Update: Umkomaas now gets Durban’s vagrants
One of the vagrants admitted that he was a gang member and had been in Westville Prison on several occasions for stealing valuables from cars.
CAUGHT dumping vagrants in Umdoni recently, Durban Metro has now merely shifted its clandestine ‘Operation Clean-up Our City’ to Umkomaas.
This is on the outskirts of their own jurisdiction.
One vagrant said he and more than 20 others were dumped along the highway late on Tuesday night. Some congregated at the Umkomaas Police Station to ask for help while the rest either made their way back to Durban or are still in the area.
One of the vagrants admitted that he was a gang member and had been in Westville Prison on several occasions for stealing valuables from cars.
He also confirmed that he stayed in South Beach, but he grew up in Mayville, Durban. Most of homeless said they were from the Durban Point, Albert Park and South Beach areas.
Metro police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Eugene Msomi, denied that they had dumped any vagrants. “It is not permissible,” he said. “We don’t just dump people.”
When the Mail told him that its reporter had spoken to some of the vagrants, he said: “They can put in a complaint and it will be investigated.”
When questioned about a similar incident in Scottburgh two weeks ago, he said: “Nothing happened and nothing illegal was done. We were merely taking them to where they had requested.”
He also denied that the Metro vehicle transporting the vagrants was unlicensed. The Mail has a photograph showing otherwise.
Meanwhile, Umdoni Town Council debated the issue in Council this week.
It was resolved to take the matter up with eThekweni’s political and administrative leaders. Umdoni speaker Sykes Naidoo confirmed that the mayor and municipal manager were speaking to their Durban counterparts.
