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Some Gauteng homeless prefer life on the streets opposed to shelters

28 April 2020, 3:09 PM |

Tshepo Phagane | @SABCNews

Over 2 000 people have abandoned the shelters since the lockdown.

Image: SABC

Over 2 000 people have abandoned the shelters since the lockdown.

Some of the homeless people who have left shelters where they had been accommodated at the start of the national lockdown say they are better off on the streets.

Over 2 000 people have abandoned the shelters since the lockdown. But government says those who ran back to the streets are violating the COVID-19 regulations. They want police to apprehend them and take them back to the shelters. Ibrahim and Latifa are a homeless couple in their 40s living on the streets of Johannesburg.

They finish each other’s sentences, call one another baby and remind each other of crucial information when the other responds to questions. They have lived in several shelters including in Soweto and Mayfair in Johannesburg since the lockdown started but each time they ran away because they say the living conditions were unbearable.

” At one shelter, I don’t know which was it a Gogo was raped, another guy got stabbed for two slices of bread. Most of the shelters don’t even have food, it’s overcrowded, they say we must practice social distancing but people are sleeping like sardines next to each other. Yes, in Orlando it was quite nice but the guys started stealing the taps and there was no food basically. They came with food in the morning and that was basically it, I think it was two or three slices of bread and juice,” says Ibrahim.

They are both dressed warmly following overnight rains in Gauteng. Ibrahim has a lumber jacket on, a pair of blue jeans and a cream comforter over his shoulders. Latifa has a grey blanket over her shoulders and underneath a black hijab and jeans. They say they are better off living on the streets than in government shelters.

“We know how to survive in the streets. Obviously we don’t want to get sick and make people sick but we don’t have any other choice.”

The married couple who has lived on the streets for two years say they are struggling to get employment.

In the video below, homeless people at a shelter in Pretoria raise their concerns about the living conditions there:

The Gauteng Social Development Department says when the lockdown started last month, it took in over 5 800 homeless people in its 26 shelters across the province. Over 2 000 people have now escaped and only 3 370 remain in the shelters.

The department blames the escape on substance withdrawal and some wanting to fend for themselves on the streets. Gauteng Social Development spokesperson Thabiso Hlongwane wants those who ran away to be brought back.

“They are violating the COVID-19 regulations. We have called on law enforcement to work with us. Whenever they see them on the streets, law enforcement are the only ones with the authority to take the person from the street and bring that person to our shelter.”

He says the homeless in their shelters include skilled artists, university dropouts and artisans who need government support to get back on their feet.

“Education will provide bursaries, Gauteng City Region Academy is also willing to come on board to provide soft skills programmes. And also give them opportunities to fend for themselves in the form of learnerships and other programmes that talk to human dignity. So we are making progress in ensuring we deal with homeless beyond lockdown.”

He has assured those wanting to return to shelters that there’s enough room to accommodate them and the food has been improved. Those battling with drug withdrawal symptoms are receiving help in the form of medication and health personnel are on hand to help with any health-related emergencies including psycho-social support.

The graphic below shows some lockdown regulations: