DA Ward Councillor Nicola Jowell says the eviction follows a long process of engagement with the group
Chaos erupted near the Cape Town stadium, along Granger Bay Boulevard in Green Point on Wednesday, when a group of about 40 people living in makeshift shelters were forcibly removed.
By lunchtime, a bucket loader was breaking down the shelters. Dozens of people were sitting on the pavement with their belongings, while law enforcement monitored the situation.
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This is not the first eviction in the area. In 2024, we reported on the eviction of a settlement known as Tent City in Green Point.
Catherine Jumat was one of those sitting with her belongings, holding her cellphone and her asthma inhaler.
She said law enforcement officials came early on Wednesday and "chased us out like dogs".
"I don't know where I am going to go with my disabled child ... No one knows where they are going," she said.
Siyabulela Ngalo told GroundUp that he had been staying in the area for more than ten years. He said officials came to them two days ago to inform them about the eviction.
"This is unfair. At the end of the day, we are humans. We have rights. I don't know what to do," he said. "It's hurtful because we've been investing our lives here. How can they come and chase us away like this?"
Ngalo said many of them preferred not to go to the shelters offered by the council as alternative accommodation because of some of the rules and policies of the shelters.
Ward 54 Councillor Nicola Jowell (DA) in a statement on social media said the Sheriff of the Court had carried out the eviction at the site.
"This follows a long process of engagement, with ongoing offers of assistance to those living on site to access more stable and sustainable accommodation options. Where such offers are declined over time, the City is required to follow a formal legal process through the courts, which resulted in a lawful eviction order."
Jowell noted that some people had already accepted placement at the City's Safe Spaces. She said the site was now being cleaned and would be used temporarily for a construction project along the boulevard.
Questions to the City about its court order had gone unanswered at the time of publication. This article will be updated with the response once it is received.
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