The City of Cape Town says it is finalising the closure of the Strandfontein temporary shelter for homeless people near Muizenberg.
The city says extending existing shelters by creating additional bed spaces is being considered, including the long-term development of safe spaces across Cape Town.
It says the needs of people who have requested ongoing assistance are being finalised.
More than 350 people have indicated that they would prefer remaining in a safe space, instead of returning to the streets and their needs are being finalised.
About 1 000 bed spaces were made available in the Cape Town CBD to accommodate homeless people as part of the city’s measures to adhere to COVID-19 lockdown regulations.
City officials say similar measures were taken in other parts of the Western Cape in areas such as Bellville, Somerset West and Muizenberg and the aim is to extend the initiative beyond the COVID-19 pandemic as a more permanent solution to offer shelter to the homeless.
Government’s COVID-19 efforts for the homeless slammed as shameful
Political analyst Tinyiko Maluleke in April said it is shameful that it took COVID-19 for the government to remember that there are homeless people, as well as those without water.
Maluleke made these comments while responding to the government’s lockdown measures, which has seen people placed in temporary shelters across the country in a bid to curb the spread of the COVID-19.
Government has also been providing water tanks for people without water, especially in rural areas and informal settlements.
Maluleke said it is worrying that government was being re-active in providing the basic services it should have provided on a regular basis.
He said, “I suppose if we stretch our minds, we could see these government interventions for the homeless, the rural and the poor as positive, but actually it’s a shame. It’s a shame that we had to wait for coronavirus before our government could think of buying Jojo tanks for the poor people without water in rural areas. It’s a shame that we had to wait for coronavirus for government to begin to think about the homeless people in our city and try to do something about their situation. I think it’s a crying shame,” says Maluleke.
He also warns those who are suddenly under government’s care, not to get too comfortable.
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