The City of Cape Town has disavowed involvement in the recent eviction of residents from a Kensington informal settlement, where homes were demolished and materials confiscated while families struggled to rebuild after severe weather damage.
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According to IOL, residents of Gate 7 informal settlement, located near the Maitland cemetery, were part of a broader group of approximately 50 000 individuals in the Western Cape impacted by the recent heavy rain and strong winds.
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City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said this was a private eviction. ‘The City was not involved in the eviction,’ he said.
Resident Funeka Mayongo reported that the structures were damaged by Thursday’s winds, and while people were trying to rebuild on Friday, officials arrived on the scene.
‘We identified that they were from the municipality because of the navy work overalls written COCT.’
They demolished four damaged houses and confiscated materials from those trying to rebuild.
‘We are currently accommodating the affected people in our homes. They have nowhere to go.’
‘What they did in such bad weather is inhumane. Even today about six law enforcement came here taking pictures of the land and inspecting, and they do this often. We want people to be given their material back and answers why they did that,’ Mayongo said.
Meanwhile, the City is assessing the situation, with mop-up operations set to begin this week.
Theewaterskloof Municipality Mayor Mary Liebenberg noted that the harsh weather left 45 people homeless and many without electricity for most of the week.
‘I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Gift of the Givers for their invaluable assistance. Their efforts in distributing food to over 300 affected individuals in Grabouw have provided much-needed relief.’
‘I want to thank our local businesses, stakeholders, community organisations, and municipal departments for coming together to support about 45 people currently sheltered in community halls in Greyton and Villiersdorp,’ said Liebenberg.
In Drakenstein Municipality, around 900 residents evacuated from Newton, Wellington, were cleared to return home on Sunday after a dam specialist confirmed the risk of dam wall failure had been mitigated.
Municipal spokesperson Riana Geldenhuys noted that residents voluntarily evacuated the area on July 9 due to the risk.
‘This decision was taken in light of the fact that the water level of the 150 000 cubic metre dam in the Bo-Dal area dropped slightly since last night, as well as the lighter rainfall predicted for today.’
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Picture: Ziyaad Douglas / Gallo