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Amici Applicants' Heads of Argument - 24nov2019
Amici Applicants' Heads of Argument - 24nov2019
and
and
1. The Gardens Neighbourhood Watch, the Atlantic Sea Board Action Group,
Camps Bay Business Forum and the Sea Point Fresnaye Bantry Bay
Applicants against the City in relation to the enforcement of its By-Law relating
to Streets, Public Places and the Prevention of Noise Nuisances (2007) (“the
2. The interdict sought was to operate until the final determination of review
3. The amici curiae Applicants are supported in their application by the further
following organisations:
1 A copy of their letter of support is annexure TNG2: p 331 with a supporting affidavit by its Chairperson,
Mr Scheltema: pp 399A-C
2 A copy of their letter of support is Annexure TNG3: p 332 with a supporting affidavit by its Co-
Chairperson, Ms Knight: pp 396-8
3 A copy of their letter of support is Annexure TNG4: p 333 with a supporting affidavit by its Chairperson,
Ms Hamman-Kempen: pp 393-5
4 An affidavit by its Chairperson, Mr Marsh, is at pp 370-84
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3.5. Camps Bay and Clifton Ratepayers Association5;
4. Although two separate applications were made, these heads of argument are
filed on behalf of all of the amici curiae Applicants, who make common cause.
5. On 21 October 2019 a letter was sent to the parties requesting that they
consent to the admission of the amici curiae8. The Applicants’ attitude was to
would assess their position9. The City had no objection to the amici joining.10.
agreement was made in which the amici Applicants were granted leave to: 1)
submit written argument, and 2) submit oral argument at the hearing of the
main application.
7. The City filed an affidavit consenting to the admission of the amici curiae
provided their admission does not delay the hearing of the matter on
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8. Accordingly, it is for this Court to decide whether 1) to admit the amici
Applicants, and 2) to allow the evidence of the amici Applicants set out in their
supporting affidavits.
9. The Applicants did not file a Rule 16A notice when instituting their application
for an interim interdict. Their attitude is that at this juncture no such notice
review proceedings which our clients intend to institute against the city in due
course”12.
10. However, when substantiating the requirements for an interim interdict, the
Applicants submit that “in fact [they] enjoy clear rights under the Constitution,
11. It is the amici Applicants’ contention that this application, even at this stage,
Applicants to issue a Rule 16A notice. However, Rule 16A(9) emphasises the
wide discretion a High Court enjoys when it provides that a court “may
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justice to do so”14. Rule 16A(8) moreover provides that “[t]he court hearing an
friends of the court played a variety of roles at common law, Rule 16A was
the public interest. The rule increases access to the courts by creating space
The Constitutional Court has cited with approval the matter of S v Engelbrecht
emphasized that amici play an important role by ensuring that courts consider
a wide range of options and are well (or better) informed. The touchstone as
so.17
13. The requirement in Rule 16A(2) is that the party seeking to be admitted is an
“interested party”. The amici Applicants are quite obviously interested parties.
It is reflects badly on the Applicants that this was not immediately conceded.
The burdens resulting from the Applicants’ conduct, and failure of the City to
enforce the By-laws, fall squarely on the amici Applicants’ members. They
14 In the matter of Shelfplett 47 (Pty) Ltd v MEC for Environmental Affairs & Development Planning and
Another 2012 (3) SA 441 (WCC), a notice pursuant to Rule 16A had not been filed and the Court
exercising its powers in terms of Rule 16(9) gave certain directions
15 2013 (2) SA 620 (CC) (‘Children’s Institute case’) at para 26
16 2004 (2) SACR 391 (WLD) para 14
17 Children’s Institute case, para 32
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have to live with the appropriation of public spaces, such as parks, sidewalks
and the like by street people; they have to deal with the consequences of
urinating and defecation and needles lying around in public places; they have
to deal with aggressive begging and harassment; and they have to deal with
the littering and the blocking of the municipal drains. In short, amici
Applicants’ members are the people in whose interest the by-law were
them.
the amici Applicants), elected not to file any answering affidavits in response.
The basis on which they oppose the admission as amici is accordingly not
clear.
15. Whatever the objection may be, it is submitted that the applications for
further in the interests of justice for this Court to admit the amici Applicants
16. Both sides of the story must be heard. The City is not representing the views
of the communities who are affected by the Applicants’ conduct. The City has
its own agenda and views. Those may overlap to the extent with the views of
the amici Applicants but they are not the same, as we will demonstrate in
these heads.
