Cape Town - The Tokai flower sellers and their employees who live on the former Porter Reform School land have been given two weeks grace before they are evicted.
Brothers Alistair and Desmond Flandorp have been ordered to vacate the property where they have sold fresh cut flowers for 23 years.
They were supposed to be out on Monday.
Read: Workers at Cape flower farm face eviction
Alistair told the Cape Argus he was not at the farm in Orpen Road when officials arrived on Monday, but was later told they had been given two weeks to remove all their goods and move out.
The eviction notice from the Office of the State Attorney delivered earlier this month, said: “We act on behalf of our clients, the Premier of the Western Cape and the MEC of Transport and Public Works.”
It mentioned an earlier eviction order granted by the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court last year and says: “We advise that your subsequent application to the Western Cape High Court to stay the warrant of ejectment issued by the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court was dismissed and that the Supreme Court of Appeal had also dismissed residents’ leave to appeal.”
Flandorp said he was concerned about the fate of his employees, 12 of whom live on the property and include four children and a woman of 85.
The neighbouring community is also disappointed about the imminent eviction.
Parkscape, an association of about 2 000 residents which focuses on safety, issued a statement saying they were sorry to hear news about the pending eviction of the Flandorp flower sellers from the farm on the southern edge of Lower Tokai Park.
“The Tokai and Zwaanswyk communities have long enjoyed the presence of these folk who have offered a variety of garden products including compost, grass runners and flowers.”
The Tokai District Riding Association, an organisation that represents riders in the Tokai area, also released a statement saying it was sorry to see the Flandorps go “as horse owners have relied on them to collect manure for decades and they offer a very valuable service to the community”.
Flandorp said his family had been in the flower business for 40 years.
“I remember when we sold a bunch for R2; now they go for R15 a bunch. We don’t want to be rich - we just want to serve the community.”
Byron la Hoe, the spokesman for the Provincial Department of Transport and Public Works, said last week they would be engaging with roleplayers such as the city council to help find alternative accommodation for the residents.
He said they could not reach an agreement with the Flandorps on a market-related rental and their policy did not allow them to rent government properties for less than the market value.
Cape Argus