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| Goredema's belongings |
Homeless immigrant Ziggy Goredema was among eight people
picked up by City of Cape Town law enforcement officers in Vredehoek on Friday,
held in the back of a van and then dropped off in the streets of Goodwood. The
eight walked for over four hours to get back to their tents.
The City’s Executive Director for Safety and Security,
Richard Bosman, confirmed to GroundUp that people had been “collected”. He
said: “The City’s Law Enforcement Department collected a group of 21 persons
this morning for transportation to the Wingfield temporary site. Officers have
been liaising with the group for the past few days, in preparation of the move.
They are being profiled at the Cape Town Central SAPS before heading to
Wingfield.”
But Goredema denied that officers had consulted him or the
others to prepare the move.
Miki Redelinghuys, a resident of the area who has been
keeping in contact with the group living in Van Riebeeck Park, says she
received a phone call early on Friday from Goredema, who told her that he had
been taken without warning by City Law Enforcement, and was in the back of a
van being driven around the City Bowl.
Goredema, who is from Zimbabwe, has been living in a tent
near Van Riebeeck park in Vredehoek since the lockdown began. For the last two
years he has been employed at an electrical hardware store, earning R100 a day.
He also earned R20 a day helping a vendor set up his stall at the beginning of
the day. He sent most of his earnings to his sister in Zimbabwe, who is taking
care of his daughter. In spite of his job, he has not been able to afford
housing and has been living on the streets in the City Bowl all this time.
After lockdown started, he tried for a place in Culemborg Safe Place, but he
was told that this space was only for South African citizens. He moved up to
the mountain, as he had been told that no homeless people would be allowed in
the City Bowl during lockdown.
At about 8AM on Friday morning, according to Goredema, as
he was preparing his breakfast outside his tent near Van Riebeeck park in
Vredehoek, law enforcement officers came up on him, grabbed him by his belt,
and threw him in the back of their van.
Goredema said that he and seven others were taken from
their resting places near or in the park without their consent. He left behind
all his possessions, including his face mask. Goredema was locked in the van
with another homeless person, from Malawi.
They were driven from Vredehoek to the parking lot outside
Charly’s Bakery in Harrington street in the city centre. Goredema says he could
hear the Law Enforcement officers discussing what to do with them. He estimates
that they waited at that spot for two hours before going to Culemborg Safe
Place where they were told the facility was full and in any case would not
accept immigrants.
The officers were informed that the Wingfield military base
(run by the Department of Home Affairs) was designated for foreign national
homeless people, and drove there in convoy, only to be told, according to
Goredema, that there was no space for the eight people in the vans. He says
that Instead of driving them back, the officers got them out of the vans and
drove off.
People GroundUp spoke to inside Wingfield base confirmed
that Law Enforcement officers dropped off people outside the gates of Wingfield
on Friday morning and drove off. This source also confirmed that the site could
not handle more people.
Goredema says the group of eight then decided to walk back
to Van Riebeeck park - 11km as the crow flies. As they were walking beside the
base, Law Enforcement officers returned and tried to corral the group, he says.
They fled, and, avoiding main streets, walked for four hours back to Van
Riebeeck park, arriving at about 4pm. Goredema has since got his possessions
back.
He says he can understand the fears of the local residents,
some of whom have expressed concerns on Facebook and WhatsApp about the presence
of the homeless people in the park. Goredema, who is teaching himself about
sustainability and the environment, says he is very careful about the impact he
has on his surroundings, but he does acknowledge that those living in and
around the park could be more conscientious about fires, noise, and litter.
Bosman has previously stated that homeless people would not
be arrested or removed without “exhaustive attempts” to get them to move
voluntarily. Asked whether the homeless people had been left in the street in
Goodwood, Bosman said: “The persons were transported to Wingfield and the site
management was informed of their arrival. Law Enforcement staff did not leave
them on the pavement – however, it is our understanding that a few of them ran
away shortly after arrival. As indicated before, they were liaised with over
the course of two days this week, indicating that they would be transferred to
Wingfield.” Ground Up
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