DURBANVILLE
Woensdag, 25 November 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za
@TygerBurger
TygerBurger
DURBANVILLE MES: A HOLISTIC APPROACH
Tackling homeless in D’ville ESMÉ ERASMUS
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t is only by giving responsibly and not giving handouts that the problem with street people in Durbanville will ever be solved. Franita Knudsen, a fundraiser and marketer for Mould Empower Serve (Mes) Durbanville at its new office, called the D4J Centre of Hope, in the old Lions Club building in Queen Street in Durbanville, urges people to give responsibly. Mes offers a holistic service to street people in Bellville, Parow, Brackenfell and Durbanville. “Homelessness cost Cape Town over R744 million last year. From this enormous amount only 16% was spent on development or long term solutions. We are not solving homelessness; we are maintaining it,” Knudsen warns. “We need to drastically start with a new way of thinking and start giving responsibly,” Knudsen says. Theresa Uys, ward councillor of ward 112, repeats this, saying residents must support Mes and similar organisations and not give handouts directly to street people. “It is unfortunate that this unhealthy lifestyle is supported by caring community members, Uys says on enquiry by TygerBurger. “Last month a donor dropped off seven mattresses at the soccer club informal structures. Two weeks ago a resident dropped off two couches at the same spot. This results in making any interventions to re-integrate and rehabilitate the street people very difficult. It also encourages additional informal structures. The people making the donati-
Brakkie Brakkie stap Kian Lombard (12) van Durbanville het ná ’n kursus op ’n plaaslike aanlyn leerplatform ontpop as ’n jong entrepreneur. Hy het ’n besigheid, Brakkiestappies, begin waarin hy in sy woonkompleks, Rosedale Estate, met mense se honde gaan stap teen betaling. Hier stap hy met sy eie hond, Basjan, in ’n park naby sy ouerhuis. Sien berig op bladsy 1. FOTO: ESMÉ ERASMUS
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ons are not there to respond to the complaints from the neighbouring residents,” Uys says. “Mes is one of the organisations which sub council 7 supports to engage with street people,” Uys says. To raise funds for their Christmas lunch for 40 street people, Mes Durbanville is presenting a Thrift Saturday Market on Saturday 5 December from 09:00 to 12:00. People can drop off their previously loved clothes in a good condition at their office at 37 Queen Street from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 16:00. Knudsen recently became involved with Mes after she worked for the Oakhill Church in Durbanville for 13 years. She quit her work during Covid-19 to focus to her vision “to do more”. “It was at the beginning of 2019 when Pastor Louis du Piesanie from Oakhill Church started a ‘Jesus is more’ course with us,” she says. “I just knew Jesus had more for me as a person. I have been involved at the church for 19 years and of that I was employed for 13 years. I started thinking about ‘being more’,” she says. “For years I have been driving my children to school, noticing the homeless and praying every single morning: ‘Jesus, please keep them warm and fed’. “The thought just came to me: ‘Fran, you always ask Jesus to feed the homeless and keep them warm. What if I am his hands?” “Mes just kept on popping up in my mind and I decided to phone Ilse Maartens, chief executive officer of Mes Cape Town. I just knew I had found my spot,” she says. V To page 2
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