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17. In the alternative, if the Court is not willing to exercise its powers in terms of
Rule 16A(9), then it is submitted that the Court in terms of section 173 of the
Constitution has the inherent power to regulate its own process which
includes the ability to admit and allow amici to adduce evidence if the interests
of justice so demand18. We then contend that a proper case has been made
18. The amici Applicants represent the residents living in the City Bowl and
Atlantic Seaboard and see the enforcement of the By-Laws as one of the
measures taken by the City to deal with the problems caused by people living
on the streets.
aimed at assisting persons residing on the streets in the City, for example
Ladles of Love, which is a feeding scheme, the Haven Night shelter and
Community Who Cares. They also all support the City’s initiatives in dealing
with the complex problem of persons living on the streets and agree with the
City’s denial (with reference to its initiatives, amongst other the Culemborg
Safe Space) that the Applicants have no choice but to reside in public
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Plooy20 and Gordon21, the majority refuse the offered assistance, preferring to
20. The amici Applicants believe that if persons choose to remain on the streets
and engage in behaviour prohibited by the By-Laws, the City must be able to
enforce its By-Laws. If this cannot be done, then the By-Laws will for practical
purposes not exist for a portion of society. Such a situation cannot be allowed
to develop.
21. The social phenomenon of persons residing on the streets impacts on the
20.1 The first is the squatting in areas not designated for human habitation
and not geared to deal with the physical mess and litter strewn and the
and visitors to the beach from all walks of life and on the sensitive
fauna and flora which have as their habitat those areas and which
in dustbins for food and whatever odds and sods they deem to have
value to use, consume or sell. This involves the breaking open of bin
bags and either scattering of the contents directly onto the pavements
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or carting away the entire bag to the their settlements in the bush,
where the contents are disgorged and left, creating an extra mess and
additional health threat and attracting the aforesaid flies, rats, mice and
20.3 The third issue relates to the physical clean-up operations that are
required to restore these areas to what they should be, which involve
and private owners at great expense. If the City can no longer assist
four persons who previously used to live on the streets and spends
bags which are removed from rubbish bins on collection days and then
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ripped open there or taken to other areas where the bags are
rummaged through and the contents thereof left strewn around the
20.4 The fourth factor is the direct threat to protected and endangered
in the bushes for food. This even includes the occasional dog and cat
that goes missing, which skeletal remains are sometimes found in and
NGO’s which provide food and the opportunity for people on the street
to earn money to sustain themselves and not just their drug habits26.
20.5 Fifthly is the threat of fire as persons living on the streets fail to adhere
to the laws prohibiting the starting of fires in the open. All the fires
which have caused loss and damage to property which the Camps Bay
living informally and illegally in the bushes. As the fire makers have
25 Ms Nöckler-Golding’s affidavit: pp 315-6, para 15.2 and Annexures TNG9: pp 345-50; TNG11: p 356,
TNG12: pp 357-9
26 Mr Marsh’s affidavit: p 374, para 4.4
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have been many instances where they have died in the fires that have
started.27
22. Against this background, we now turn to set out two arguments which we
South African phenomenon. Many cities around the world battle with this
issue.
24. In the circumstances, we respectfully submit that the Court may benefit from
below one fairly recent Canadian decision and one very recent American
decision.
25. Although guidance can be derived from these judgments, one must bear in
mind that the cities in these countries have vastly superior resources to the
City of Cape Town to tackle the problem of homelessness. There are also
other differences. To mention an important one: those cities are far less
dependent on tourism than the City of Cape Town. The actions of the
particularly detrimental to a city such as Cape Town where business and the
(working) poor depend on the hotel, guesthouse and restaurant industry for a
living.
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26. Subject to those caveats it is useful to consider the two foreign decisions.
27. The first is the Canadian case of Abbotsford (City) v. Shantz, 2015 BCSC
themselves from the elements at night provided that the structures are
28. The second is the judgment of Robert Martin and others vs City of Boise
(United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, handed down on
4 September 2019)28. In summary, the majority found that the City cannot bar
street people from lying down to sleep in public property, unless there is
of alternatives. It must be noted that the City of Boise has approached the
United States Supreme Court for leave to appeal against the judgment of the
Ninth Circuit.
29. But the point we wish to make is that the present Applicants have not shown
there is no space in the shelters (Safe Space, in particular) for them. Even if
there is not enough space, at best for them they are only entitled to erect
“occupy” the public property during the day. The Canadian and American
28
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/15-35845/15-35845-2019-04-01.html
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30. The difficulty for the Applicants in the present matter is that they never sought
The Applicants appear to be under the impression that they must always have
a choice as to whether they want to stay on the street or use the shelters; and
if so, the terms on which they will use them (cohabitating with a partner of
choice etc). This is not the case, as the foreign judgments show.
