The City of Cape Town plans to transform a notorious Belhar drug den and shebeen into a symbol of hope for the community.
|||Cape Town - The City of Cape Town plans to transform a notorious Belhar drug den and shebeen known as the Little House on the Prairie into a symbol of hope for the community.
This comes after the Western Cape High Court granted a final eviction order against the residents of the property from which suspected gang boss Quinton “Mr Big” Marinus allegedly operated.
In December 2011, Acting Judge Judith Cloete ordered that the occupants of the land vacate the premises within two months, but they later appealed against the decision.
Jeffrey Blankenberg, who was married to Marinus’s sister, Desiree, has been leasing the property from the city since 1992. The order was made after the court found that Blankenberg had breached the lease agreement by conducting illegal activity and erecting unlawful structures.
The city said that the final order was a significant victory in its fight against drugs and drug dealing. “The city has taken a tough stance against the gangsterism and illegal activities being conducted at this property. The court’s ruling allows us to draw a line under almost a decade’s legal wrangling to expel the criminal gang activity and drugs from this city-owned property,” said JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security.
The court found that the city had followed due legal process and that there was no reason why the eviction order should not be granted. The court also found that:
l the city’s arguments that illegal activities were taking place at the property were valid.
l it would be unfair for the city to keep the occupants on property which they did not qualify for in terms of the housing allocation process.
l there was also no evidence that children, elderly people or disabled people lived on the premises.
“The city is currently exploring a number of possibilities for the plot, including the establishment of a multi-purpose safety and security facility. It is envisioned that whatever the city creates there, will stand as a symbol of our victory over gang violence and drugs in the area,” Smith said.
The occupants have until April 30 to vacate the premises.
Cape Argus