The City of Cape Town says it will approach the Constitutional Court to challenge a part of the Disaster Management Act (DMA) regulations following an increase in unlawful occupations.

‘To this end, the City will be applying for eviction applications on 595 tented camp and land invasion hotspots,’ it stated yesterday.

It notes that following the declaration of the state of national disaster due to Covid-19, it had observed an increase in unlawful occupation as well as an increase in a variety of makeshift structures and tented camps throughout the metro.

‘This has resulted in the unlawful occupation of large pockets of City-owned land earmarked for the development of public services,’ the City said in a statement yesterday.

A report on the News24 site notes that it added that the Western Cape High Court judgment in the matter of the SA Human Rights Commission versus City of Cape Town and Others had severely curtailed the private property owners and the City's ability to protect its land.

As a result, it left the City with few options to prevent and respond to unlawful occupations.

According to the Cape metro, the continued land invasions negatively impacted on its ability to comply with its constitutional mandate.

Full report on the News24 site