Cape Town authorities on Thursday morning said the four
law-enforcement officials who were involved in the eviction of a naked man in
Khayelitsha had been identified and suspended.
Executive director of safety and security Richard Bosman
said he received a video of the incident just before 5pm on Wednesday. He said
an investigation was launched into the matter and the officials were identified
and suspended late on Wednesday evening.
In the video doing the rounds on social media, members of
the city's anti-land invasion unit are seen removing the naked man, who had
been washing himself, from his shack. There is a scuffle as the man tries to
make his way back into his home, with
four or five officials blocking his path and some pushing him to the ground.
As he tries to get back,
other members of the team dismantle the front portion of the shack,
which has a door and a window.
The members continue to dismantle the shack while the man
sits on the bed.
In response to a query from GroundUp, Luthando Tyhalibongo,
Spokesperson, City of Cape Town, said: “The incident of a nude man depicted on
the video occurred during a City law enforcement operation. The actions of
officers involved in this matter are being investigated with urgency, including
other footage which the City has, and once the investigation has been completed
the appropriate action will be taken.
“The land in question belongs to the City of Cape Town and
the City has conducted various operations to prevent illegal land occupation.”
Tyhalibongo said new attempts “to invade again” were being made “on a daily
basis”.
“The land is earmarked for installation of services to
serve the broader community in the area” he said. “There is an interdict in
place as well as a recent court order which allows only 49 households to
temporarily remain on the land until after the lockdown. The City must also
maintain this recent court order.”
The Prevention of Illegal Eviction Act stipulates that no
person may be evicted without a court order. Further, no evictions are
permitted under Lockdown Level 3.
On 11 April, the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement
officers demolished about 30 shacks in Empolweni, and more structures were
destroyed in the days that followed. These actions were challenged in the
Western Cape High Court by the Legal Resources Centre, acting on behalf of
those whose shacks were destroyed. On 14 April, Judge Brian Hack ruled that 130
people in 49 households should be allowed back onto the land and should have
their building materials restored to them.
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