A homeless man who had made a bus stop bench his abode in Margaret Maytom Avenue, near the uMhlanga Rocks intersection, has sparked concern among some residents.
According to Ward 36 Councillor, Shontel de Boer, the police were sent to ask him to leave, however, he returned the next day. “Residents are extremely concerned. He urinates and defecates near that very same bench and residents have been complaining.” This isn’t an isolated case as recently another homeless man died while waiting for an ambulance under the Northway Bridge. This was after Cllr de Boer reached out to the Department of Heath multiple times with no response. This situation in Durban North, with its many homeless wanderers, paints a tricky dilemma. When asked by Cllr de Boer about why they always return, these homeless individuals respond with accounts of being fed by the community. On the other hand there are also residents who are concerned about their safety, according to the many phone calls Cllr de Boer receives.
“There are no safety nets for these people. Some of them need to be treated and some of them have addiction issues. There are no state shelters and even if we do help rehabilitate them, there will always be more. It’s a vicious cycle that never ends,” said Cllr de Boer. Chairperson of the Durban Northand uMhlanga CPF, Haden Searles, stated that the issue regarding homeless individuals in the area has been ongoing for as long as he’s been with the CPF, from 15 to 18 years ago. “They come into the Durban North area particularly because they get fed. They get fed by the public through money or through actual food.” According to Searles, the biggest issue is the ‘bleeding heart’ which he says should be commended, however, with this type of scenario, it can be counter-productive.
“We would rather develop projects, which we have attempted to do in the past whereby the issue is dealt with with regards to feeding types of scenarios, the feeding is done and controlled outside Durban North CBD. Also an employment structure developed where a database can be created for people to come in and register.”
Searles also stressed that not every homeless person is a criminal, especially in the era of Covid-19 where the devastating effects were felt by many. “People who you would have never expected to be homeless, that were employed, who had no criminal tendencies and have never been a criminal in their lives are now faced with the need to live, survive and feed their family and that is a tragedy. It’s also a socio-economic issue where the state actually needs to step in further. It’s not a just policing issue,” said Searles. Durban Metro Police Spokesperson, Parboo Sewpersad, reminds the community that if they are facing any problem or concern, they should take it up to CFP level with the CPF, Metro and Safer Cities working together. “When you have a multi-disciplinary approach there would be better synergy and chances of success will be more high.”
