Squatters to be evicted from Green Point tennis club

In a recent ruling, the Western Cape High Court has granted the City of Cape Town a final eviction order to clear 37 homeless individuals residing at the Green Point tennis courts. The court mandated their eviction by January 31, 2024, barring re-entry or any structural attempts on the property. The sheriff, with police assistance, is authorized for eviction if occupants fail to comply, with the earliest eviction date set for February 7, 2024. Additional eviction orders for homeless sites in the CBD, including Buitengracht Street, FW De Klerk Boulevard, Foregate Square, and others, are still awaited.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis emphasized the significance of maintaining public spaces in the CBD and Atlantic seaboard, core economic and tourism hubs. While the City has extended care offers to those unlawfully occupying public spaces, persistent refusals led to court intervention as a last resort. The Mayor asserted that no individual has the right to exclusively reserve public spaces while rejecting offers of shelter and assistance.

Under current laws, no individual may be evicted or removed without providing alternative accommodation, which has made the process of clearing squatters difficult, since the City had until Hill-Lewis’s mayoralty neglected this key infrastructural element. However, the City plans to invest R230 million over three years to expand its Safe Space transitional shelters, and has recently completed a new 300-bed facility in Green Point.

Arrangements will be made to assist those agreeing to relocate, with social development offering alternative options until eviction.

The City is still waiting on final eviction orders for several other sites around the City, including Buitengracht Street, FW De Klerk Boulevard, Foregate Square, the taxi rank, Helen Suzman Boulevard, Strand Street, the foreshore/N1, Virginia Avenue and the Mill Street bridge.