Cape Town defends demolition of Gate 7 settlement at Maitland Cemetery
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The City of Cape Town says the clearing of the Gate 7 informal settlement at Maitland Cemetery followed a private owner's eviction order, as displaced families spent the weekend sleeping in the open.
The City of Cape Town insists that the demolition of structures in the "Gate 7" informal settlement at Maitland Cemetery was above board, after evicted residents spent the weekend sleeping in the open.
Law enforcement officials said the land on which the shacks were built is privately owned and that the owner had been granted an eviction order.
Most of the families admit they moved onto the land in July and thought they would be left alone because no one had sought to evict them. One resident, Aphiwe Shumani, said he moved from Dunoon because he was unemployed and could no longer afford to pay rent.
"So we still have that question: where we should sleep, where we should live, where we should go because we don't even have places," Shumani said. "We were busy renting on the other side, living there by Dunoon and other people living there by Khayelitsha."
Residents said they moved to the area because it was closer to opportunities and because their children attend nearby schools in Kensington.