Several refugees, many of them asylum seekers, who have been living in tented camps at two temporary sites — Paint City in Bellville and Wingfield in Maitland, Cape Town — since 2020, say they are not refusing help from authorities but are instead requesting relocation out of South Africa. This development comes as the City of Cape Town seeks a court order to evict them.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show, Karen Hendricks, leader of the housing and social justice movement Reclaim the City, confirmed that the City is in the process of evicting the group.
“The City is also promising affordable housing and social housing on these sites and they are saying that the occupiers are unlawfully occupying public space and that they are using the rule of law to evict the occupiers,” explained Hendricks.
*Listen to the full interview here.
In a statement to VOC News, the City of Cape Town confirmed that it, along with the National Departments of Home Affairs and Public Works, is jointly seeking an eviction order from the Western Cape High Court for the remaining foreign nationals unlawfully occupying the Wingfield and Paint City sites.
The City added that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), with assistance from the City and non-profit organisations, has completed various repatriation and deportation processes. Hundreds of foreign nationals have also been reintegrated into their communities of origin.
According to the City, approximately 160 individuals remain at the Wingfield site — under the custodianship of National Public Works — and around 200 remain at the City-owned Paint City site in Bellville.
“Violent hostility exists between factions of the unlawful occupants, as well as towards law enforcement authorities,” said the City.
“This joint application aims to restore these sites to their original public use and to bring an end to the undignified conditions for the sake of the unlawful occupants and the general public, as these sites have generated a great deal of public complaints, including traffic, crime and waste challenges,” said Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber noted that the state has provided extensive support over time to assist foreign nationals.
“Multiple offers of assistance have been made by the DHA, UNHCR, NPOs, and the City to reintegrate and repatriate the foreign nationals, with hundreds of people having taken up these opportunities following assessment operations,” added Schreiber.
“The demands of remaining unlawful occupants for relocation to Europe or Canada can never lawfully be met, nor can the state continue to bear expenses related to these sites. It must also be noted that these facilities were never intended to provide permanent accommodation, but rather were meant to provide temporary shelter during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he stressed.
Photo: Supplied
