With the Bromwell Street residents expecting to hear their fate at the end of this month when judgement is given on where they are to be moved, other Woodstock residents' stories of eviction are being told online.
Reclaim The City, the NGO assisting the Bromwell Street residents fighting their case in court, has produced a four-part documentary series called Leaving Home.
It tells the stories of residents and business owners facing eviction in Woodstock, which has been the scene of massive urban renewal projects.
The first doccie is currently available on Facebook, and tells the stories of soon-to-be-evicted Charol Jacobs, and factory owner Abdurakiep Jacobs.
According to Reclaim the City, Charol’s wendy house is the last thing standing in the way of developers planning to build a larney apartment block called The Woodstock Quarter on Main Road.
Jacobs, the owner of Withit Bags, says he soon won’t be able to afford the rent in Woodstock as “old apartheid money” is being used to buy up old houses and buildings to erect apartments and offices.
Currently, a one-bedroom apartment can be rented for R5 000 a month, while a two- or three-bedroom flat is R9 000 upwards.
Reclaim the City’s spokesman, Daneel Knoetze, says developers and the City of Cape Town are promoting regeneration, but fail to mention how this would affect poorer residents.
“Charol’s stand inspired us, and her story is one that stands in for that of many families in Woodstock and Salt River who are weathering a new wave of forced removals from our city,” Knoetze said.
Charol says evictions destroy families - emotionally and financially - as they are uprooted because they can’t afford to live in their home towns.