Activists Say City of Cape Town is Not Ready to House Over 5k Homeless People After Court Order to Evict

• The City of Cape Town has been granted permission to evict homeless people who have made the streets of the Central Business District their homes
• Activists believe the metropolitan municipality's plan to help homeless people is not adequate to accommodate around 5 000 people
• The city plans to spend R77 million to build SafeSpaces for homeless people this year

CAPE TOWN - The City of Cape Town has been granted an order to serve eviction notices to over 5 000 homeless people who live on pavements, public spaces and the city's streets.

The Western Cape High Court handed down the order last week and panic amongst activists has set in, with some wondering what will happen to the homeless community.

Activists call on Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to listen to solutions

Speaking on Cape Talk, Activist Carlos Mesquita called on Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to be realistic about the Cape Town CBD homeless situation.

Read also

National Shutdown: Malema says EFF won't be intimidated after court grants interdict, SA divided

Mesquita and other activists say the city's plan to provide 350 beds for homeless people is nowhere near enough compared to what is needed.

Mesquita added that the area the municipality is preparing to house homeless people in might not be ready by April because the mayor has admitted to the court that they still need around 200 beds.

"So, it really doesn't make sense why you would through this whole process, and you are basically offering 180 beds to people when you are looking at thousands," explained Mesquita.

City of Cape Town plans to spend over R77 million to house homeless people

According to Daily Maverick, the City of Cape Town plans to spend R77 million this year and over R230 million over the next three years to house homeless people with its SafeSpaces initiative.

Read also

EFF protests against racial discrimination outside Siemens offices in Midrand, demands meeting with CEO

The SafeSpaces facilities will also have family dormitories, allowing families and couples to live together. This is a step in the right direction as some homeless people have previously chosen not to go to shelters because they don't accommodate families and couples.

The City of Cape Town says it has been able to house 1 453 homeless people and helped 409 people find work through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) work placements.

Cape Town Mayor Hill-Lewis lays out plans to grow city's economy, says ending loadshedding is the main priority

Briefly News previously reported that the Mayor of Cape Town has stated that he aims to eradicate poverty and create employment for residents. Geordin Hill-Lewis made these sentiments during the annual "Mayoral Minute".

The "Mayoral Minute" has been a part of Cape Town tradition for over a century, but the tradition was ended in the 1970s. Hill-Lewis said he's reviving the tradition.

Read also

Defence Minister Thando Modise says SANDF is on standby to prevent violence during EFF national shutdown

According to TimesLIVE, the Mayor of Cape Town said he aims to create more employment in the coming year despite the city's low unemployment rate.

Source: Briefly News