Delft protests damage community centre, housing sod-turning cancelled

19 November 2020

The City of Cape Town strongly condemns the violent protests that occurred in Delft yesterday, 18 November 2020, after the City prevented the attempted illegal occupation of City projects, among others. This led to some road closures such as the N2 today, 19 November 2020, among others. The City will do everything in its power to safeguard its projects, programmes, services and communities at large from illegal occupations.

• It is unacceptable that the Delft community centre has been damaged and vandalised by the protesters. City health and community services staff, among others, have also been injured.
• A planned sod-turning of a new housing project planned for today had to be cancelled due to the violent protests. Attempts to invade the City’s The Hague project, where units were handed over today, and the land earmarked for a new housing project in the area, sparked the prevention of unlawful occupation operations that took place yesterday.
• The City reiterates its position that unlawful occupation hurts us all.
• While we respect the right of people to protest peacefully, the City of Cape Town will not tolerate intimidation, violence and the destruction of public and private property and the infringements of rights of law abiding residents in general.
• As a precaution, some services were temporarily withdrawn from the area.
   
  The City will continue to monitor this area and prevent the illegal occupation of its land and projects. This year has seen a spike in primarily large-scale, organised unlawful occupations, accompanied by violent protests, damage and destruction of public facilities and injuries to City staff.

‘The Hague Recreation Centre in Delft was vandalised last night for the third time in four weeks. This time 11 windows were broken, two doors burned and a large number of items stolen. It is absolutely unacceptable that the City’s members of staff, such as essential health workers, are injured and intimidated and that our community facilities are destroyed. We have seen this happening across the metro. It leaves our vulnerable communities more vulnerable and robs our communities of services and facilities,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

‘Illegal occupations have a very negative impact on planned projects, community facilities, basic services, beneficiaries of housing projects and infrastructure expansion and maintenance. As it is, we have about R1,3 billion of human settlements projects that are under threat. Unlawful occupation also severely negatively impacts those who have illegally occupied land. Those who occupy land illegally knowing there are no services do so at their own risk.
 
‘The City has numerous court orders in place in the Delft area, as is the case across the metro, as it tries to safeguard projects, services and programmes from unlawful occupation. The City will continue to do everything in its power to prevent the illegal occupation of land, which is a criminal act and which hurts us all,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi.

The City advises residents not to pay ‘rental’ money to ‘landlords’ who are ‘renting’ out invaded sites and also not to ‘buy’ invaded sites from syndicate operators who have invaded land. It must be noted that sites with services are of course ‘rented’ out or ‘sold’ at a premium. There are many intricate levels to the unlawful land occupation situation. Some residents have also been illegally evicted by their landlords which is not allowed under the national crisis regulations.
 
Any person who has been evicted by their landlord must make a case at their local South African Police Service as this is against the COVID-19 regulations in place.
 
City law enforcement departments and the South African Police Service continue to monitor the situation.

Anonymous tip-offs welcomed:
Residents can give anonymous tip offs if they are aware of illegal activity that is taking place; that has happened or is still to happen. Please call 112 from a cell phone (toll free) and 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 for emergencies.
 
 
End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office