Local community activists and frustrated residents say they will keep on fighting against the City’s attempt to criminalise homelessness and further victimise the less fortunate.
This after the City council approved the Unlawful Occupation by-law during the special council meeting held on Wednesday.
Speaking on the council’s approval of the Unlawful Occupation by-law along with two other by-laws, mayor Dan Plato said that council’s approval of the by-laws followed the mayoral committee’s green light and the unanimous support of the Safety and Security Portfolio Committee earlier this month. “These crucial by-laws will help us to protect land and buildings from unlawful occupation. We are a caring city seeking to uphold the rule of law. That is why once gazetted, it will officially be law in Cape Town that an offer of social assistance is made first, including shelter, to ensure the constitutional enforcement of the prohibition on sleeping in public places.
“The City has a constitutional obligation to make sure that our public open spaces and our city remain sustainable, that there is equality before the law, and that while we are offering assistance to help people off the streets, our by-laws are being applied equally to all residents at the same time,” said Plato.
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