EDITOR – The Garden Project Association appeals to the public to not toss a coin to the beggars. You are doing them no favours and are exacerbating the situation.
Does the public know that beggars come to work in their smart clothes only to change into rags and beg at intersections, that they generally live in a communal home and that they work according to a roster system?
I witnessed a beggar, new in the area, in a turf war fight with another. One was nearly taken out by a large van and the other was chasing him with an iron bar between the traffic at the intersection of Old Main and Hospital Road. The beggars view Hillcrest as a lucrative area and it is likely that a tragedy will occur. This could all be prevented if you would not toss a coin to them. Rather give to the organisation called ICARE.
The hands of the Metro police are tied because when they arrest the beggars, SAPS is unable to charge them because they do not have ID books.
The Metro police have repeatedly told me that there is only one solution – the public must stop giving money/food to the beggars. Please realise that you are making the situation worse by doing this
Marge Mitchell
Hillcrest
