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By Shakirah Thebus 
10h ago
Cape Town – Queer activists who participated in an art protest by illegally occupying a mansion in Camps Bay, Cape Town, left the premises.
This comes after the Cape Town High Court ruled that the We See You collective, made up of queer activists of black and of color, should vacate the facility.
The ruling came after a court order sought by real estate group Turnkey365 and the owners to have the group removed.
The group of seven had booked the Panacea Villa vacation home listed on Airbnb initially for a three-day stay beginning September 18. Rather than reserve, the group occupied the residence to use it as a safe space for queers and in support and solidarity with other land and housing occupations across the country.
The group received service of the illegal occupation motion on Tuesday and appeared in court on Friday last week.
The court ruled that the group should vacate the facility no later than 12 p.m. Thursday, with a few days for some to find alternative residence after sharing that they would be left homeless if evicted immediately.
Meanwhile, Mayco’s member for human settlements, Malusi Booi, said the court has contacted the city to see if emergency accommodation is available for some of the members.
“Typically, the City responds by filing a housing report if the court involves the City, after evaluations of the respondents’ personal circumstances are made,” Booi said.
“For example, employment, how long have they lived in the property in question, where did they live before the illegal occupation, do they meet the criteria to be eligible for emergency housing according to the national housing code, among others?
“There was not enough time for this process to begin and end, therefore, a formal evaluation process was not instituted and there is no formal obligation on the City’s part to provide assistance.
“To date, we have not received the completed questionnaires from respondents that will allow the City to determine whether or not respondents qualify for emergency accommodation if determined by the court,” he said.
On its Instagram page, the group displayed video footage of the SPCA on the doors of the residence, after neighbors informed them that the occupants planned to slaughter a sheep on the premises.
The activists said these claims were false as there were no sheep on the property.
The last night of the group We See You was dedicated to conducting a webinar in which they discussed the experiences of other land occupations and the activists who led them, as well as their own and the challenges they faced.
Representatives from Khayelitsha CAN and Singabalapha (We Belong Here) and other land and housing activists were present.
We See You member Vaketha Halile, 32, confirmed that the group left the property.
Cape argus
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