People living on erf 81 at the military base in Tamboerskloof are waiting to be kicked out after an eviction order expired last month. Tenant Andre Loubscher, who has lived on the property for more than 20 years and runs a foster home for abandoned children and animals, said that he had accepted the move and was hoping to find new premises."There are 12 children in our care," he said."We don't know where we're going to move to."The land is owned by the Department of Defence and has been managed by the Department of Public Works since 1991, when it stopped being used as a military base. After falling into disrepair the property was occupied by Loubscher - who paid rent along with two other tenants - and a loose community of artists and farmers.Plans for the land include converting its ammunition storage facilities into conference rooms, building a state guesthouse, and establishing an old age home for military veterans.The land falls outside the Cape Town urban edge and abuts the Table Mountain National Park.The site was declared a "problem building" by the City of Cape Town last year after complaints that it was unsafe and had become a haven for criminals.Ward councillor David Bryant said that the Department of Public Works had been unable to resolve the issue and was evicting people independently of the city."How the department chooses to manage who is allowed to reside on its property is its business," he said.The department did not respond to questions from The Times.At erf 81 a fence separates the old military buildings, occupied by Loubscher's group, from an informal settlement above the Bo-Kaap.According to Laubscher, a single abandoned structure in the informal settlement is to blame for most of the criminal activity in the area."Most of the residents there are good people but there is a small criminal element."Loubscher's decision to accept eviction affects more than 30 people who live with his permission on his side of the property."We wish that we could stay until there is an actual plan for the land," said handyman and sound engineer Llewellyn Alberts."This place will be occupied by vagrants if we leave."Mzukise Zele, from urban agriculture NPO Tyisa Nabanye, which established an organic vegetable garden on the property, said that the evictions would undermine social and economic development."Our project contributes to food security and brings people from different backgrounds together. We're hoping to stay."For artist Dirk Winterbach the looming move is a "tragedy"."As an artist, this isn't such a big problem for me. All I need is a room. The real agony is the loss of this community," he said...