A group of “queers” are illegally occupying a luxury home in Camps Bay and say they will not move because they feel safe.
The “radical feminists”, who started the #WeSeeYouMovement, pretended to be guests and paid R15 000 to a rental company to book the larney house in Roland Avenue.
The group consists of six “queer” females and one “transitioning” male.
Member Sarah Summers, 29, says they booked the house for the weekend, knowing they wouldn’t leave, and now want to stay “forever”: We paid the access fee and that is actually low for this area,” she says.
“We were supposed to check out at 10.30am yesterday (Monday), but we won’t, we want to speak to the owner first.”
According to the group, the house is “big and beautiful, it has six rooms with a jacuzzi, a swimming pool and it is on the beachfront, surrounded by nature and the atmosphere here is rejuvenating”.
The luxury property is normally rented out for parties or holidays.
Vatheka Halile, 32, explains that she tried to invade land in Mfuleni but was evicted: “Many of us during this Covid-19 pandemic lost our jobs and accommodation. I was one of the illegal invaders in the new informal settlement in Mfuleni that is known as Covid.
“We were violently evicted, I went to live with my friend but she went back home to the Eastern Cape, since then I have been crashing with other friends.”
She says when she heard about the Camps Bay invasion, she didn’t think twice of joining: “The people in these areas have access to police and emergency services
“Here in Camps Bay the wealthy people don’t have to worry about crime. I feel safer than I have ever felt before.”
Another occupier Lethabo Hanong, 24, says he was kicked out of his Khayelitsha home last month.
“My brother didn’t like that I am transitioning to a woman and threatened to beat the ‘gay’ out of me,” says Lethabo.
“When I was in the township I felt scared all the time, I feared that after I had transitioned I might get raped. Camps Bay is the place to be for me, because I am safe.”
Turnkey365 manager Gaby van Wyk tells the Daily Voice that they received an email from the group on Monday morning stating they are not vacating the property.
“They apologised for deceiving us and telling us they are a family who wanted to take time off, after Covid lockdown.
“They told us they will not leave. I explained we don’t own the property, we are mandated by the owner, who is a foreigner, to manage the property.
“We are a small company, we mostly employ women who have their own households to look after.
“The tourism industry took a knock during lockdown and we have been waiting for tourism to start and now this happens.”
Van Wyk says they are expecting a new guest for the house on Wednesday and are trying to negotiate with the invaders.
“We sympathise with their cause, but we need to make money. We are trying to plead with them because this is our livelihoods.”
But, Lethabo says they’re not going anywhere: “We want to stay here forever, or we want alternative accommodation similar to this and in a safe area.”