Emmarentia Residents Association info@era.org.za (000) 111-1111

Parkview CPF appeals to mayor for help with homeless

On June 8, Parkview CPF sent a hard-hitting 4-page letter to the Mayor, Geoff Makhubo, and the City Manager, Ndivho Lukhwareni, requesting a meeting to “agree on a plan for dealing with the homeless people for whom it is easier to live on the streets and in open spaces than to be accommodated in shelters”.

The letter describes the failed attempts the CPF had made over the past year with SAPS, JMPD and the Department of Social Development (DSD) to try and move the homeless into shelters. Even though some moved during Level 1 lockdown, since Level 3 opened up, many have moved back to the open spaces.

The letter also details the Catch-22 process that must be followed to remove those that are breaking the by-laws by living in open spaces (Read the full letter here

Letter-to-Mayor-City-manager-re-homeless-final.cpf-june-2020

The letter concludes by saying that “it would seem to us that the organs of state are failing its citizens. There simply must be a better way to deal with this growing problem, which we submit is the City’s to deal with. This has been further highlighted by the COVID-19 lockdown measures. Something needs to be done about this situation urgently. The threats to safety need to be removed, by-laws must be enforced and the indigent people need to be dealt with in a compassionate and decisive manner.”

As at 17 June 2020, the CPF had received no response from the Mayor.

Meanwhile the CPF has still not been granted permission to run a soup kitchen in the precinct.