To ignore the problem doesn't help.
Some believe that everybody has a right to live wherever they choose. How would they feel if vagrants started living on their front stoep, or in their back garden?
Some people even provide food for the vagrants. While this is a noble guesture, it is also short-sighted. Ironically, doing so guarantees the continued suffering of those poor people in the great outdoors. Which tends to be a short and unpleasant life, considering Cape Town's weather, .
The solution must surely be to rehabilitate vagrants back into a sustainably productive life where they can take responsblity for their own wellbeing. The Displaced People's Unit provides a recovery path to achieve this. But only with the consent of the person seeking recovery. Some do take that option and it works for them. Others also do, but opt out when they discover that alcohol is discouraged at the recovery venue.
If a homeless person refuses the DPU's help or other Social Welfare options, they have chosen that lifestyle. Which choice nobody else can make for them, but there are consequences to living that way. Here is an example.
Technically, if anybody sleeps overnight in a Council-owned Public Open Space, they are breaking a municipal law and can be arrested. In practise, it usually takes a little longer to resolve the matter.
Various agencies can be approached to deal with issues of vagrancy. They are:
- The South African Police;
- The Metro Police;
- The CCC Land Invasions Unit;
- The Displaced Persons Unit;
- The appropriate Ward Councillor (who will usually refer your complaint to Land Invasions and/or the DPU).
