Sheriff concludes Green Point Tennis Courts eviction

The Sheriff of the High Court today concluded the eviction of remaining unlawful occupants at the Green Point Tennis Courts. Over time, many of the occupants accepted various offers of social assistance, including dignified transitional shelter at City Safe Spaces, or emergency housing kits to be erected on land with the permission of a landowner. Only those who refused all support were evicted today under the Western Cape High Court order for this site. Read more below:

The eviction took place today, 22 February, under the court’s direction, via the sheriff and SAPS, with City social development officials and law enforcement playing supportive roles.

The court order further includes a standing interdict against any re-occupation at the courts, as well as further city-owned public spaces identified in the order.

The City’s offers of dignified transitional shelter still stand for any of the occupants evicted today who have not already made their own alternative arrangements.

City Safe Spaces offer social programmes to assist people off the streets sustainably, reintegrate them into society, and reunite them with family. Personal development planning and employment opportunities are made available, as are referrals for mental health, medical, and substance abuse treatment.

‘The City has followed due process under the law at every stage, and extended every offer of care to individuals unlawfully living at the tennis courts. Importantly, these offers still stand even for those evicted today who have refused all support over time. While all our efforts are underpinned by care, it is still vital that public places are open and available to all. This public facility will now finally be restored for public use. No person has the right to reserve a public space as exclusively theirs, while indefinitely refusing all offers of shelter and social assistance.'

‘The City helps around 3 500 people a year through shelter placements or referrals to social services to get off the streets sustainably. We are also investing R230m over three years to expand dignified transitional shelter. Accepting social assistance to get off the streets is the best choice for dignity, health, and well-being,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

The City is further awaiting the High Court’s imminent ruling on a final eviction order for various homeless encampment sites in the CBD, including along Buitengracht Street, FW De Klerk Boulevard, Foregate Square, taxi rank and Foreshore, Helen Suzman Boulevard, Strand Street, Foreshore/N1, Virginia Avenue and Mill Street Bridge in the city.

In a separate ruling last week, the High Court granted eviction orders in the City’s application regarding the unlawful occupation at the various road reserves and bridges around Culemborg in the Cape Town CBD. These areas are in the vicinity of the Nelson Mandela Boulevard intersection with Hertzog Boulevard, Old Marine Drive, and Christiaan Barnard Bridge. The order permits the Sheriff of the court to evict any remaining unlawful occupants if needed after 14 March.

The court also granted a final eviction order in the City’s application regarding  the unlawful occupation of certain erven adjacent to Victoria Road and Kloof Road in Camps Bay. As per the order, the Sheriff will conduct an eviction of any remaining unlawful occupants after 7 March.

City expanding Safe Space dignified transitional shelter

The City is spending R230 million over three years to expand and operate its Safe Space transitional shelters beyond the current 700 beds across CBD and Bellville facilities.

The City currently operates two Safe Spaces at Culemborg in the east CBD which offers 480 shelter beds across the facilities. The City is also set to open a new 300-bed Safe Space in Green Point in the coming months.

The City also recently supported a 63% bed boost to the CBD’s Haven Night Shelter, expanding this facility from 96 to 156 beds via a R500 000 cost contribution. During the winter, the City further enabled several NGOs to add 300 more temporary bed spaces to cope with additional shelter demand, including the deployment of 184 EPWP workers to assist NPOs.

The City further runs the Matrix substance abuse treatment programme, with an 83% success rate for clients, addressing a key driver of why people end up on the streets.

In the 12 months ending June 2023, the City helped almost 3 500 individuals with shelter placement or referrals to an array of social services. This includes 2 246 shelter placements, 112 family reunifications and reintegrations, 1 124 referrals to social services, and over 880 short-term contractual job opportunities via the Expanded Public Works Programme.

The City’s Safe Space model includes:

- dignified shelter,

- comfort and ablutions,

- two meals per day,

- access to a social worker on-site,

- personal development planning,

- various social services including ID Book and social grant assistance,

- family reunification services

- access to substance and alcohol abuse treatment,

- skills training,

- help finding a job, and

- access to EPWP work placement

Statement issued by the City of Cape Town, 22 February 2024