By Odwa Bafana Mkentane
Responding to Hanover Park Civic Organisation claims that the City of Cape Town barricades the home of a Hanover Park resident in an illegal eviction after Brian Collins lived there for more than 50 years, the City of Cape Town says it has no obligation to provide housing to Collins, who has been occupying a council-owned property in Hanover Park.
The city says Collins was not the registered tenant and had vacated the property in March 2024 following his arrest. It says the registered tenant voluntarily surrendered the unit and handed over the keys in August this year, and the property will now be allocated to another beneficiary in line with the City’s Housing Allocation Policy.
The Civic Organisation has since mentioned that the matter has already been taken to the Western Cape Rental Housing Tribunal.
Councillor Carl Pophaim, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, says the city has no obligation toward Mr Collins, and the city is allocating the unit as per the city’s allocation policy.
Brian Collins is the uncle of the unit’s registered tenant. He had been listed as a member of the household.
“On 12 May 2025, the tenant and her husband visited the office and reported that Mr Collins had left the dwelling on 30 March 2024 following his arrest for the assault on the tenant and for being in contravention of an interdict. On 17 February 2026, Mr Collins visited the office and requested that the city allow him to return to the dwelling. He was advised that he would need to approach the court regarding the matter. He subsequently made further visits to the office, together with relatives and representatives of the Hanover Park Civic Organisation, during which the same position was conveyed, “said Pophaim.
Pophaim mentioned that Collins was not in occupation of the dwelling. According to information provided by the registered tenant, he had vacated the property on 30 March 2024.
“On 20 August 2026, the tenant signed a notice slip and voluntarily surrendered the tenancy by handing over the keys to the unit, thereby giving the city vacant possession of the unit. At the time the tenancy was relinquished, following the surrender of the tenancy and return of the keys by the registered tenant, the city obtained vacant possession of the unit,” Pophaim said.
Photo: Hanover Park Gangwatch Facebook page
