Cape Town - The Cissie Gool House (old Woodstock Hospital) occupiers who were arrested in a law enforcement raid over the weekend said they were “traumatised” by the arrests.
The 16 occupiers appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Eleven undocumented residents were arrested, four were arrested for possession of drugs and one for fraudulent documentation.
The arrested occupiers were all released with their cases postponed to dates between February and March next year.
Social housing activist organisations Reclaim the City and Ndifuna Ukwazi raised concerns over the raid and said the majority of the arrests related to immigration enforcement.
One of the female occupants, who asked not to be named, said the raid left a lot of residents, especially the vulnerable, rattled and traumatised.
“When the law enforcement officers and the police arrived, they made sure that their presence was felt. You would swear that the entire City law enforcement agency personnel descended on Cissie Gool.
“When this happened I was making my way to work when I met a law enforcement officer at the entrance. They reached for my handbag and searched through my chronic medication, apparently looking for drugs.
“While this was happening I heard the officer requesting gloves upon which I asked what were they for, only to be told that they would ‘search my cookie’. I refused and told them that I was going to work,” she said.
Ndifuna Ukwazi political organiser Aphiwe Ngalo said the residents of Cissie Gool House wanted to be safe and welcomed action to target and arrest people who placed their safety at risk.
“But the question has to be asked: Why does the City expend such large law enforcement resources on Cissie Gool House when known gang houses and drug dens have been in operation in the surrounding area and across Cape Town for decades?”