Cape Town - A local non-profit organisation has criticised the City after Law Enforcement officers raided and ransacked structures of the Lansdowne homeless community living next to the train station on Monday.
Indipam's Pamela Tosh said this was the third time in the past few months that this area was raided. She said this had been a blow to the community of more than 100 people who had been living there for more than 15 years.
“There are pockets of people and shelters, and spaces that have been raided and ransacked, with covers and plastics taken and, in some instances, with some personal belongings taken away. Over a long period of time, these people have lost their identity documents to these kinds of raids. In this winter weather, they have been forced to endure the intimidation under unfair circumstances, with no solutions presented,” she said.
City Law Enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said the officers had acted on numerous complaints from residents in the area.
Dyason said fines were issued for consumption of alcohol in a public space, littering in the park, for trading and causing an obstruction and for illegal fires. "Law Enforcement did not remove any building materials or belongings,” he said.
Lansdowne ward councillor Mark Kleinschmidt said the homeless people had illegally invaded Prasa, Metrorail and City land around Lansdowne station and surrounding areas.
Kleinschmidt said encroachment on to the roads and pavements by the homeless people was a danger to both pedestrians and road users, adding that the environmental health issue was a challenge because they had no ablution facilities.
“My meetings with mayor Dan Plato and relevant stakeholders revealed the City wants to assist the homeless. We discovered not all want to be assisted and (some) resisted the option of being placed into a shelter.
"The reason being that they do not want to comply with the rules and regulations of the shelters. I remain optimistic that those who want assistance will be reintegrated into society,” he said.
Cape Argus