Queer activist collective facing legal action for late check-out at Camps Bay Airbnb
They were supposed to have vacated by 5pm on 25 September.
A “Queer Radical Feminist, Activist Collective” from Cape Town are occupying an empty, luxury Airbnb mansion in Camps Bay to protest inequality. Image: Screenshot – Twitter / Quinton Mtyala @mtyala
The collective which is occupying a house in Camps Bay in Cape Town, faces legal and civil action for refusing to honour a check-out deadline set by the property managers.
The group had already indicated that it wanted to speak to the property owner about its vision for turning the house into a safe space for LGBTQI+ people.
They raised the money for their initial stay through friends, family and supporters, and once in, told the agent of their intentions.
They were supposed to have vacated by 5pm on 25 September.
In a statement, property managers Turnkey 365 said: “Following the refusal of a group of guests to vacate a property under our management in Camps Bay, we have instituted both legal and civil proceedings to achieve an eviction and recoup all costs incurred.”
Sympathise
“We sympathise with their cause and support the right to protest within the confines of the law. We intend to fulfill our mandate and protect the legal rights of the homeowner.
“Equally, we intend to uphold the legal rights of our small business as well as those of our colleagues across the tourism industry as we struggle to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
No further comment would be issued from them. The collective’s media contact was not immediately available to say how they intended proceeding.
However, video footage posted at the weekend showed a generator in one of the common rooms.
The collective posted a series of mini-biographies on the members of the collective, which included a photographer and writer.
In one, photographer Wewe Ngidi stated that she had lost her accommodation during Covid-19 as a result of not being able to work during the lockdown related to Covid-19.
READ NEXT: VIDEO: Queer activist group ‘takes over’ Camps Bay Airbnb in search of safe space
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