Let there be no more doubt or debate about this.
This time it’s conclusive and official: The City of Cape Town IS anti-poor.
Not just borderline anti-poor, but violently anti-poor.
You don’t need the ANC, the EFF, G@tvol Capetonian, Ndifuna Ukwazi or any other group to tell you this anymore.
If ever the City or anyone else argues otherwise, refer them to THIS video and THESE images of a naked Bulelani Qholani, being dragged out of his home and wrestled to the ground.
Bulelani Qholani dragged naked out of his shack in Empowleni
Remind them how the man fought six Law Enforcement officers as he struggled to get back inside his shack in Empolweni informal settlement, to try and dress himself.
And when he eventually managed to make it inside, he cowered in fear on his bed as the Anti-Land Invasion Unit tore down the walls of his home around him.
Bulelani, 28 – yes, he has a name – wept as he told the Daily Voice he’d been washing himself when the officials stormed his illegal dwelling.
Not only did they brutally strip him of his dignity and shame, but he also lost his ID, wallet and cellphone during the traumatic experience.
Now, let’s not get into all the technicalities involved in this disgraceful episode.
Forget for a moment that Bulelani’s hokkie was illegally erected on a City-owned site, which it was.
While we’re at it, forget that evictions are prohibited under the government’s state of national disaster regulations.
Forget that the Western Cape High Court court had ruled that the eviction of the residents in Empolweni, whose homes were demolished by the City over the Easter weekend, was unlawful.
SHAME: Bulelani Qholani dragged naked out of his shack in Empowleni
And forget that the court order only allowed 49 households to temporarily remain on the land until after the lockdown.
Let’s forget about all the legal nuances at play and focus instead on the moral issue here.
This is not how you treat a human being. A child molester and murderer, perhaps.
But not a poor, unarmed man whose only crime is to build a home on unoccupied public land.
Besides, Law Enforcement officers have a mandate to protect and serve communities.
A caring City must support its most vulnerable citizens.
What they did to Bulelani was not only against the code of ethics as Law Enforcement.
It was inhuman and a gross violation of his constitutional right to human dignity.
It was brutal, barbaric, shameful and these officers need to get a taste of their own medicine.
The City’s Executive Director for Safety and Security, Richard Bosman, confirmed that his officers would be suspended pending the outcome of a full investigation.
PROBE: City’s Richard Bosman
“We are saddened by the conduct depicted on the video footage, and we do not condone any forceful and dehumanising conduct by our staff members,” he added.
Mayor Dan Plato also condemned their actions, saying: “I want to make it clear that this is not the type of conduct that we tolerate in this City.”
Many would, however, argue that this IS the type of conduct one can expect from the City.
Indeed, the Civic Centre has become somewhat notorious for its treatment of arme mense.
One need only think back to the demolition of homes during a ferocious winter storm in Hangberg a couple of weeks ago; or the City’s homeless “concentration camp” in Strandfontein two months ago and how its 1500 inhabitants there were treated; to appreciate just how bad their track record is.
Unfortunately, unlike in the case of Bulelani’s eviction, no cameras were allowed in the shelter to record the horrific conditions there.
DAMAGE CONTROL: Mayor Dan Plato
Now, Plato and his team are have to work even harder to shake this tag.
Condemnation and investigations ain’t gonna cut it.
They can start by making it up to Bulelani, and giving those bullies a goeie pakslae.