By Kouthar Sambo
A non-profit organization Ndifuna Ukwazi expressed condemnation towards the City’s claims of property disposal of the Cissie Gool House (Old Woodstock Hospital).
This comes as the City announced during a Council meeting last week that it will start a public participation process for the redevelopment of the Old Woodstock Hospital site.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show on Thursday, Ndifuna Ukwazi’s Buhle Booi, said the organisation has long called for public spaces of land to be used for housing.
“The City has received approval from the council to go ahead and start the public participation process. This is not an eviction but a public participation process to garner the views of the public regarding the disposal of property,” explained Booi.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Ndifuna Ukwazi affiliate, Reclaim the City, Karen Hendricks said no progress on the matters has been made so far.
“For the past seven years, we have the space into a home because the only alternative for people being evicted is the alternative of being located to the periphery (35 km to 45 km out of the inner city) we then went to occupy the Cissie Gool House,” said Hendricks.
Furthermore, the city told VOC News that the Western Cape High Court granted the City an order interdicting and restraining Reclaim the City, the affiliate of Ndifuna Ukwazi, from “inciting persons to enter or be upon the property for the purpose of unlawfully occupying or invading”.
“The City plans to conduct engagements with the unlawful occupants as part of the broad public participation process to be undertaken for the disposal of the property,” clarified the City.
*Feel free to listen further as the parties delve into discussion around this matter.
Photo: Supplied
