| City welcomes Castle of Good Hope eviction order | City welcomes Castle of Good Hope eviction order | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/City%20news.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | <p>The City of Cape Town welcomes the Western Cape High Court’s granting of an eviction order to the National Public Works Department (DPW) for the unlawful occupation around the Castle of Good Hope in the CBD. The unlawful occupants have until 17 October to vacate the site, with the offer of dignified transitional shelter at City-run Safe Spaces available at all times. Read more below:<br></p> | <p>City social development professionals have assisted the national DPW by documenting the personal circumstances of each of the unlawful occupants via on-site interviews. Offers of transitional shelter at City Safe Spaces and NGO-run night shelters have been made, and remain available. <br></p><div>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. </div><div> </div><div>‘I warmly welcome the court granting an eviction order to the national DPW, as the land custodian for the Castle precinct. This site has long been a source of public concern and complaint - as well as a source of frequent incidents of crime and general grime. The City has been pushing for more than two years for the owner of the site to take responsibility for it. We are grateful to the new Minister for showing leadership and getting his Department to act. </div><div><br></div><div>The unlawful occupation began during national lockdown, and the City has long been advocating for a resolution not only because of the Castle’s tourism and economic importance, but also for the sake of the unlawful occupants. Accepting social assistance to get off the streets is the best choice for dignity, health, and well-being. No person has the right to reserve a public space as exclusively theirs, while indefinitely refusing all offers of shelter and social assistance,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.</div><div> </div><div>Last month, the City completed all processes related to the final eviction order obtained for various unlawful occupation sites in the Cape Town CBD 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. </div><div> </div><div>Earlier this year, the High Court further granted the City two similar eviction orders in recent months for central Cape Town, at the Green Point Tennis Courts in the vicinity of the Nelson Mandela Boulevard intersection with Hertzog Boulevard, Old Marine Drive, and Christiaan Barnard Bridge. </div><div> </div><div>City expanding Safe Space dignified transitional shelter</div><div> </div><div>The City is spending over R220 million in the next three years to expand and operate its Safe Space transitional shelters beyond the current 1 070 beds across the CBD, Bellville, and Durbanville facilities.</div><div> </div><div>The City currently operates two Safe Spaces at Culemborg in the east CBD, which offer 510 shelter beds across the facilities, with a new 300-bed Safe Space in Green Point opened in July 2024. A further facility is on the cards for Muizenberg, with plans for more around the metro.</div><div> </div><div>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.</div><div> </div><div>Annually, the City helps around 3 500 individuals with shelter placement or referrals to an array of social services. In 22/23, this amounted to 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.</div><div> </div><div>The City’s Safe Space model includes:</div><div>· dignified shelter,</div><div>· comfort and ablutions,</div><div>· two meals per day,</div><div>· access to a social worker on-site,</div><div>· personal development planning,</div><div>· various social services including ID Book and social grant assistance,</div><div>· family reunification services</div><div>· access to substance and alcohol abuse treatment,</div><div>· skills training,</div><div>· help finding a job, and</div><div>· access to EPWP work placement </div><div> <br></div> | 2024-09-18T22:00:00Z | GP0|#1d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70;L0|#01d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70|City news;GTSet|#62efe227-07aa-45e7-944c-ceebacca891d | | | | | GP0|#332b80ff-fa7b-4b63-aeff-5ec45b65fe4d;L0|#0332b80ff-fa7b-4b63-aeff-5ec45b65fe4d|eviction;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb;GPP|#632815ae-33d6-4255-bae7-4783535a5604;GP0|#cee98527-2114-4029-8173-aee474e6c8a5;L0|#0cee98527-2114-4029-8173-aee474e6c8a5|land invasion;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
