Ward councillors in Subcouncil 3 have asked for more information on safe spaces and shelters to distribute within their communities, as some people are often unaware of these facilities. One councillors making such a request at a Subcouncil 3 meeting held in Milnerton on Thursday last week was Dunoon’s Ward 104 councillor, Meisie Makuwa.
She wanted to know if pamphlets can be given to councillors to keep at their offices or distributed in their communities. She said information on paper would be more useful than councillors sharing this information by word of mouth. She said with pamphlets on hand everyone can be aware there are safe spaces available.
Mandisa Banjwa, Head: Community Programmes Region 1: Community, Arts and Culture Development Department, was presenting the quarterly progress report on street-people programme interventions undertaken by the Street People Programme Unit within Subcouncil 3 when Makuwa made the request.
The report included interventions taken by the department between April and June.
Banjwa was speaking on her unit’s works during this period, which included the clients screened and placed in safe spaces as well as those who have been reintegrated into their communities.
The unit conducted daily outreach programmes and after-hour social interventions in all wards with the intention of offering social assistance to all people living and surviving on the streets during the period. During the three-month-period the unit also encouraged people living on the streets to accept shelter and safe space accommodation.
Banjwa also spoke briefly on the City’s Gift Dignity Campaign. “The idea behind the campaign is to stop people from giving money, but rather to support shelters and non-government organisations that assist these people,” she said.
According to the departments there are several other challenges. These include the increasing number of pop-up tents and makeshift structures, residents giving handouts and food to people at hot-spots, and during bin days and the erection of makeshift structures in public open spaces.
Report not detailed
Following her presentation the floor was opened to councillors to respond.
Anthony Benadie, councillor for Ward 4 which includes Milnerton, Joe Slovo Park and Phoenix, was the first to respond and wanted to know how the unit managed to screen a single person in his ward. “Street people are almost everywhere, almost on every park,” he said.
Karl Boden of CapeExit also expressed unhappiness with the report, highlighting that throughout Subcouncil 3 only 14 clients had been screened, only 16 follow-ups had been conducted and five people placed at a safe space or shelter. “Wherever you look you see street people. I live in Ward 1 and the situation is worrying,” he said.
Boden also wanted to know what legal actions are taken against street people. “We see that this is being done in the city bowl, why not in this Subcouncil?”
Banjwa responded saying that people who are assisted need to agree to going to a shelter, and that often they do not. “Therein lies the challenge,” she said.
Boden asked if the municipal manager, Roxanne Moses, can request a more detailed report from the head of the department.
Sue van der Linde, councillor for Ward 113, also wanted to know how many people had been placed in safe spaces from her area. She also asked whether information on who are placed from their areas can be made available, as she often still sees the same street people in her ward which include Table View and Parklands.
Banjwa indicated her unit does not register the area or ward its clients are from in its report, but that she would speak to the responsible person about adding it to the report going forward.
Cheryl Visser, Ward 1 councillor, said her experience with the community, arts and culture development department has been good so far.
She praised it for its support in her ward, which include Panorama, Plattekloof, Monte Vista, Welgelegen and Kleinbosch.
Phindile Maxiti, Suncouncil 3 chair, concluded that the report is not detailed, adding that street people unit should include ward councillors in their activities, “so that they can see the work that they do”.
According to the quarterly progress report, there are six so-called hot-spots – eight in Ward 1, eight in Ward 5 and six in Ward 113.
