Cape Town - An official inquiry into the Lwandle evictions started on Monday but interviews with displaced residents will take place later.
The hearing - which will probe the court process that led to several hundred people being left homeless last month - is set to take two days for the first stage, said officials. More hearings, focused on interviewing the residents, will take place soon.
The meeting room at the sub council building on Wale Street was quiet as members of the Department of Human Settlements viewed photos of the aftermath of the evictions.
The first topic up for discussion was government’s efforts to provide relief to residents whose homes and belongings were flattened by the local sheriff’s office.
They were executing a court order obtained by Sanral to evict squatters living illegally on land earmarked for the rerouting of a highway.
The city and Sanral are set to make their respective cases tomorrow. NGOs have accused the roads department of illegally obtaining the order.
However, Sanral blames the city for not reaching a better compromise over the occupied land.
The inquiry will be investigating what led to the application and how the court order was ultimately obtained. It will also look at how this order was executed.
Cape Argus