'We can't allow these sites of urban decay to set in forever' - Hill-Lewis on Castle of Good Hope evictions
City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the removal of the homeless people outside the Castle of Good Hope was a huge milestone.
Police and authorities at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town as a group of homeless people are evicted, 1 November 2024. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the removal of the homeless people outside the Castle of Good Hope was a huge milestone.
This comes after the Western Cape High Court in September granted the eviction order to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
The city said that just more than 20 people of the 120 evictees took up the offer to move to shelters.
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According to the metro, it will ensure that the illegal occupation outside the national monument doesn't happen again.
The occupants were given until 17 October by the court to vacate the area.
"For the last two years or slightly more than that, we have been begging the Department of Public Works to take responsibility for the Castle property and do what is necessary, go to court if needs be, to restore it," said Hill-Lewis.
Hill-Lewis added that government had been very slow in responding to the city's requests to remove illegal occupiers on government-owned land.
"Steadily working through all of them, we can't allow these sites of urban decay to set in forever."