Cape Town - There seems to be confusion about who is responsible for the refugees at Paint City in Bellville, with the department of public works terminating its involvement, the City refusing to take responsibility for them, and the Department of Home Affairs issuing an ultimatum to the refugees.
Department of public works and infrastructure spokesperson Zara Nicholson said the marquee that housed the refugees would be returned to its owners.
“The department of public works and infrastructure (DPWI) provided a marquee, mobile toilets and showers at the DPWI’s cost, even though this is the mandate of the City of Cape Town.
"The marquee was lent to the DPWI by an events company, who did not need the marquee at the time during the hard lockdown… The events company requires the marquee to be returned," said Nicholson.
She confirmed that the amenities had been removed from the site.
Around 600 refugees have lived at the Paint City temporary shelter for eight months, after being removed from Greenmarket Square. The shelter was established under the Disaster Management Act regulations.
According to Nicholson the department had communicated with the City on several occasions but they had refused to take responsibility for the site.
“The notification to exit this arrangement was sent to both the Department of Home Affairs and the City, with a response from the City still refusing to take any form of responsibility despite being the land owners and housing the homeless people in the same area,” she said.
Currently, there are two proposals from the Department of Home Affairs: either the refugees are reintegrated into their communities or are repatriated.
The issue has forced Parliament’s portfolio committee on home affairs to intervene. In October, the Department of Home Affairs told the committee it was formulating an exit strategy but the state of disaster had had a significant impact on its plan.
Mayor Dan Plato’s spokesperson Greg Wagner was mum on what the City had agreed on with public works. “The City… has engaged with the national Minister regarding our concerns,” said Wagner.
The Department of Home Affairs has not been able to provide the Cape Argus with information on its plans.
Spokesperson Siya Qoza said: “In the recent past, I have shared with you operations which the Department of Home Affairs has undertaken at the temporary shelter. Those operations are in line with the mandate of the department.”
Cape Argus