Jonathan Mills, councillor of Cape Town’s Ward 107, has urged residents to stop giving handouts and ‘irresponsibly’ providing food and other items to people living on the streets. He says such actions fuel addiction and crime, upon which gangs rely.
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His statement follows an attack on law enforcement officials on Sandown Road opposite West Coast Village during a recent operation at a known hotspot for street people setting up camp and begging at the traffic light, News24 reports.
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‘There is no dignified end to life on the street whether you are innocent or not – only disease, addiction and psychosis await in the long run,’ says Mills.
‘What we find is more and more gang members and former prisoners are living on our streets.’
‘They are the ones selling the drugs to the drug addicts. They are the ones who are also responsible for an increase in crime over the last five months, including some really serious violent crimes in our area.’
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He further mentions that various non-profit organisations provide aid and tailored programmes to support individuals living on the streets and tackle criminal activity.
‘We even have an EPWP scheme where we collect people every day from the shelter near town and bring them back to the community so they can stay attached while they move through the steps and are processed by social development. That help is available.’
‘Please donate only to those you know personally or to charities like TLC working to get the homeless reintegrated back into society.’
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