Court hears of travel costs to work after evictions
‘If you get sent to Wolwerivier, what is the chance that you will be able to get out of Wolwerivier, or are you essentially going on a permanent basis,’ asked Acting Judge Mark Sher in the eviction case of 27 residents of Bromwell Street, Woodstock. A GroundUp report says the families have returned to the Western Cape High Court where a new judge is now hearing the case. The families are facing eviction to Wolwerivier after the Woodstock Hub bought the property on which they live.
The City of Cape Town is arguing that the only available emergency accommodation for the residents is in Wolwerivier – a low-cost housing development about 25km north of the city centre. The case was originally heard by Acting Judge Leslie Weinkove, but is being reheard as he recused himself from the case after he made ‘offensive comments’, and residents felt that he might be biased against them.
Sher, Weinkove’s replacement, expressed concern that if the Bromwell Street residents moved to Wolwerivier as an emergency solution, they would never return to Woodstock. Sher questioned whether there were schools, shops, jobs, places of worship or health facilities at Wolwerivier. Advocate Sheldon Magardie – representing the residents on behalf of Ndifuna Ukwazi Law Centre – said that to access any of these amenities, they would need to travel out of Wolwerivier. Sher calculated that if Bromwell Street residents needed to get to Woodstock from Wolwerivier, this would cost about R30 for a one way trip.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
