SECUNDA – Homeless people have put up tents at a business premises at the corner of PDP Kruger and Helen Joseph Street.
Residents and businesses have raised their concerns over this being an eye sore as this road is one of the main roads leading into Secunda.
The Ridge Times went to investigate and spoke to the homeless who were occupying these tents.
Unemployment, among many other reasons, is what brought these people to the streets and all parties had admitted to being addicted to some form of substance abuse.
“I’m from Secunda, born and bred here. Situations led me to the streets,” said the anonymous homeless man.
“I haven’t been homeless for that long; it is scary at times, for sure.
“Police have warned us of homeless people being chopped up at night, so I just need to be careful.”
The man said the path one chooses is the path you take and that this was his choice.
Showing his CV to the reporter, the homeless man said he had made no attempt to look for work even though he has qualifications in the mechanical and boilermaker industry.
The 38-year-old said he is comfortable in his situation and hasn’t worked since 2016.
When asked how he makes a few rand, he had admitted to buying stolen goods and then selling it again.
“The people who steal, I buy things from them. I buy it for cheap and sell it to someone else for a different price. Concerns are that there are no proper shelters for the homeless, and if there is, the conditions remain questionable.
“The way people live and how they have people staying in shelters is not good. All the homeless people are put in the same space at the shelter by the Kinross Lapa.
“People who are sick and cough don’t put their hands in front of their mouths, many of them smell bad and toilets are in a bad state.
“You can catch diseases worse than Covid-19 in such a small space. It is safer to be out here.” said the man.
The Ridge Times also spoke to a husband and wife who occupied one of the tents.
According to the husband, he was retrenched at the beginning of Covid-19. The couple came all the way from Vanderbijlpark to Secunda in hope to find employment.
“We slept in an alley here by one of the businesses but the owner of the business told us we can’t sleep there and must go away. That is why we are staying in the tent here,” said the man.
He told the Ridge Times that he had spent 15 years in prison for robbery and attempted murder.
“It is rough out here,” said the man.
Business owners in the area have raised their concerns over the sad sight of the homeless who are squatting.
“It looks bad here; this is not a place to be staying. It is an ugly sight for people who drive past and is bad for business” said a concerned business owner.
Concerns are also that the squatters are attracting unwanted criminal activity to the area.
DA councillor, Ms Mariaan Chamberlain, said the matter has been reported and handed over to law enforcement.
She said that the shelter at the Kinross Lapa no longer exists and that there are no other shelters for the homeless people.
Police responded by saying that the removal of the destitute people remains the responsibility of the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) Law Enforcement officers.
“The municipality should identify a place where the homeless can be placed,” said W/O Marieta Wright.
“Most of the destitute who are on the streets are involved in criminal activity in our town and have recently been arrested for possession of stolen property. Many are also drug addicts who were also arrested for this crime,” said W/O Wright.
She said there is a by-law which prohibits squatting in a public place, however this is a matter which must be enforced by municipal law enforcement.
“We hope that with the media and public’s assistance we can locate the families of the destitute people in our town,” ended W/O Wright.
GMM were unable to provide answers to questions asked by Ridge Times at the time of going to press and said the questions posed form part of their agenda of the day’s meeting.
