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To feed or not to feed: Views divide Toti community

Some say feeding the homeless in the CBD is the reason crime has increased.

THE thorny issue of feeding the hungry and destitute in the Amanzimtoti CBD was one of the many discussed at a community meeting held at Cedar Hill Church recently.

Merlene Matthews, who is the chairperson of the Amanzimtoti Community Police Forum (ACPF), said the dialogue was meant to solve problems and come up with solutions without finger-pointing. From the get-go, it was evident that the community is divided on the feeding the homeless and the poor by the non-profit organisation, Wanderers Haven. Johnny and Sharon Swanepoel, who run Wanderers Haven, dish out hot meals daily and pray with the unfortunate at the park near the taxi rank.

A group of residents said they do not want the feeding of the homeless in the CBD to continue because they feel it brings criminals to the area and makes it hard to market it to visitors. Two men upped and stormed out of the meeting because they felt by feeding the hungry, Wanderers Haven was feeding the problems that plague the CBD.

“There’s crime in Toti because these people are being fed here. They steal cables, copper and other things. Go feed them in KwaMakhutha or under a bridge somewhere away from Toti,” screamed one of the men.

Also read: #AmanzimtotiHomeless: Homeless but not hopeless

Johnny said Wanderers Haven feeds the hungry, not the homeless.

“We want to be part of the solution, not the crowd that sits and points fingers. We do more than feed people; we provide many other forms of assistance besides food,” said Johnny.

Romy Wenzel from Sapphire Coast Tourism said it has become difficult to promote the region because of crime and the rot.

“At the beaches, shower nozzles and hand basins have been stolen. The amount of rubbish that is always being thrown around makes it difficult to keep the town clean,” said Wenzel.

Eugene Engelbrecht from ET Rapid Response said that while crime will always be there because it is a national problem, feeding the homeless means there is one less thing they will mug you for when they are desperate for something to eat. Acting Amanzimtoti Police Station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Riëtte Kitching said the police are doing all they can to fight crime.

“We do arrest those who break the law, but our area is very big at 159 square kilometres. The farthest point we cover is 45km away,” said Kitching.

Merlene said the ACPF is forming a working committee that will be partnering with SAPS, the CPF Social Crime Forum and relevant stakeholders towards a multi-disciplinary approach to the issues identified at the meeting.

“We invite residents who are committed to working voluntarily towards long-term, sustainable, community-based solutions to contact us for further information. Rome was not built in a day, but we started laying the foundation, and brick by brick, we will make Toti a safer town through collaboration, a problem-solving mindset and ongoing dialogues,” said Matthew.

Warrant Officer Derrick Minya and Amanzimtoti SAPS’s acting station commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Riëtte Kitching were part of the proceedings.

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Vusi Mthalane

Senior Journalist

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