Page 12 - Notes from LRC's Housing Conference

Protest action by residents of Joe Slovo informal settlement in front of the High Court in 2007
(Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Slovo,_Cape_Town#/media/File:Joe_Slovo_at_Cape_High_Court.JPG)
5. Go to court
Should communities be served with court papers, asking a court to grant an order for eviction, community members are advised to contact a public interest law organisation that will assist. Alternatively, provide your community with information on where the community may be able to seek assistance. No one may be evicted from their home or have their home demolished without an order of court made after considering all the relevant circumstances. If community members have good reason to believe that they may face imminent eviction, they may again approach a public interest law organisation that may assist them in obtaining an urgent interdict against any unlawful evictions. Where people are unable to organise/mobilise, the role of a paralegal becomes paramount. Paralegals will assist the community members with gathering statements and collecting information that may be relevant in assisting with the case. The collection of any video or photographic footage of an eviction and the impact thereof is important as the footage may be used as evidence in the eviction proceedings.
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SUMMARY NOTES FROM THE HOUSING CONFERENCE