July 27, 2008, 18:45

The Cape Town woman, who made headlines eight years ago when she went to the Constitutional Court to fight for housing rights for herself and other squatters, is still living in a shack.

Irene Grootboom (39) of the historic Grootboom Judgment by the Constitutional Court in 2000, brought an application to court on behalf of children and adults living in Wallacedene on the basis of rights to housing and children’s rights. She won the case, and now nearly 300 people received houses over the weekend. Almost eight years after the judgment the housing department handed over 277 houses to the Wallacedene community.

Grootboom has stayed in a shack since 1989 and even now was not among those who benefited. Richard Dyantyi, Western Cape Housing Minister, says she is happy that other people are getting houses that she fought for. But, Grootboom, who is sick and in bed, says although she’s joyful that some now have houses, she’s unhappy that she could not get a house after playing a leading role in the Grootboom Constitutional Court application.

Dyantyi says the beneficiaries are people who have organised themselves into groups. The minister said the next two projects would start next month and Grootboom would definitely be one of the beneficiaries.