Cape Town - The ANC in the Western Cape has slammed the City of Cape Town’s approach to the homeless.
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said the party is “appalled and disgusted” by the city’s war on the homeless and accused the city of waging “a merciless and heartless onslaught” that has seen some of those living on the streets fined for offences such as obstructing pedestrians on sidewalks.
“We demand that the city stops this cruel, inhuman enforcement of its by-laws immediately, as well as that it shows more compassion by making more shelters available to the homeless,” said Jacobs.
According to Jacobs, residents have been complaining about the breaking of by-laws, relating to streets, public places and the prevention of noise nuisances but added that these cannot be more important than human beings.
“The city is fining the destitute for having nothing, not even money to pay these fines. How cruel is that? This is the real hard, cold-blooded, uncaring face of the DA,” said Jacobs.
According to reports, those who are apprehended for living on the streets and starting a fire in a public space can be fined up to a whopping R1 500, while those who obstruct pedestrians using sidewalks with a motor vehicle or any other object can be fined R300. Sleeping in a stationary vehicle also risks a fine.
“This is tantamount to criminalizing homelessness,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said a more compassionate way of dealing with the homeless would be to feed them, encourage them to go into shelters at night and reunite them with their families.
“We demand that the City of Cape stops this callousness immediately and that it implements more humane policies to deal with homelessness,” he said.
The Weekend Argus is awaiting a response from the City of Cape Town.