Executive Mayor Dan Plato has over the past few weeks engaged people living on the street as part of the City of Cape Town’s Give Dignity campaign, which promotes sustainable solutions to help people get off the streets. These efforts were done together with the City’s Reintegration Unit officials in various parts of the metropole, including Observatory, Sea Point, Somerset West, Strand and Gordon’s Bay.
During the inclement weather recently, the Executive Mayor Dan Plato and Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien joined City Reintegration Unit officials to link willing individuals to shelters and Safe Spaces and reunite families where possible. Help is provided to treat substance abuse via the Matrix® programme, access temporary employment through the Expanded Public Works Programme, obtain ID documents, access social grants, receive employment training and more, to willing individuals.
Between March and until end of June this year, interventions by the Street People Unit have:
– Linked 771 work opportunities through the EPWP for the 2020/ 2021 financial year
– Engaged more than 3500 people about available City services
– Placed over 400 people in shelters/safe spaces
– Completed 40 reunifications with family members.
– Responded to more than 4000 complaints from the public
“These visits have been part of a series of ongoing interventions by the City to offer meaningful solutions to those living on the streets. It is concerning that we receive reports that street people are receiving tents from faith-based organisations and residents. While there is good intention, donating tents only serves to make their stay on the streets more permanent. We need to end the cycle of dependence on direct handouts such as cash, tents and other items, and we can only do that by giving responsibly. A more sustainable way to help them is instead to donate to the City’s Give Dignity Campaign which offers a sustainable solution of reintegration and opportunity,” said Executive Mayor Dan Plato.
Complaints regarding people living on the street
The City of Cape Town is receiving a significant increase in complaints related to people living on the street. Between March and June this year, more than 4000 complaints have been received from residents.The City will continue to reach out to the vulnerable in our society and uphold the laws which govern cities and the country.
“Residents can contact our street people hotline on 0800 872 201 and request social assistance for persons living on the street if the individual requested help. We note that people living on the street often decline social assistance because they receive generous handouts from the public. We ask that residents rather give dignity and support the City’s Snapscan Donation platform. All donations raised are ring-fenced and distributed to shelters that provide a warm bed, meal, social programmes and health checks to vulnerable persons,” said Cllr Zahid Badroodien Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health.
Law Enforcement officers are duty-bound to apply the law equally, and to respond to the hundreds of complaints from residents each month about anti-social behaviour, breaking of by-laws, and crime committed by some people living on the street.
The City is doing everything possible to provide social assistance together with NPO partners, and also to uphold the Rule of Law in partnership with residents, Neighbourhood Watches, and the South African Police Service (SAPS).
While shelters and social welfare is the constitutional mandate of national and provincial government, the City is going above and beyond to assist.
When all offers of social assistance are rejected, only then does the City issue compliance notices and fines – the key legal mechanisms available to enforce by-laws. The City issues thousands of notices and fines each year, including to people living on the street, as we are all equal before the law.
“We take care and offer support to those who are struggling because the city works for everybody who lives in it. No person should live on the streets, and we must not create permanent homes on streets. It is clear that substance abuse plays a significant role in why many people are living on the street and there are solutions through the Matrix® programme. Help is available at shelters and Safe Spaces,” added Mayor Dan Plato.
The City’s emergency Covid-19 response includes R34 million in grant-in-aid funding released to NPOs, many of them providing shelter and care to people living on the street.
The City is also funding Safe Spaces and the expansion of shelters operating on municipal land. Close relationships have been built with shelters as part of the annual Winter Readiness programme, helping to care for more people when the worst weather arrives.
Give Dignity Campaign offers sustainable assistance
The City’s Give Dignity Campaign advocates for alternative, more impactful ways of helping people get off the streets sustainably. It is important that donations encourage reintegration and go directly to supporting persons who have committed to rebuilding their lives off the streets.
By donating via the official Give Dignity SnapScan, or by giving directly to a shelter or NGO, residents can help fund warm beds, social worker support, substance abuse rehab, and other support to help people stay off the streets on a sustainable basis.
Collective effort needed to urgently amend Disaster Regulations
Mayor Plato said he remains concerned that national disaster regulations are creating a situation that is unsustainable, paired with attempts to set dangerous court precedents.
“The call remains for the President to make the necessary regulatory changes for the sake of the Rule of Law, the greater good of our communities, and the development goals of our cities. It is time also for residents and civil society to join the City in ensuring our voices are heard by national government,” added Mayor Plato.
The temporary national Disaster Management Regulations have brought about restrictions on how all public and private landowners are able to respond to illegal occupations.To remove structures deemed as ‘occupied’ under the Prevention of Illegal Eviction and Unlawful Occupation of Land (PIE) Act, an eviction order must be obtained.
However, the temporary disaster regulations temporarily limit the ability of courts to grant eviction orders. Currently, it is possible only to remove temporary makeshift structures that have been abandoned or are incomplete, and to clear the vicinity.
It is no crime to be poor or down on your luck, but every single resident has to comply with by-laws, and the law in general.
