Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Statement
Thursday January 10th 2007
3pm

CAPE TOWN – The High Court case involving the over 1000 Delft homeless and backyard residents who occupied the “Breaking New Ground” houses in Delft a few weeks back, has been postponed from tomorrow (11 January) to next Tuesday 15th January 2008.

The ANC MEC for Housing, Richard Dyantyi, Thubelisha Homes, Seakay Construction plus two other companies today served an urgent application to evict the residents from the houses. They were supposed to have served the application last Friday, according to a court order.

The residents who occupied the houses have all been on the housing Waiting List for up to 20 years and have been promised houses at each and every election by all the political parties but these parties have never delivered on their promises.

Ashraf Cassiem, Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Legal Co-ordinator, is representing the residents because they do not have money for an Advocate.

According to Cassiem, “Again the companies and the government have disregarded the court order which said that last Friday they were supposed to serve the application. The court order also stipulated that we should have had a chance to respond by yesterday and the matter should be heard tomorrow but the companies and government failed to comply”.

Cassiem says that this is the second time the Housing Department, Thubelisha Homes and the other three companies have acted unlawfully. “The last time they used an unlawful 2006 order to evict residents and the court did not even chastise them but only set the order aside. They should be punished according to section 8 of the Prevention of Illegal Evictions Act which makes it a criminal offence to use unlawful orders to evict people. Now we want to know what the court is going to do about them taking their own liberties and why they are untouchable. However we are also happy that people are going to get the chance to say why they should not be evicted.”

The Anti-Eviction Campaign and Delft community are having a mass meeting at 7pm tonight to discuss the latest development and we will be ready by Tuesday 15th January to oppose the application” said Cassiem.

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For comment call: Ashraf Cassiem on 076 1861408; Pamela Beukes on 079 3709614; Mncedisi Twala on 078 5808646; or Mzonke Poni on 073 2562036 – all of the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign