A group of Khoi activists who invaded a District Six apartment complex has been denied Legal Aid.
|||Cape Town - A group of Khoi activists who invaded a District Six apartment complex has been denied Legal Aid, the Western Cape High Court heard on Thursday.
Legal Aid principal Cobus Esterhuizen said he received and reviewed an application from Tania Kleinhans, of the Institute for the Restoration of the Aborigines of SA (IRASA).
Kleinhans, listed as the fourth respondent, is representing about 60 people occupying flats earmarked for beneficiaries in Zonnebloem. They claim this part of Cape Town is ancestral Khoi land.
Esterhuizen said he drafted a merit report and based on that, decided not to grant the group legal representation.
Judge Robert Henney asked him to explain what the grounds were for denying the application. Esterhuizen said he could not because of attorney-client privilege.
Kleinhans said it was the first time she heard about the denied application.
Some of the activists, dressed in animal print tops and headbands, shook their head at the development. The court adjourned for parties to discuss the matter in chambers.
It then emerged that the judge appointed an advocate to formally represent the Khoi group. The case would resume later on Thursday, once the advocate had consulted his clients.
The applicants in the matter are the rural development and land reform department and the trustees of the District Six Beneficiary and Redevelopment Trust.
The applicants want the court to make an eviction order final.
An interim order was obtained on Monday, but the activists had not yet vacated the premises. - Sapa