Cape Town – The seven queer activists who are unlawfully occupying a Camps Bay mansion as a so-called safe space for queer individuals have been ordered by the Cape Town High Court to vacate the premises by Thursday.
The group, collectively formed as the “We See You movement”, unlawfully occupied the six-bedroom mansion on September 18 in protest and in solidarity with other land occupations.
The group received the notice of motion for unlawful occupation of the Airbnb property, managed by Turnkey365, and represented themselves in court on Friday. “We as a collective of queer feminists… entered a court without any legal representation. The fact that many like us do not have access to private legal representation nor subsidised representation proves why actions such as ours become absolutely necessary,” the group said via a Facebook post following the court proceedings. “We believe this will form part of a historical precedent. We draw strength from the many justice-based movements that paved the way.”
Turnkey365 managing director Gaby van Wyk said they were pleased the rule of law and property rights were upheld. “The actions of the ‘We See You’ collective to illegally hijack a home have caused incalculable damage. Much-needed confidence in the market has been lost, livelihoods placed at risk, and there has been a loss of income. This at a time when the tourism industry is desperately trying to recover from the financial devastation of Covid-19.”
The City said alternative shelter would be available in Philippi should members qualify after three members had said they would be homeless if immediately evicted.
Cape Argus