31. In short, a much more balanced approach than the position contended for by
including the working poor. Even if there is insufficient space in the shelters
for them so that they are obliged to sleep in public spaces, a balance must still
be struck between the rights of street people and the rights of other citizens’
to live in a safe and clean environment. It would not be permissible for the
City, for instance, to require the homeless not to set up temporary shelters in
areas which are primarily suburban, or tourist areas where businesses, hotels
and guest houses are very vulnerable due to the activities of the homeless.
The question is where the line should be drawn in order to achieve the
appropriate balance.
32. Instead of dealing with the fundamental issues described above, the
issue;29 and whether the City’s power to grant exemptions from the by-laws is
29
Applicant’s heads of argument at para 9
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too wide and may lead to arbitrary decision-making.30 This is not where the
33. We know from the City’s answering affidavit that there are no pending
The court hearing dates in respect of the other four have not yet been
determined.31
34. It is submitted that it is preferable that the constitutionality of the by-laws, and
facts should emerge from the proceedings before the Municipal Courts, rather
than from the present interdict (and ultimately, review) proceedings. Motion
way of trial in the Municipal Courts. Should any of the four Applicants who still
police.
35. If granted, the kind of pre-emptive interdict sought in the present matter will
mean that no compliance notices, fines etc can be issued to the Applicants
under the by-laws. Although the order will only be granted in favour of the
Applicants, it will be difficult for the City to thereafter enforce the by-laws
30
Applicant’s heads of argument at para 78
31
Affidavit of Mr Bosman: para 39.1
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people32. This is the kind of order which causes the so-called “separation of
Others v Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance and Others 2012 (6) SA 223
(CC) (“Outa”) and Tshwane City v Afriforum 2016 (6) SA 279 (CC).
38. Firstly, there is no reason why the proceedings before the Municipal Courts
should not proceed and why the constitutional matters cannot be resolved on
39. Secondly, the events over the last three months show how immediate and
39.1. In the three months since the Applicants and the City on 5 September
By-Laws until the hearing of the interdict application, the inability of the
39.2. Since the interim interdict, Gardens has experienced a significant influx
of additional persons living on the streets from across the City. The
32
In the Applicant’s heads of argument at para 98.4, relief is in any event sought on behalf of all homeless
persons. It is not clear on what basis this is done, as the requirements for a class action has not been
fulfilled
33 Ms Nöckler-Golding’s affidavit: p 319, para 22
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average of 400 bags a month to 600 bags a month, a 50 percent
have also suddenly sprung up in the McKenzie Street Park and are
proliferating.35
Watch members have revealed the belief that, because the Applicants
enforcements, they should also move here to benefit from the same
protection.36
39.4. The Camps Bay Community Police Forum has observed a marked
Law Enforcement has had its hands tied when in fact they are
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40. The Applicants contend that the balance of convenience is in favour of the
granting (or extension) of interim relief. They contend that they would be
41. It is submitted that the correct enquiry is not whether there is prejudice to the
City (only) but whether there is prejudice to the public, including other
42. For the reasons set out above, if prejudice to the public and the residents are
considered, the balance is convenience does not favour the granting of relief.
people. This will result in separation of powers harm and the kind of
44. If not granted, all that will happen is that (four) of the Applicants will have to
those Applicants are convicted, they can (and no doubt will) appeal and raise
CONCLUSION
45. The amici Applicants support the City’s enforcement of its By-Laws as one of
the measures taken by the City to deal with the problems caused by people
living on the streets at night. The amici Applicants and the other supporting
a sense of responsibility from those on the streets and the active enforcement
of the City’s By-Laws. It is difficult enough dealing with the social issues in
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relation to the many people choosing to live on the streets without the City
being able to enforce its By-Laws in appropriate cases and after following the
correct procedures.
46. It is submitted that the amici Applicants have an interest in whether or not the
this review within 20 days.39 That period has long since expired and this fact
alone should indicate that this process could still take years during which time
47. It is submitted that factual submissions are relevant and will assist the Court in
understanding of the social context within which the application for the
interdict is to be decided.
48. The amici Applicants ask that they be admitted and in addition to making
written and oral submissions that the evidence in their affidavits form part of
the papers before the Court and be taken into consideration when deciding
whether to extend the operation of the interdict. It is submitted that the Court
H J DE WAAL SC
A ERASMUS
Chambers
Cape Town
25 November 2019
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AMICI APPLICANTS’ LIST OF AUTHORITIES
4. Robert Martin and others vs City of Boise (United States Court of Appeals for
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