Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.The Socio-Economic Rights Institute has welcomed a Western Cape high court order for the provision of alternative accommodation to more than 100 people soon to be evicted from public spaces in Cape Town’s inner city.
“We welcome the judgment because no one in South Africa should be in a situation where their rights go undefended and their voices unheard,” Seri’s senior attorney, Nkosinathi Sithole, said in a“They live next to busy roads in tents or structures constructed of plastic sheets and cardboard. They are compelled to live their lives in public, with little or no privacy. They struggle for food, shelter and warmth,” acting Judge Michael Bishop said in his ruling.
This means partners will not be separated into gender‑segregated accommodation, but instead be allowed to live together; shelter residents will not be locked out of the accommodation during the day; and people will not be limited to living for only six months in the safe spaces if they do not have alternative accommodation.
Although Seri commended the judgment, it said the court verdict dismissed other homeless people in Cape Town who are subject to eviction without the procedural protections provided by the Constitution.“Seeking an eviction order was always our last resort. We extended our care interventions knowing that some would take them and some would not.