Dazed, dejected, evicted- Somerset squatters' last stand

From the window of a moving car the scene looked like a street sale: furniture, appliances, clothing, bric-a-brac. Then the details of the image solidified- the clothing on display was laundry drying on the fence, the browsers were passers by on the pavement moved along by its anti-merchandise. The vendors inert on the chairs and boxes or asleep in their beds could have been another second-hand item on display.

Homes and shelters now replaced by the exposed open plan of Portswood Rd pavement, linking the bustling and totally rejuvenated Green Point to the glossy V & A Waterfront. BMW and Aston Martin showrooms providing some browsing relief 200m away.

Danny Khobo, one of the residents of the Somerset Hospital Complex, had been living there for 2 or 3 years. A neighbour of his for 10 years. Their dwelling had been a backpackers hostel until it had closed down and they continued to live in what appears to be City of Cape Town property until now. With the construction of the Green Point Stadium and the opening of Granger Bay Boulevard the old buildings in this neighbourhood have have finally come up for renovation. And with no lease or ownership in place Danny and the rest of the complex community live next to the busy road until the elements and municipal forces inevitably disperse them.



Danny Khobo