Evicting homeless people from CBD sites will enable the restoration of public places - Hill-Lewis

Source: EWN Traffic
Author: Carlo Petersen

CAPE TOWN - Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that a court order for homeless people to be removed from various sites in the CBD would enable the restoration of public places in the city.

The Western Cape High Court granted the final order, which allows the sheriff of the court to evict homeless people from unlawful occupation sites in the city, earlier this week.

The locations include areas along Buitengracht Street, Foregate Square, Helen Suzman Boulevard, and the Foreshore along the N1 among others.

According to the order, people living on the street have until 30 July before the sheriff of the court begins evictions.

The mayor's spokesperson, Lyndon Khan: "The city has gone to great lengths to extend every offer of care to those unlawfully occupying public places. Approaching the courts is a last resort, as no person has the right to reserve a public space as exclusively theirs while indefinitely refusing all offers of assistance to get off the streets sustainably."

Khan said that repeated offers of social assistance had been made to the homeless, including temporary accommodation at safe spaces.