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People’s Post
The open field located on the corner of Gabriel and Bardia roads in Plumstead where a group of homeless people have set up camp. PHOTO: NETTALIE VILJOEN
PLUMSTEAD
Who are the nuisances? NETTALIE VILJOEN
T
he group of homeless people occupying an open field located on the corner of Gabriel and Bardia roads in Plumstead say it isn’t them who are causing a ruckus in the wee hours of the morning. The inhabitants of the patch of public land next to the Shell petrol station are refuting Plumstead residents’ claims that they are to blame for alleged early-morning partying, fighting and drug dealing. They say criminal elements, who reside outside the area, are the ones who come there at night to make trouble. Gerhard, one of the people who live on the field, says these culprits move around at night and are not even from Plumstead but other areas like Steenberg, Retreat, Grassy Park and Lavender Hill. “Believe it or not, we who sleep here do try to stand up to them, to chase them away. We are the kind of people who, when it gets dark, we don’t want noise, we want to sleep. One night, I even threatened one of them with a pole to get him to leave,” he says. Dee, a Plumstead resident who used to live on the street, also holds “outsiders” responsible. Dee, who now again lives at home, says he still hangs out with his friends living at the field and that he can see what is happening. “After they catch on their s**t, they come and camouflage themselves by us while the neighbourhood watch and law enforcement are driving up and down, looking for them,”
he adds. Vincent, who says he was the first person to pitch his tent on the field, is worried that residents and police may paint them with the same brush. “We don’t rob people; we don’t steal. They steal, they rob and then they know we are here; that they can hang out here; that the cops don’t worry with us. Then the cops start asking us questions. Now when the community members recognise one of them here, then that implicates us all. That is the problem,” he says. People’s Post visited the field on Friday 14 August after an interview earlier that week with Elaine Rousseau, the owner of the Food Fanatics & Homestead Venue located at 23 Constantia Main Road in Plumstead. Rousseau explains that her clients, and those of many of her neighbouring businesses, can only access the premises through Bardia Road. She is concerned that clients, confronted by the sites and smells coming from the field, will be put off from using their services. She says not only is the situation untenable for residents who live close to the field but, if left unchecked, it will also lead to many of the businesses in the area closing down which, in turn, will result in urban decay. “During the day you have the most horrific smells coming from there – the smell of human ablution, of things being burnt,” she says. And at night, she says, residents are forced to listen to loud music and people
hurling abuse at each other. Rousseau says before the national lockdown, there were only two tents at the field, but since then tents have been popping up all over. When People’s Post visited the field, eight tents were visible. Rousseau says numerous complaints have been lodged with the City of Cape Town, citing all of the bylaws broken at the field, but she says nothing concrete seems to happen. “A law enforcement team was here on Wednesday morning (13 August) to clean up the field. They removed all of the vagrants’ clutter – the stuff they collect from people’s bins – but by nightfall, everything was back to the way it was,” she adds. Rousseau says they have been told that while disaster management regulations remain in place, law enforcement’s hands are tied. Wayne Dyason, spokesperson for City law enforcement, says they are aware of a group of homeless people at Gabriel and Bardia roads. “While it is alleged that they are involved in criminal activities, we have no concrete evidence of this. Criminal activities should be reported to the South African Police Service. Should a law enforcement officer encounter any criminal activities during a patrol, they will deal with it, detain the person and hand them over to the police.” While the National Disaster Management Act is in place, law enforcement cannot confiscate any personal items. Tents, bedding as well as clothes are deemed personal items and cannot be confiscated.
“Operations take place on a regular basis and this entails the cleaning up of dirt and rubbish the homeless leave behind, and also to officer assistance to the homeless. They normally refuse. In the event of someone who wants assistance, law enforcement will make contact with social development who will then place this person in alternative accommodation,” he adds. Dyason says homelessness is not a crime. “We cannot force people to move into shelters.” Wynberg police station spokesperson Capt Silvino Davids says it is also not the police’s mandate to remove people. “It is not that we want to pass the buck, but it is more of a socio-economic problem – all agencies need to come together to see how we can address the problem,” he says. Desperate to find a solution, local business owners and residents have formed the Gabriel Road Area Project. Rousseau, also a committee member of the group, says the association was officially formed on Friday 28 August. Going forward, the association plans to apply to the council to lease the field from the City. Should the application be approved, they plan to green it and to keep it clean. In the long-term, they hope to get the community involved in the planting of a vegetable garden. This could be a source of food for vulnerable members of the community or work for people staying at the Haven Night Shelter, Rousseau says. V Continued on page 4.