheriff of the court, working with government partners, to serve notices on those currently occupying the sites.
"This process will allow us to reclaim these sites to ensure they become productive spaces that can be used to support community development," Macpherson. - SAnews.gov.za
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