Cape Town – A Western Cape High Court has granted permission for the eviction of approximately 360 foreign nationals occupying two City – and government-owned sites in Cape Town — Wingfield in Maitland and Paint City in Bellville — after they refused reintegration into South African communities and insisted on relocation abroad.
According to TimesLIVE, the ruling affects more than 360 people, who have been living at the former Wingfield military base in Maitland and Paint City in Bellville since the Covid-19 pandemic.
To build a working Home Affairs, we must restore rule of law. Today Cape Town Mayor @geordinhl and I agreed to launch joint eviction applications for foreign nationals occupying the Wingfield and Paint City sites. Operations to restore the rule of law will follow countrywide. pic.twitter.com/cE5eCpryzp
— Leon Schreiber (@Leon_Schreib) July 23, 2024
The group had initially sought relocation to countries such as Canada or Germany, rejecting offers from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist with reintegration or voluntary repatriation.
As reported by GroundUp, the City of Cape Town, together with the national departments of Home Affairs and Public Works, filed the eviction application earlier this year, arguing that the sites were never meant for long-term occupation.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the facilities had become a source of public complaints, with issues ranging from waste management to crime.
“The sites are not sustainable living spaces and were only ever intended as emergency accommodation,” he stated.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
