The Castle of Good Hope will likely remain overrun with squatters for the foreseeable future, as the Castle of Good Hope CEO reports a significant increase in homeless people on the castle's outskirts during the Covid lockdown. This is as a result of long delays in initiating eviction proceedings.

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, announced his intention to evict people occupying land near the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town, after leaving the matter unattended for several years.

But he is not alone - Mayor Hill-Lewis emphasizes the urgency of the matter and the need for clear timelines to prevent urban decay affecting businesses and tourism, but the City of Cape Town has until now insisted on passing off the responsibility to the national department, while complaining that they are slow in proceeding with eviction filings with the courts.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has faced criticism for failing to maintain its properties, including a derelict property in Wynberg. Hill-Lewis expressed concern over the department's lack of clear timelines, but after several years of inaction, has promised to initiate proceedings on their behalf if the process is delayed any further.

But this threat has come every few months, with little change in the status quo. Foreign-funded left-wing activist NGOs continue to frustrate eviction proceedings across the City, which is one of the key focal points for their activities in South Africa, and the City is loathe to incur legal costs or bad publicity.

Under South African law, homeless people of squatters cannot be moved on without first providing them with alternative accommodation. Homeless individuals express willingness to move into shelters if provided the option, citing challenges with existing shelter rules, and the City has already initiated a large plan for providing homeless shelter and rehabilitation in the city.

DPWI's move to seek an eviction order has however raised concerns among left-wing activist NGOs and some homeless individuals about their living situation, who prefer their current lifestyle to an institutional integration with formal society, and who objected to the rules imposed on them by homeless shelters.

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