Seven queer artivists, called #weseeyou, formally booked the luxury house last week for the weekend but have not left.
A view of Camps Bay in Cape Town. Picture: 123rf.com
CAPE TOWN – A group occupying a Camps Bay mansion has missed the deadline to vacate the premises.
Seven queer artivists, called #weseeyou, formally booked the luxury house last week for the weekend but have not left.
It is now their fifth unpaid day.
They’ve taken this form of action to draw attention to land and housing matters.
TurnKey365 Property Management Group gave the group until 5pm on Thursday to vacate the premises but they refused to do so.
One of the occupiers, Kelly-Eve Koopman: “We are not intending to vacate. We are staying indefinitely.”
She said that there had been mixed emotions from the team, adding that they are aware that there has been a lot of criticism and push back for the action they are taking.
Koopman added that they were not targeting the property management group but what the house stood for in that its being used for ‘profit’ in a time when the city had a housing crisis and people did not have access to dignified safe spaces.
“This is in no way personal. This is an action that is rooted in a deep, deep very long history and what this house represents is an intersection of the racialised exclusive economy that can only be accessed by a few and can be profited off by a few.”
So for now, they will be occupying the beautiful home with stunning views.
