WITH numerous vagrants turning the lower levels of the New Germany Post Office into a makeshift home after dark, small businesses surrounding the area have called on the South African Post Office to beef up its security and create a safer space for customers.

“The New Germany Post Office has now become the worst post office I have seen to date,” said business owner, Clayton Steytler. “The property has been overrun by illegal occupants, who now live and sleep on this property. It has become a breeding ground for crime, drugs and prostitution, all happening in broad daylight.”

Steylter said numerous emails and pleas have been sent to the South African Post Office in the past year regarding the situation.

“Our complaints have fallen on deaf ears and they have just ignored what is taking place on their own property every day. There must be at least 30 to 50 vagrants now living on their property,” he said.

During an on-site visit by the Highway Mail, the stench of urine and faeces hangs in the air. There are numerous bags of bedding and unwashed clothing left at the entrances to the post boxes. Included in this is the unkempt state of its lawns and garden and copious amounts of litter has piled up across the property.

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The DA PR councillor for Ward 21, Riona Gokool, said the problem of vagrants was both a municipal and country-wide problem.

“Unfortunately, as with everything else, the government of the day does not have a long term sustainable solution to this problem. Facilities and programmes do exist, unfortunately there is no proper monitoring of these,” she said.

According to Gokool, the issue has been addressed numerous times at Ward 21 CPF meetings.

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“Metro Police and SAPS do take action, but what do they charge the vagrants with, being homeless? There is no place to keep the vagrants overnight. Booking them in crowds the system and wastes valuable resources because once released, the vagrants are back on the street,” she said.

Gokool recalled the facilities provided to the homeless during South Africa’s hard lockdown last year.

“Within days they left the facilities. The problem is that in the facilities provided, by both government and NGOs, rules and regulations need to be adhered to which, unfortunately, the homeless do not want to abide by. Many are abusing substances so they want to be out so that they can beg to then purchase the substances they are using,” she said.

“As the DA PR councillor for Ward 21, I will continue to fight for services to be delivered to Ward 21. I will engage both the municipality and the post office on the best possible solution to this problem,” said Gokool.

The eThekwini Municipality and the South African Post office failed to comment by the time of going to print.