No shelter for the homeless in Secunda leaves them sleeping in front of businesses

Business owners along Scheepers Street and around the police station are concerned about the homeless people who sleep in this light industrial area every day.

The main concern is not so much the sleeping in entrances of businesses, but rather the drug activity, fighting and the smell of urine and faeces.

The business owners and their employees do a daily clean-up of the mess made by the homeless who leave behind their used syringes and rubbish.

Some businesses even have to spray down pavements and entrances that have been used as toilets by the homeless.

The Ridge Times spoke to business owners about their concerns.

Most of the business people wished not to be mentioned for fear that customers will not want to make use of their businesses anymore if they know what is really happening in this area.

They say that the homeless sleeping in front of the business is ruining the reputation of their businesses.

It is gotten to a point where landlords are considering other alternatives.

“At the moment we are looking into closing up these spaces with palisades. Asking them nicely to move is not helping. Nothing is helping,” said a concerned landlord.

He said that he had even approached a DA councillor and the law enforcement of Govan Mbeki Municipality about this matter.

The vagrants were removed, but they returned the very next day.

He also said businesses employees can’t work late, because street sleepers return around 18:00 and fight with each other over cardboard boxes.

They do their drugs in plain sight.

DA councillor Ena van Rooyen said this has been an ongoing problem since she was elected as Ward 21councillor in 2011.

“I receive numerous complaints daily about the nuisances created by the street dwellers living and sleeping on the sidewalks in front of businesses.

“Businesses in this “City of Excellence” suffer enormously under the burden of load-shedding, being days without electricity because of cable and spares problems or without water because of old and neglected infrastructure.

“Adding to the frustration, they need to deal with the harassment, filth and open-air toilets created by the dwellers,” said Van Rooyen.

She said businesses desperately need clientele and are spending a huge amount of money to make their businesses presentable and attractive.

“The system fails the much-needed businesses as well as the street dwellers.

“The street dweller is a problematic human being. Nobody wants to get involved with them,” said Van Rooyen.

She said the police have no appointed institution to which to take the homeless.

“Churches tried to help, but different expertise is needed to address the different problems.

“Drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, homelessness, no family or siblings, joblessness. These people have nobody and no means to help,” said Van Rooyen.

She concluded that the one to be held accountable for this situation is the ruling ANC government, which has no political will to improve the failing system.

“They must come up with a solution and an answer. Just as a government must implement institutions according to the need of the population, these people should also have an institution that can monitor and help them.”

She used Canada as an example.

Canada has an excellent system and programme in place to help these people, to keep them off the streets and away from criminal activities.

Donald Green, GMM’s acting manager for communications, said homelessness is a national, if not a global phenomenon and it is accordingly, a challenge not peculiar to Govan Mbeki Municipality.

“GMM through its law enforcement unit conducted several interventions in the past in trying to deal with the challenge of homeless people in Secunda and Evander CBDs.

“It should be indicated that the law enforcement interventions were met with contempt and insult by sections of the local media and some public representatives.

“Removal of homeless people was viewed as being irrational and heartless,” said Green.

The following should be taken into consideration:
• GMM has no by-law on homelessness.
• There are currently no registered shelters for homeless people within GMM jurisdiction.
• GMM is conscious of the recent court judgments, in particular, the court judgment against the City of Cape Town for removing and arresting homeless people. The court found that the City of Cape Town “criminalises the poor”.

Proposed interventions:
• There is a pressing need for businesses to adequately secure their businesses.
• Suspected incidents of drug abuse or dealing in illegal substances should be reported to the police.
• The municipality will engage various affected businesses, police, councillors and other government departments to find a satisfactory solution to the challenge of homelessness.