Gate 7 demolitions: City faces possible contempt application after homes torn down again

The City of Cape Town faces possible urgent contempt proceedings after homes rebuilt by residents of the Gate 7 informal settlement in Maitland were demolished again on Sunday night, November 1. Ndifuna Ukwazi attorney Caitlin Turok, representing six residents, said municipal law enforcement officers tore down their structures without checking whether they were covered by a Western Cape High Court order. Issued on Friday by Acting Judge Adams, the order allowed the six applicants to rebuild their shelters and barred the City and the Ndabeni Communal Property Trust from evicting them without a court order. Turok gave the City until 2 p.m. on Monday to confirm it would comply, or she would return to court.