The Ministerial Enquiry on Nomzamo (Lwandle) evictions entered the second day of its oral presentations as planned with the first witness, Mr Tim Flack appearing before the members of the Enquiry. Mr Flack is an eye witness who was present when the evictions in Nomzamo took place.
The City of Cape Town and the Provincial Department of Human Settlements were also scheduled to appear today. The Enquiry note with regret the correspondence from both these parties indicating their decision not to participate in the public hearings, inter alia, on the basis of outstanding legal issues concerning the establishment of the Enquiry.
The City of Cape Town did submit a detailed written document concerning their role in the subject matter of the Enquiry. The Province also made a brief written submission. Indeed, these two important stakeholders missed an opportunity to enhance their written submissions through oral presentation in order for members of the Enquiry to obtain clarity on all matters contained in the submission.
“As members of the Enquiry we maintain that when all concerned stakeholders engage meaningfully through oral presentations, all matters contained in the submission are easily clarified” said Adv. Denzil Potgieter SC: Chairperson of the Enquiry.
In the interest of promoting the best interests of the affected community, we call on the concerned parties (City of Cape Town and the Provincial Department of Human Settlements) to review their decision and to fully participate in the Enquiry process in the pursuit of a lasting solution for the people of Nomzamo and others in similar situations in other parts of the country.
As previously communicated and due to the unavailability of the venue, public hearings will adjourn as from today and reconvene next week on Monday, 21 July 2014. On this date, we are expecting entities and institutions who can shed light on the actual evictions to appear before the Enquiry.
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