The homeless: Cape Town’s unwanted visitors
In the heart of Cape Town’s well-to-do tourist areas, people are erecting shacks on sidewalks and traffic islands and there is little authorities can do to resolve the problem. So far the council’s efforts have been hamstrung by court judgments and, it is suggested, by a fear of being seen as racist
Just as Cape Town prepares for summer tourists — at this point, without those from overseas because of the Omicron development — it faces "an untenable situation" of less welcome visitors. These are street people erecting shacks along the city’s highways and byways and on its sidewalks.A series of court rulings has also made city by-laws ineffective in dealing with the problem.An option is strict legal procedures, but the Disaster Management Act regulations have complicated the law. City officials are wary of being prosecuted if they act against people seen as "illegals".The new mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, says his administration is reviewing the homelessness by-law, but his office said the city would still challenge the Covid disaster regulations. He’s pledged to study all the legal opinions and court judgments affecting metros."This will just give me peace of mind," says Hill-Lewis. He says it is "not safe, it’s undignified, it’s not clean and it’s not good" for people to be living...
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