A pad worth fighting for

Sea Point resident Angela Wise is ready to do battle to hang on to her home in swanky Sea Point.

Despite a looming high court case and pressure from neighbours, she refuses to vacate her government-owned flat - for which the rent is a fraction of the market-related prices in the Cape Town suburb.

In Sea Point a bachelor pad can sell for more than R1-million.

Wise is the only tenant left at Wynyard Mansions, a 12-unit block of flats, and has resisted eviction since September.

The flat consists of a living room, a small kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom and a separate toilet. Paintings adorn the walls and the balcony is cosy with synthetic grass, chairs and a table.

But her pride and joy is an open space on the top floor with breathtaking views of Lion's Head.

The Western Cape department of transport and public works will haul her before the Cape Town High Court tomorrow, determined to get her out because it wants to redevelop the land.

Wise says she is under surveillance by members of the Sea Point Action Group, who maintain that the building is derelict and attracts vagrants and drug-users.

Zalisile Mbali, spokesman for human settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, said qualifying tenants of Wynyard Mansions had been relocated to other rental units.

"The unit that is illegally occupied by [Wise] used to be occupied by Mr [Deetlefs] van der Merwe, who used to pay rental of R750 to the department of human settlements until the account was terminated and he was served with notices to vacate," said Mbali. "No contract was signed with [Wise]."

Wise said she was Van der Merwe's "common law wife". When he died of a heart attack last year she continued paying the rent.

The "harassment" by the provincial department is taking its toll on her, she says.

"I'm on anti-depressants. In my opinion, [Van der Merwe] died because he was under huge stress trying to fight eviction," said Wise.

She said the provincial government had to find her a suitable place to live.

When the block's residents moved out it became a drug den. Recently, the provincial government employed a security company to keep trespassers out.

Shaun Kramer, an estate agent and chairman of the Sea Point Action Group, said the flats were lowering property values.

"All we want is for the place to be cleaned up."