Lobby groups welcome evictions halt
Social justice lobby groups are celebrating a victory after the government heeded calls for evictions to be placed on hold following the lockdown.
Last week, more than 20 social justice organisations called for a moratorium on all evictions throughout the country.
An open letter, penned by a number of social justice movements and organisations, addressed to the President Cyril Ramaphosa’s National Command Council, was sent two weekends ago.
A Cape Argus report says in a directive addressed to judges from Judge President John Hlophe, he instructed judges to suspend eviction applications – including the execution against residential immovable property.
This suspension is until 17 April.
Law Centre Ndifuna Ukwazi director Mandisa Shandu said: ‘We remain deeply concerned that, despite this moratorium, there may be attempts by some unscrupulous landlords or property owners to try to evict people during the lockdown. Any attempts to evict, or otherwise remove, people from where they live at this time are manifestly unjust and illegal. Yet, illegal evictions are widespread and many poor and working-class communities across the country are precarious during the lockdown period, with occupiers, informal settlement residents, farmworkers and farm dwellers, and woman and children particularly at risk.’
Some of the organisations that have supported this call include the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of SA, Equal Education, Section 27 and the Stellenbosch Backyarders Forum.
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.
