Victory for Cape Town homeless
The Western Cape High Court has extended the interim interdict preventing the City of Cape Town from confiscating the personal property of homeless persons.
The city has been accused of using its bylaws, which prohibits camping, noise, nuisances and setting up fires in undesignated areas, to unfairly target homeless people.
Seven homeless applicants appeared in court on Thursday to prevent the continued issuing of compliance notices, fines and summonses.
The attorney representing the homeless, Lucien Lewin, says this is a victory for his clients.
“I was instructed by my clients, seven homeless clients, to issue out an application to interdict the city from interfering unlawfully with my clients.
“What we essentially asked for is for them to cease prosecution fines that have been already issued to my clients.”
In July, the city of Cape Town denied targeting homeless people by fining them excessively for sleeping in public spaces.