Appeal for local authorities to help Rasta man
A social worker from Pinetown Social Welfare met with him in the presence of one of the committee members, established his circumstances, and informed us there are no government run shelters available for homeless adults, and was in agreement he requires Mental Health Services intervention.
ON behalf of the committee of the Keep Kloof Beautiful Association, I would like to respond and share several facts linked to the letter written recently by a New Germany resident expressing dismay at the living conditions of the Rasta homeless man living under the H-Bridge in central Kloof.
We have been concerned about this situation for years, and have on several occasions requested assistance from various municipal departments to assist in finding suitable accommodation and support for this man, known as Baba.
An ex-committee member, approached him to pick up litter in the CBD in exchange for a regular cash payment out of his own pocket, instead of sitting all day in the servitude between Fields Centre and Village Mall.
He rejected this idea out of hand with a vehement reaction of “that is not my job”.
We later received a complaint from a business owner whose employee was accosted by him in an attempt to snatch her handbag, when she was on her way up to the Village Mall roof parking.
His living conditions are completely unacceptable to us for many reasons, and we feel he has been completely let down by the authorities who we have recently been in touch with again.
A social worker from Pinetown Social Welfare met with him in the presence of one of the committee members, established his circumstances, and informed us there are no government run shelters available for homeless adults, and was in agreement he requires Mental Health Services intervention.
After months of chasing this latter avenue, we are no further, as that department state they cannot assist him without an official psychiatric evaluation and report, which they are not in a position to issue.
This would appear as an unreasonable request asked of a volunteer organisation such as ours.
We felt the need to explain that there is more to this than possibly meets the eye of passers-by, and we appeal to the local authorities through the media, to communicate with one another and come up with a workable long-term solution for this man who cannot be left to live indefinitely in this environment.
Sandra Wickee
Secretary: Keep Kloof Beautiful Association
