Misplaced Pages

The N2 Gateway Occupations saw large numbers of government-built houses occupied illegally by local residents of Delft in the Western Cape during December, 2007. The houses in question were the new Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses in the Symphony section of Delft near the main road Symphony Way. This was the largest occupation of houses in South Africa's history.

Occupation

The BNG houses were originally promised to backyard dwellers in the area. After the January 2005 fire in Joe Slovo Informal Settlement, 1000 Joe Slovo families were moved to Transit Camps in Delft and promised priority in the allocation of N2 Gateway housing in Delft.

The houses were occupied by backyard dwellers and other mostly poor residents in and around Delft on 19 December 2007. After the occupation, it emerged that a local DA councillor, Frank Martin, had encouraged local families to occupy the houses. Though the charges against Martin were later dropped, what ensued was a high-profile political fight between the ANC and DA, each accusing the other of racism, playing party politics, and using the poor for their own gain. Police and a private security company began evicting residents on 24 December but were ordered to stop after the Cape High Court said that the evictions were illegal because the sheriff was using an eviction order granted to the City of Cape Town in October 2006 against other people.

Legal

Litigation resumed in January 2008 and on 5 February, the Cape High Court granted an eviction order. The judge ignored the section of the 1999 PIE Act which requires reasonable alternative accommodation to be provided to people who are evicted with nowhere else to go on the basis that they could find accommodation where they came from. As part of the order, the judge also faulted Frank Martin for instigating the occupation and who pledge no contest to allegations during the trial. Residents attempted to appeal the eviction order on 15 February and their appeal was rejected without a hearing.

Eviction

The eviction order went into effect at 5 am, 19 February 2008, the next day after Judge Van Zyl refused to hear the residents' appeal. During the evictions, police used stun grenades and rubber bullets against crowds protesting their eviction orders. At least 20 residents were injured.

After the evictions, about 1000 families slept in the open. They eventually chose to either occupy Symphony Way or set up camp in a nearby open space. The latter group eventually were moved to a newly built Temporary Relocation Area (TRA) nicknamed Blikkiesdorp which was built by the City of Cape Town. The families living on Symphony Way have refused to be moved to any TRA and continue to occupy the road.

On February 18, 2009, a City of Cape Town disciplinary committee found Martin guilty of encouraging people to invade homes at Delft. As punishment, Martin was suspended for one month, while former supporters of the councillor expressed outrage and called for him to be fired.

Reports on the N2 Gateway house occupation

• 2009 Report on the N2 Gateway by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE)
• Western Cape Housing Crisis: Writings on Joe Slovo and Delft by Martin Legassick, February 2008

See also

• N2 Gateway
• Symphony Way Informal Settlement
• Pictures of Delft evictions
• Video of Delft Evictions

References

1. "Squatters vow war if evicted". Cape Argus. 19 September 2008.
2. "Housing and Evictions at the N2 Gateway Project in Delft". Abahlali baseMjondolo. 8 May 2008.
3. "N2 Gateway and the Joe Slovo Informal Settlement: The New Crossroads?". Pambazuka News.
4. "Frank Martin freed-for now". Archived from the original on 21 February 2009.
5. "DA councillor's role in Delft is 'criminal'". Cape Argus. 20 February 2008.
6. "DA's Delft councillor denies claims". Cape Argus. 28 February 2008.
7. "Delft Evictions Halted Until Next Year". Bush Radio. 26 December 2008.
8. "Christmas Eve Evictions in Delft". Abahlali baseMjondolo. 26 December 2007.
9. "High Court case Minister of Housing Western Cape vs Various Unlawful Occupiers". Legal Brief.
10. "Delft residents refuse, resist arrest".
11. "Everyone needs a stake in our society". The Mercury. 5 March 2008.
12. "Delft evictions under way".
13. DA councillor found guilty IOL
14. "Martin should be fired say families evicted from houses". Argus. Archived from the original on 12 April 2009.

