Durban - Isipingo Beach residents are enraged at the lack of access control to the camps set up for homeless people at the Isipingo Outer Circuit Road grounds.
Since the Covid 19 lockdown notification the eThekwini municipality disaster management unit have been gathering homeless people from Isipingo down the coast to Umkomaas and leaving them at the southern regional shelter based on the grounds.
Tents and fencing were set up on Thursday. The shelter received the first batch of people on Friday.
Amanzimtoti ward councillor Andre Beetge said there were four tents, four mobile toilets and guards.
Each person was issued with a mattress and blanket. They were expecting to accommodate 400 people.
“Reports would indicate that at least half the displaced people that arrived at the shelter and who were submitted to testing on Friday, had since vacated the site and filtered back to the streets. Total waste of manpower, resources and test kits,”Beetge said.
On Monday, Beetge said fencing has been erected and he was trying to items for recreational purposes like soccer balls.
“Once you took their freedom away you must substitute it with something else. Ninety percent of them are whoonga addicts. It posed a problem. They became dead bored,”Beetge said.
In a circular sent by the Isipingo Beach ratepayers said there is a great concern that crime will spike in the area as most of these homeless are whoonga addicts.
The ratepayers claim there has been no engagement with community leaders, no management plan of the camp that has been put forward to the community and they have not been informed of any security plan.
Thereshnee Kisten said that at 6.30 am on Monday someone knocked on her door looking for cigarettes and money.
“Now my question is, if we are on lock down where did he come from and how is he allowed to walk around going to people's houses during this time. It is well and good to rehouse people at the grounds but who is controlling what goes on? During this time we as residents are very vulnerable and at risk. Is there anyone concerned about our safety?
Isipingo Beach Community Policing sub forum spokesperson Mohammed Yusuf said the community needs to be aware of the situation and take extra precautions as well as be vigilant at all times.
“We came to know only when tents erected. They had 60 people in the tents with six guards Within 24 hours most of those brought to the grounds overpowered the guards and walked out the gates. They began loitering in the suburb and some resorted to begging.The CPF cannot patrol because of the lockdown. We had six to seven incidents of petty crime in a few days,” Yusuf said.
Police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala said there was a police presence in the area.
The eThekwini Municipality did not comment on the matter despite several emails sent to their communications unit.