The writing is finally on the wall for the street people who have been living in tents in Baxter Street in Durbanville on the public open space right in front of a church and opposite Durbanville Primary School for more than two and a half years.
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said at a business networking event of Clara Busines Network (CBN) in Clara Anna Fontein estate in Durbanville last night he has signed the first eviction notice of more to come across the City yesterday.
He confirmed to TygerBurger the notice is to remove the street people in tents in Baxter Street to a safe space elsewhere. This came after all the compulsary processes were followed according to the Prevention of Illegal Eviction (PIE) Act and other legislation.
It was a combined effort with local councillors and other organisations such as MES Durbanville and Friends of Durbanville.
Many residents expressed their frustration with the “lack of action” from the City of Cape Town on the Facebook pages of neighbourhood watches.
They did not only complain on social media about the unsightliness and aggressive behaviour of the vagrants, but also the stench of human faeces, urination and unhygienic conditions.
More than 2 500 residents signed a petition - within only days since it was started – for the street people to be removed.
Durbanville Primary School School, whose parents and learners often witnessed unsocial behaviour by street people, also complained to the City.
The tented camp has become an eyesore in the centre of Durbanville since lockdown with regular incidents of conflict with residents threatening to take matters in their own hands. TygerBurger repeatedly reported on the matter.
According to Hill-Lewis the City will provide 750 more beds in safe spaces in the next 18 months to tackle the street people problem in Cape Town.
