- The Western Cape High Court granted an eviction order to
remove a group illegally occupying the space outside the Castle of Good Hope. - The City of Cape Town must provide alternative accommodation,
- Officials emphasize the importance of maintaining state
assets like the Castle for historical, economic, and public good reasons.
A group of people illegally occupying the space outside the Castle of Good Hope has less than three weeks to find alternative accommodation.
On Thursday 19 September, the Western Cape High Court granted an eviction order to the National Public Works Department (DPW) to remove the group.
They have until Thursday 17 October to vacate the site.
The order stated that the City of Cape Town must provide alternative accommodation at its safe spaces.
The group has occupied the site since 2020.
READ: City ready to act if DPWI does intervene to remove group of people occupying site outside Castle
Dean Macpherson, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, said the eviction order serves as a boost for Cape Town’s economy ahead of the summer tourism season and “reinforces our position that state assets should be looked after and be used for public good”.
”
Macpherson described the facility as an important part of South Africa’s history.
He called for it to be safeguarded and maintained, “to ensure that future generations can learn from our past to build a better future”.
“The Castle is also an important tourism attraction in the City of Cape Town and thereby plays an important role in the local economy, which helps to create jobs which are sorely needed in South Africa.”
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis welcomed the ruling. “This site has long been a source of public concern and complaint – as well as a source of frequent incidents of crime and general grime. The City has been pushing for more than two years for the owner of the site to take responsibility for it. We are grateful to the new minister for showing leadership and getting his department to act.”
Hill-Lewis said the City has been advocating for a resolution “not only because of the Castle’s tourism and economic importance”, but also for the sake of the unlawful occupants.
“Accepting social assistance to get off the streets is the best choice for dignity, health and well-being. No person has the right to reserve a public space as exclusively theirs, while indefinitely refusing all offers of shelter and social assistance,” explained Hill-Lewis.
Last month, the City completed all processes related to the final eviction order obtained for various unlawful occupation sites in the Cape Town CBD.
Earlier this year, the High Court further granted the City two similar eviction orders for central Cape Town, at the Green Point Tennis Courts in the vicinity of the Nelson Mandela Boulevard intersection with Hertzog Boulevard, Old Marine Drive, and Christiaan Barnard Bridge.
Calvyn Gilfellan, chief executive officer of the Castle of Good Hope, said: “There has been no direct relationship between visitor numbers and the presence of the unhoused community. In the last financial year, the Castle welcomed over 102 000 visitors. “However, the inhumane, unhygienic conditions attract lots of negative attention. This could impact on repeat visits,” explained Gilfellan.
He said the facility has seen an increase in general tourism, learner groups and events.
“We also host various Khoi and San cultural groups. The Castle now has 12 permanent museums and exhibitions, luring a broad spectrum of visitors. We now also host Parliamentary Portfolio Committee sittings in our Centre for Memory and Learning. This is while the burnt-down Parliamentary buildings are restored. The positive coverage this brings bodes well for tourism.”
