City's grand eviction plan yet to be set in motion
City of Cape Town and government counterparts face criticism over delayed eviction orders for Wingfield Refugee Tent occupants.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
Residents are holding the City to account for their promise to submit an eviction order for foreign nationals occupying the Wingfield and Paint City tents in Ysterplaat and Bellville, despite no application lodged a week after the City's grand announcement.
The City and national government last week said they were jointly seeking a High Court eviction order for the foreign nationals occupying the sites - a move criticized by housing rights activists Ndifuna Ukwazi.
Ward 56 councillor in Kensington, Cheslyn Steenberg, said they were awaiting the eviction.
'I want to inform residents that contrary to recent statements made by the mayor, and the minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Public Works, we have not received a draft copy of the eviction order made to the Western Cape High Court regarding the Wingfield refugee tent occupants. To date, no legal action has been taken.
'You may recall my message to the residents on June 19, 2025, regarding the videos where the mayor and ministers of Home Affairs and Public Works made a commitment on June 18 to the community, that they were going to submit an application for eviction of the refugees on that very same day.
'On June 23 I checked online, and there was no submission of the eviction order as promised.
"These applications are usually submitted online, so it should show on the online court system.
'We need to hold the mayor accountable and we need proof of them submitting the application.
"We are tired of the DA-led City of Cape Town making empty promises to the residents of Ward 56.
"For too long we have been getting the short end of the stick when it comes to service delivery and the City of Cape Town imposing plans without proper public participation. We will not tolerate this behaviour any longer.'
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Ad Loading
The City in response to Steenberg's remarks said they have yet to submit the application.
'The City and national government are seeking a court order to serve eviction notices, which, once granted, will lead to a final eviction order. The application is ready for submission soon and is currently being circulated for signature.'
Kensington Factreton Residents and Ratepayers Association (KFRRA) member, Leslie Swartz, said they have yet to see the commitment come to fore.
'During a recent meeting with the Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, he announced that with the support of the minister of Home Affairs and the minister of Public Works, an application for eviction has been made. We welcomed the announcement but will not be holding our breath as the mayor and the minister of home affairs are both on record having stated the same process some months ago and nothing has changed.
'Our community had absolutely no say in this relocation matter as the rights of all citizens are suspended during a disaster.
"The white tent has descended into a state of decay with several structures now being erected around the tent and has also become an environmental disaster with waste beginning to pile up."
More than 160 occupants remain at the Wingfield site.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
The City previously said the foreign nationals were initially moved to the sites under Covid-19 lockdown regulations after being evicted from Green Market Square and the Central Methodist Church.
They had cited xenophobia fears and demanded relocation to Europe or Canada, which the City deemed impossible.
Around 160 occupants remain at the Wingfield site and approximately 200 at the City-owned Paint City site. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.
Cape Argus
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Fikile Mbalula challenges DA to withdraw from Government of National Unity
Siyabonga Sithole | Published 6 hours ago ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has challenged the DA to withdraw from the Government of National Unity (GNU) following the party's recent threats to boycott the upcoming National Dialogue. This confrontation between the two parties follows hot on the heels of President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent axing of former deputy minister Andrew Whitfield, who allegedly undertook an unauthorised trip to the United States. DA leader John Steenhuisen, addressing the media on Saturday slammed Ramaphosa's decision, claiming it was indicative of President Ramaphosa's inconsistent approach to governance while also "threatening to destabilise the GNU unless all so-called delinquent ministers are removed from their positions within 48 hours. However Mbalula who was speaking during the 3rd day of the OR Tambo Regional Conference in the Eastern Cape on Sunday stated that the GNU is not a permanent feature but a temporary partnership among all the coalition parties. Mbalula stated that the ANC and its President will not be bullied and disrespected by the DA and its leaders who continuously threaten to destabilse the GNU. "When the Government of National Unity was formed with the ten political parties, it was not a permanent feature. So, we will not allow for our President to be disrespected by his deputy ministers. "Even Nelson Mandela fired his own wife. My mother Winnie Nomzamo Madikizela Mandela. Mandela took him out of the cabinet. Thabo Mbeki as president also did the same when he fired Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge. We can't then be disrespected by a small boy who is being protected by the DA. We are not in a marriage with the DA but we are in a coalition," he said. Mbalula who addressed delegates to one of the party's biggest regions in the Eastern Cape, the OR Tambo Region- which is one of the most influential ANC regions in the country said that those who had accused the ANC of selling out when it partnered with the DA in the GNU would soon realise that the ANC has an upper hand in the coalition. "They must know one thing. We are not at the mercy of the DA. We are in this coalition because we respected the outcomes of the elections and the interests of the people of South Africa. That is why we have characterised this as a strategic setback. "It is not a permanent feature. The GNU is not a melting pot. We did say that there are ten political parties in the GNU and the DA did not want this. Now, I see why they did not want this as they wanted to squeeze us and put us in a corner, but we turned the tables around and we put them in our own trap. Now they arein a deeper trap," he added. Mbalula's tough stance against the DA has been echoed by ANC spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri who on Saturday said it is the DA and not the ANC that went to the United States to complain about these redress policies and lobby other like-minded right-wing organisations in the U.S. "It is the Democratic Alliance that went abroad to the United States to complain about these redress policies and lobby other like-minded right-wing organisations in the U.S., not the ANC and mobilised against transformative policies. "The statement of intent is very clear. It says all the parties that are signatory to the statement will not tamper with redress policies. The DA has been to court I do not know how many times challenging the land expropriation act, the Bela act, the NHI act and the employment equity legislation. Those are but four major transformative legislation. They have also campaigned furiously against the BEE laws. "It is for South African to figure out who is violating the statement of intent," Bhengu-Motsiri told the SABC on Saturday. Efforts to reach both DA spokespeople, Willie Aucamp and Karabo Khakhau were unsuccessful on Sunday. [email protected]
eNCA
4 hours ago
- eNCA
Is the honeymoon over between ANC and DA?
JOHANNESBURG - Is the honeymoon really over for senior GNU partners? The DA and the ANC are at loggerheads, after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired Deputy Trade and Industry Minister Andrew Whitfield. READ: ANC taking DA threats to collapse GNU seriously - Mbalula In response, leader John Steenhuisen has now withdrawn his party from the National Dialogue, labelling it a waste of time and money. Political analyst Prince Mashele had a discussion with eNCA.
eNCA
4 hours ago
- eNCA
ANC taking DA threats to collapse GNU seriously
JOHANNESBURG - ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says President Cyril Ramaphosa declined to travel, potentially anticipating that the DA would announce their departure from the GNU. He says they're taking the DA threats to collapse the GNU, seriously. The DA chose to remain in the Government of National Unity but it has withdrawn from the National Dialogue – dismissing it as a waste of time. DA federal chair, Helen Zille, said the party 'will not be messed around' with and warning that the DA has the numbers to bring government to its knees if necessary. This followed after Ramaphosa fired Deputy Trade and Industry Minister Andrew Whitfield of the DA. Whitfield was removed for travelling to the US as part of a DA delegation even though the president had warned against it. The group met with US lawmakers and representatives of the Trump administration in March.
