City overturns temporary interdict

By Tina George
11 June 2009


Yesterday afternoon the City of Cape Town’s legal team partially overturned a temporary interdict granted to the Provincial Government to move displaced foreigners from the City’s five large safety zones to municipal community halls.

According to spokesperson Robert Macdonald, In terms of this ruling the Provincial Government now only has authority to use 15 City owned community halls that were already sheltering displaced people since the xenophobic violence first erupted.

“The City will continue to challenge the interdict in the days ahead, as we believe that Provincial Government should make use of facilities which are not being used on a regular basis, like Wingfield Airforce Base, Fort Ikapa, unused schools, and vacant public works buildings before commandeering community halls through its interdict,” says Robert Macdonald.

He added that the Province’s interdict is not ideal, and the City needs to make use of their city halls, they are used as pension pay outs and are needed in a case of flooding and fire where people need to be sheltered.

‘We don’t want to exacerbate local tensions and extend the xenophobic problems that we are trying to address.”