Cape Town - About 50 Hout Bay residents have called on the City of Cape Town to provide land for the Hout Bay Cares drug rehabilitation centre which has been instructed to vacate its premises currently located on council-owned land.
The plight of the rehab came to light after an e-mail from the Peace and Mediation Forum (PMF), cited that the facility was on “private property” and needed to move.
Hout Bay Civic Association secretary Roscoe Jacobs said the PMF had a meeting with the city without consulting the community to which the rehab centre provided a service.
“As a community we can’t allow (Hout Bay) Cares to be attacked in a manner such as this. We need to protect this service which assists drug users to get clean,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs said the centre was currently also using a space in the local day hospital and the community hall. “They also create awareness in schools and the community and offer family support groups. We want the city to come up with a long-term solution and identify land for (Hout Bay) Cares and we will even help raise funds for the facility so they can operate from one sufficient space,” he added.
He said the rehab assisted over 80 people from Hangberg, which proved the “positive impact” it has had in aiding the community in the fight against drug abuse.
The group handed a petition listing their grievances over to city Disaster Risk spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, who accepted it on behalf of mayor Patricia de Lille.
Solomons-Johannes said he had explained to the community that the centre had “encroached” on council property.
However, he added that the city would try and assist to make more space available to the rehab, but which complied with city regulations.
Cape Argus