Be clear on housing

THE City of Cape Town has accepted its obligation to provide temporary alternative accommodation to the Bromwell Street evictees when we are made homeless by The Woodstock Hub.

This comes after mayor Patricia de Lille and officials told us that the City of Cape Town had no obligation to do so, unless ordered by a court, stating further that assisting Bromwell residents with alternative accommodation would amount to “queue jumping”.

In the City’s answering affidavit in the Bromwell Street matter, Riana Pretorius, the acting executive director of the City’s human settlements directorate, made a complete U-turn:

“If persons are genuinely going to be rendered homeless on account of an eviction in the circumstances of this particular case, (the City) will provide them with access to emergency housing when same is available. The City accepts that emergency accommodation in this context does not amount to queue jumping. However, if they qualify under alternative housing programmes, they must access the benefits under those programmes and will not be eligible for emergency housing.”

Now, the question before the court is not if the City should provide alternative accommodation, but where. The City has indicated its intention to house families – those who cannot be accommodated in existing state-subsidised housing schemes – at the Wolwerivier relocation camp, 30km north of Cape Town.

We have visited Wolwerivier, and nobody can live a decent life there. As during the forced removals of apartheid, our families will be uprooted from our communities, and lose access to jobs, good schools and health care.

Bromwell Street residents demand the City of Cape Town does more to provide them, and all other evictees, with temporary alternative accommodation nearer to the community in which they have lived their entire lives.

The Bromwell Street matter is before the court on January 31. Charnell Commando Reclaim the City