• Candice Ellison, General Manager at the Cradle of Hope writes:

Dear Anonymous.

I refer to your letter in the News dated September 2, 2022 and online with the headline Beggars are bugging me. I often wonder how upstanding citizens know so much about people who are homeless or beg at traffic lights. The assumption that “most, if not all, are receiving social grants” is naive and uninformed!

Also read: LETTER: Beggars are bugging me

Sir, how many of these beggars do you know personally? How many have you spoken to in order to get facts and not just the fiction?

You seem to have a grasp of what social grants should be available to these people, but I ask you, if you truly believe that these “beggars” have real access to the grants paid by the government.

As the general manager for The Cradle of Hope I see daily how the people of this country have been let down! How few services are available to those who cannot pay. We see men, women and children who have been denied grants or are still waiting for “someone to get back to them”.

Lack of IDs or birth certificates makes it impossible to apply for assistance … and you need money to get a new ID or birth certificate. Irony? We are all frustrated by the social ills and the inadequate disaster response in our country, but until we start dealing with facts and actively sit down to find solutions, nothing will change.

LETTER: Unemployment crisis: Has govt fulfilled its constitutional duty?

It will just be another anonymous citizen querying the same issues, relying on assumptions to fix the problem. We are past the point of discussion and guessing!

Without action, we are just contributing to the misinformation. Begging is not fun or convenient. It is humiliating. Please sir, can you assist those beggars to secure the grants that you mentioned?

Your services would be invaluable.