The City of Cape Town said that nine Belhar families who illegally occupied a housing complex would not be rendered homeless if they were evicted.
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The families who were living in the area as backyarders moved into the vacant houses at the Pentech housing development in May 2021.
While judgment to determine whether the families will be evicted has been reserved, the city said the occupants had been offered alternative accommodation in Elsies River, but refused to move.
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City Mayco Member for Human Settlements Carl Pophaim said that the occupants already had homes before moving into the complex.
‘The facts show the unlawful occupants will not be rendered homeless and have the capacity to go back to their original homes.’
Bradley Jacobs, who moved his family into one of the houses, told EWN that, in addition to the poor living conditions, housing officials made them promises. He also stated that he had attended meetings where promises were made about the backyard dwellers, but when the project began, it was only people from other areas.
According to Jacobs, the family refused to be relocated outside of the Belhar region because they did not want to return to their backyards.
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