The Cape Town Council is attempting to close down home businesses that are being run from suburbs without the necessary zoning approval.
Nine people who operate home-based businesses in Schaapkraal were issued with notices to cease their businesses as these contravened the city’s bylaws.
The businesses included a carpentry shop, boat repairers and a scrap metal dealership.
The business owners have turned to the Western Cape High Court asking it to overturn the notices from the council and allow them to continue running their business from the suburb.
According to attorney Igshaan Higgins – who is representing the nine people – the businesses had been issued with the notices in January and February last year after the council did an impromptu inspection of the suburb.
He says the business owners were handed the notices but were not allowed to present their views and were given 30 days to close the business and cease all activity in the suburb.
Higgins says that the business owners did not know that they needed to apply for an amendment to the zoning conditions and had therefore not done so.
He says that when the business owners discovered that they needed to amend the zoning application they had immediately applied to the council for permission but had not heard anything more from the council.
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