Displaced people criticise the community
VICTORY PARK – Where to next for these displaced people?
Displaced people living in Keith Fleming Park feel that the surrounding community does not care about their struggles.
On 26 September a massive clean-up at the Keith Fleming Park was held and the lives of those living there were dealt another blow. They had their belongings and shelters destroyed and thrown into Pikitup and City Parks trucks. The men staying there, who pleaded to remain anonymous, believe the community does not care about how they continue to struggle.
One of the men, who said he makes a living from recycling people’s refuse, said “We stay here and we don’t bother anyone. We have nowhere else to go because we don’t make a lot of money.”
This sentiment was echoed by the others who nodded their heads as he spoke.
They were also confused as to how the community sometimes supports them, and then turns their backs on them. One said, “We get food, clothes and blanket donations from the local churches and then these people come and take our stuff, we don’t understand why they gave [it to] us in the first place.”
When asked about the mess that accompanied the area, one said that they were in the process of cleaning it up. “If we were given a chance to clean the mess we would have, but these people arrived early in the morning and we had no choice but to run away with the few things we could carry.”
They refused to comment on the firearm that was found at the scene.
The displaced people claimed they come from around the city and there are others from outside of the country. One blamed the DA-led government for their removals. He suggested that instead of the government chasing them away, they must provide jobs for them so they can afford to stay in houses.
With their homes destroyed and belongings taken these men will have to find alternative accommodation. They didn’t indicate where they would go next but the level of calm they exhibited could suggest that they have experienced this before.
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