Tafelsig families to hear fate on Friday
A GROUP of Mitchells Plain families who invaded open land near the railway line in Tafelsig will hear their fate on Friday.
Some 50 people moved on to land owned by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) after they were evicted from nearby, city-owned land in August. They were among hundreds of backyard dwellers who illegally invaded the City of Cape Town’s land in May.
While most have moved on, the remaining families on the Prasa land have refused to move to the accommodation the city is offering them in Blikkiesdorp, Delft.
The matter appeared in the Western Cape High Court yesterday and several residents attended the proceedings.
The city’s advocate, Anton Katz, SC, argued that the residents were “holding a gun to the city’s head” by demanding alternative accommodation.
“They are jumping the queue. They don’t want to go there (to Blikkiesdorp) because they want better. They want better than all of those ahead of them in the queue,” he said, referring to the city’s housing waiting list. Homeless people are temporarily accommodated at Blikkiesdorp while they wait for formal houses.
The residents’ advocate, William Fisher, who acted pro bono, questioned why no other land could be made available.
He said the residents preferred Strandfontein, but advocate Tony Crookes, for Prasa, said this settlement was unlawful. Fisher argued that his clients would rather live without water, electricity and a sewerage system than move to Blikkiesdorp, fearing the levels of crime there. The matter was postponed to Friday for judgment.