Health concerns have been raised over a homeless shelter in the Pretoria CBD.
The No.2 Struben Homeless Shelter is said to be overcrowded and a health hazard to the people staying there.
“The shelter is supposed to only accommodate 150 people, but 800 live there,” Tshwane homeless forum member Wayne Renkin told Rekord.
“There are people who get TB from living there,” he said.
“The city must make the shelter a priority because it is the only shelter owned by the city.”
There is also no NGO currently running the shelter, only a residents’ committee.
“The place needs management and expertise,” said Renkin.
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Renkin said according to Stats SA’s 2011 population statistics, there were over 6 000 homeless people in Pretoria.
He said the city must address homelessness if it wanted to meet its Tshwane 55 vision of an inclusive city for everybody.
“We need investment because homelessness is not an issue of charity. It is an issue of justice.”
“The shelter is dilapidated and there is no proper management,” reiterated Tebogo Mpufane, a member of Kopano Manyano God the Founder Centre for the Homeless who had lived in the shelter for two years.
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“The building is a death trap.”
Mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi said the city was aware of the problem at the shelter.
“We completely empathise with the homeless in that area,” said Mgobozi.
“While we are the only city which has prioritised homelessness given our limited resources, we however inherited a R2-billion deficit from the previous administration. We are simply strapped for cash.”
He said the city metro would refurbish its own buildings and use them for the homeless.
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