Strandfontein Homeless Action Committee v City of Cape Town

Date: 21/05/2020


It is with regret that Lawyers for Human Rights announces that it has withdrawn as the attorneys of record for the Strandfontein Homeless Action Committee (SHAC) and its members, in the Strandfontein residents’ valiant fight against the City of Cape Town to vindicate their right to proper engagement about decisions that fundamentally affect their lives.

Conflict at the Strandfontein site arose again yesterday evening despite negotiations between the legal representatives of the two sides, when residents were once again ordered to depart to homeless shelters designated by the City.  Other residents were taken to two separate quarantine facilities, neither of which appeared to have received instruction by the City that the residents were to be admitted.  All ended up back at the Strandfontein temporary shelter last night.

Due to conflicting instructions received this morning, and in terms of its professional obligations, LHR is unable to proceed as the legal representatives of the Committee and its members.

This is a deeply disappointing outcome to a hard-fought struggle by the Strandfontein residents. LHR believes that the residents’ longstanding efforts to realise their rights, which must be understood to be as real for homeless people as for anyone else in South Africa, must be commended and supported. We wish them the best.

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