MEDIA ALERT: Ingquza-Hill municipality ordered to provide temporary shelter or face jail
This week, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), appeared before the High Court of South Africa in Grahamstown to institute urgent contempt proceedings against the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality in Lusikisiki.
On 6 October 2016, the Municipality allegedly demolished 36 households without a court order and leaving over 150 people homeless (the “New Rest community”) and without emergency shelter and services.
On 18 October 2016, Judge Plaskett ordered that the Municipality provide emergency shelter and services to the New Rest community within 72 hours of the order having been granted. Judge Plaskett noted that the events of 6 October 2016 ‘reeked of Apartheid style tactics’ that have no place in our constitutional democracy.
It took over two weeks from the date of the order for the Municipality to erect the temporary structures. However, the Municipality erected the temporary structures in a location 5km away from where the community lost their homes and contrary to the court order, which stated that the Municipality ought to build the structures on the property where the demolitions took place. Consequently, by erecting the structures elsewhere and without an order of court to that effect, the Municipality is unlawfully evicting the community from a place most have called home for over 10 years.
The court has issued a rule nisi, stating that should the Municipality fail by the 15th of December 2016 to relocate and erect temporary structures for the 36 families in the New Rest area, the Municipal Manager and the Mayor of Lusikisiki will be in contempt of court and are to be immediately arrested for a period to be determined by the Court.
For more information, please contact Louise Du Plessis on 082 346 0744 or Carol Mohlala, Media and Communications Manager, 079 238 9826