a derelict fire risk in the past, were unlawful.

The people had been living in the building in abysmal conditions for a long time and had paid rent, although no record of the rent to the present owner through a "caretaker" could be found.

The owner of the property, Blue Moonlight, bought the property in 2004, but met resistance when it wanted to redevelop it.

The occupants, who brought in around just under R1 000 a household, did not want to move because they would be homeless and away from their sources of income.

They tried to raise the matter with the housing tribunal, but eventually the issue went to court.

Temporary accommodation

The city must, by April 1 provide the occupiers, whose names are on a list filed on April 30 2008, withtemporary accommodation as near as possible to the Berea property.

Morgan Courtenay, the occupiers' attorney at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), at the University of the Witwatersrand, called the judgment "a huge victory for the poor generally".

The centre called on the city to immediately take steps to carry out the court's order and to consult with the occupiers and their representatives over this.

Jackie Dugard, executive director of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of SA, said the city had been in a state of denial about the needs of poor people under threat of eviction by private landlords.

"That must now end."

The city said it would comment further once the full judgment had been studied.

Comments

Piet - 2011-12-02 08:21

Eish the begging bowl is getting bigger and bigger! When they are then