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The South African police say legislation is enforced with the circumstances of homeless people in mind during the curfew period imposed by national government late last month. PHOTO: RICHARD ROBERTS
SAPS: ‘CIRCUMSTANCES KEPT IN MIND’
Curfew for homeless RICHARD ROBERTS @richardjohn_rj
I
n his last address to the nation on Monday 28 December 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that cabinet has decided to put the country on an adjusted level 3 from level 1. This meant that the nationwide curfew was extended from 21:00 until 05:00. “Apart from medical and security emergencies, nobody is allowed outside their place of residence during curfew,” Ramaphosa said. But what about those who have no residence? TygerBurger asked the police, City of Cape Town and the provincial department of social development what is done to help people
living on the street under the current lockdown regulations, and if the curfew applies to these men and women as well. “No one is exempt from the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, however, the legislation is enforced with the circumstances of homeless people in mind,” Col André Traut, spokesperson for the Western Cape police, responded briefly. He encouraged the newspaper to approach the local government regarding special assistance to the homeless. In his response, Zahid Badroodien, Mayco member for community service and health, explained the City’s role. “It is not illegal to be homeless and to live on the street. “The City’s street people programme was
introduced to help persons living and surviving on the streets. “The programme aims to facilitate a developmental approach in addressing the needs of street people. The street people unit engages a person and offers social assistance. The unit engages with a person up to six occasions, when the person still refuses assistance and is transgressing by-laws, the matter is referred to the displaced persons unit who will attend to by-law infringements,” Badroodien says. However, street people are not compelled to accept social assistance or placement into a shelter. “As previously mentioned, it is not illegal to remain on the street,” Badroodien says. Joshua Chigome, spokesperson for the
minister of social development, Sharna Fernandez, told the newspaper that their department only assists homeless individuals and families by providing funding to nongovernment organisations who work directly to get people off the streets. He says the department does not work with street people directly, and that this function belongs to the City. The department currently funds 26 shelters that assist homeless citizens across the Western Cape. The shelters render critical social work services aimed at reuniting homeless adults with their families. TygerBurger is still waiting on comment from the spokesperson of the national government.