Question NW1756 to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation

Reply:

Honourable Member, evicting people in the middle of winter is not desirable and I hope that we will see less of the inhumane evictions conducted by the City of Cape Town previously.

The Honourable Member will recall that I issued media statements in July 2020 wherein I urged the City of Cape Town to adhere to the National State of Disaster Regulations which prohibit the eviction of persons from their homes.

The Honourable Member will be aware that the National Disaster period has been extended and the country is currently under alert level 4. The City of Cape Town, and all other municipalities are reminded to adhere to the regulations that we issued in respect of evictions for the duration of the lockdown period.

The Disaster Management Act: Regulations: Alert level 4 which came into effect on 16 June 2021 stipulate that, “A person may not be evicted from his or her land or home or have his or her place of residence demolished for the duration of the national state of disaster unless a competent court has granted an order authorising the eviction or demolition”.

The Member will recall that although the said regulations were issued, the implementation thereof falls under different authorities. In upholding and affirming the regulations cited above, I made a public appeal to municipalities and private property owners to suspend evictions during the lockdown and instead for all parties to prioritise measures aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, I encourage the Honourable Member to approach courts to seek legal recourse in relation to the conduct of the City of Cape Town.