v t e Political history of South Africa
Defunct polities	Kingdom of Mapungubwe (c. 1075–c. 1220) Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806) Mthethwa Paramountcy (c. 1780–1817) Ndwandwe Kingdom (c. 1780–1819) Cape Colony (1795–1910) Zulu Kingdom (1816–1897) Natalia Republic (1839–1843) Natal Colony (1843–1910) Orange Free State (1854–1902) South African Republic (1856–1902) Griqualand East (1861–1879) Griqualand West (1870–1873) Goshen (1882–1883) Stellaland (1882–1885) Nieuwe Republiek (1884–1888) Upingtonia (1885–1887) Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891) Orange River Colony (1902–1910) Transvaal Colony (1902–1910) Union of South Africa (1910–1961) Transkei (1976–1994) Bophuthatswana (1977–1994) Venda (1979–1994) Ciskei (1981–1994)
Events	Pre-colonial Bantu migrations Battle of Salt River 1652–1815 Dutch settlement French Huguenot settlement Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars Xhosa Wars Battle of Muizenberg Battle of Blaauwberg Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 1815–1910 Mfecane 1820 Settlers Great Trek Boer Republics Transvaal Civil War Mineral Revolution Witwatersrand Gold Rush South African Wars South Africa Act 1909 (National Convention) 1910–1948 South West Africa campaign Maritz rebellion Rand Rebellion Great Depression 1946 African Mine Workers' Union strike Bantustans Apartheid 1948 general election Apartheid legislation Pass laws Internal resistance Coloured-vote constitutional crisis Defiance Campaign Congress of the People Freedom Charter Women's March 1956 1957 Alexandra bus boycott Sharpeville massacre 1960 republic referendum International isolation UN Resolution 1761 UNSC Resolution 591 Academic boycott Disinvestment Constructive engagement Tar Baby Option Sporting boycott Olympics Rugby union Rivonia Trial Durban Moment Border War Israeli alliance Israel–South Africa Agreement Mafeje affair Soweto Uprising Weapons of mass destruction Project Coast Church Street bombing 1983 constitutional referendum Langa massacre Rubicon speech Operation Vula Dakar Conference Transkei coup d'état Ciskei coup d'état Venda coup d'état Third Force CODESA Storming of the Kempton Park World Trade Centre Bisho massacre 1992 apartheid referendum Saint James Church massacre Bophuthatswana crisis Shell House massacre Post- apartheid 1994 general election Government of National Unity Reconstruction and Development Programme Truth and Reconciliation Commission Arms Deal Floor crossing Soweto bombings African Renaissance Travelgate Xenophobia Attack on Kennedy Road Blikkiesdorp Marikana massacre 2012 Western Cape farm workers' strike Nkandlagate Racism 2014 platinum strike #RhodesMustFall protests #FeesMustFall student protests Tshwane riots 2019 service delivery protests 2019 Johannesburg riots COVID-19 pandemic 2020 Phala Phala Robbery 2021 unrest Lady R incident
Political culture	African nationalism Afrikaner Calvinism Afrikaner nationalism Anarchism Azania Baasskap Boerehaat Black Consciousness Movement Cape Independence Day of the Vow Greater South Africa Honorary whites Rooi gevaar Slavery Swart gevaar Uitlander Volkstaat
Defunct organisations	Civic and political organisations Afrikaner Bond Afrikaner Broederbond Afrikaner Party AITUP APO AVF BPC Black Sash Boerestaat Party CDA CNIP CTEG COD Congress Alliance COSG CP DLF Dominion Party DP (1973–1977) DP (1989–2000) DPP DSM ECC FA FD Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners GNP Het Volk HNP (Herenigde) HNP (Herstigte) IDASA ID IP ISL Jeugkrag Johannesburg Reform Committee Labour Party (1910–1958) Labour Party (1969–1994) Liberal Party (1953–1968) NA NCP Natal Indian Congress NLP NNP NP NPP NRP NUSAS Occupy Orangia Unie Oranjewerkers Orde Boerevolk PAVN PFP Progressive Party (Cape Colony) Progressive Party PRP Radio Freedom Reform Party SABP SADECO SAIC SASO SAYCO SAYRCO South African Party (Cape Colony) South African Party (1911–1934) South African Party (1977–1980) TNIP Torch Commando UFP United Party Unionist Party National Party of Venda Volksparty Workers Party WOSA Trade unions and social movements APF BCM BLATU CNETU CTSWU FCWU FNETU FOSATU ICU IWW MUSA NEUM NURHS PAWE SAAPAWU SACTU SAIF SARHU SATUC Die Spoorbund UDF Umkosi Wezintaba Paramilitary and terrorist organisations APLA ARM AWB BBB Boeremag Greyshirts MK Ossewabrandwag Orde van die Dood PAGAD SANF
Histories of political parties	African National Congress Democratic Alliance Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
Category

• 2007 in South Africa
• 2008 in South Africa
• 2007 protests
• 2008 protests
• December 2007 events in South Africa
• Squats in South Africa
• Protests in South Africa
• Housing protests