V & A kicks vagrants out

2003-07-10 08:40

Marenet Jordaan

Cape Town - "Homelessness is not a crime."

Tamra Veley, spokesperson for the Cape Town Partnership, says officials of the city improvement project will take action only if people contravene the law.

The Cape High Court has granted an interim interdict to the V & A Waterfront against two homeless men, who allegedly accost tourists and security officials at the complex.

Patrick Smith and Ganief Benjamin have until August 11 to prove why the interdict shouldn't be made final. This would permanently bar them from the Waterfront.

Neville Michaels, co-ordinator of law enforcement services of the city policy, say city police first warn homeless people about "unsocial behaviour".

"If they accost people or make a nuisance of themselves, they will be asked to move on. To fine or arrest them is a last resort because we know they seldom have an income."

Michaels says the biggest problem areas are the central business districts of Cape Town and Tygerberg. He says drug and crime syndicates often employ homeless people.

A study conducted by the Cape city council in May 2001 showed that 3 351 aduts and 782 children were homeless in the Cape metropole at the time.

Nicky Sasman, acting manager of the development facility unit of Cape city council, says the figure increases every year, especially over Christmas, by about 3%.

Hassan Khan, executive head of the non-governmental organisation The Haven Night Shelter, says Capetonians and tourists make it easy for the homeless by giving them large sums of money during the summer months.

"They then die on the streets in winter."

He urged people to rather give donations to approved organisations.

"The situation is very worrying and will become worse."

- Die Burger