Evictions: playing roulette in court

Practitioners are increasingly perturbed about the intolerable inconsistency in evictions. They cannot advise clients and are literally confronted with a roulette table when going to court : matters are generally determined on equity and the values of the particular judge, rather than the law.

Courts frequently insist that municipalities provide alternative accommodation “at all costs”. One has to agree respectfully with Willis J when he states that (Johannesburg Housing Corporation (Pty) Ltd v Unlawful Occupiers of the Newtown Urban Village 2013 (1) SA 583 (GSJ) at par 92)