The City of Cape Town (CoCT) on Sunday said officials would be keeping a close eye on Empolweni as more people attempted to build structures on the land.
The community won a reprieve against removal in court last week after the city twice dismantled their shacks.
The court found the community should return to the area until the lockdown is lifted, at which point they could petition the court again if they wanted to make an argument that they should be allowed to occupy the area permanently.
The Gift of the Givers Foundation set up tents for the community as they were sleeping outside for the past week.
#KhayelitshaEvictions @GiftoftheGivers has set up these tents for the community after their shacks were twice torn down by the city of cape town last week. The court order handed down this weeks allows 49 structures on this land. JK pic.twitter.com/2MLENPf9CA
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) April 19, 2020
The Western Cape High Court gave the City of Cape Town until Monday to return building materials it removed when it dismantled the shacks.
The order allowed 49 structures to be re-erected on the city-owned land. But before the removals began, there were more than 150 structures in the area.
One community member occupied one of the structures not covered by the court order.
“It’s a little bit painful. We’re still going to spend a few days outside and we don’t know… there’s no way forward…”
When Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu visited the community on Sunday she reminded residents that land invasion remained unlawful during the lockdown.
“If we find that the people who were here who had come from other places need land, we will negotiate that but right now we are preparing land for 49 families,” she said.
Shortly after Sisulu left, metro police returned to the area as community members started blocking off areas where they wanted to build their homes.
In other news – She is the best lockdown partner – Actress Letoya Makhene enjoying her new lesbian Bae (Pictures)
If ‘no time to waste’ was people, surely it would be these two as they continue to shower each other with praises of love. It is not long since Letoya came out in public about her new lesbian relationship with Lebohang, and already the two are heads over heels in love.
As the nation settles into the extended period of lockdown, actress Letoya Makhene and her bae Lebohang Keswa are making the most of their quality time together. continue reading
Source: EWN
