City will always protect its staff from intimidation by political opportunists
17 March 2021
The City of Cape Town delivered South Africa’s highest service reach to the homeless in line with Alert Level 5 of the national lockdown regulations last year. Together with expert NPO partners, the City sheltered more than double the number of homeless compared to the whole of Gauteng, according to national Social Development statistics reported in Parliament at the time. Read more below:
As a caring City, Cape Town achieved far more for people living on the street compared to any other metro during Alert Level 5, including:
- Over 1 350 homeless persons provided with chronic and clinical treatment for conditions like TB, HIV, Diabetes, Hypertension and Epilepsy.
- Over 120 people re-integrated with their families
- 4 500 meals issued a day
- 2 000 mattresses and 2 000 blankets procured and distributed to every person
- Psycho-social services for substance users as part of the rehabilitation process
This was made possible by concentrating limited City resources at the centralised Strandfontein facility together with expert NPO partners such as Haven Night Shelter and Ubuntu.
Unfortunately, known political opportunists were deployed by South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) provincial Commissioner Chris Nissen to play politics and tell outright lies about South Africa’s biggest effort to help people living on the street.
Mr Nissen could conveniently avoid accountability for the untruths of these so-called ‘monitors’, and tellingly never issued a formal report of his own in the name of the SAHRC.
Mr Nissen’s SAHRC was unable to put politics aside, and formally acknowledge, like national government did, the major effort that went into caring for people living on the street in compliance with regulations. We further note their almost exclusive focus on Cape Town and not elsewhere in South Africa.
The fact remains it was necessary to protect our staff from harassment, and our operations from disruption by so-called ‘monitors’ who behaved instead like political hooligans.
We were relieved at being granted the interim relief, which kept ‘monitors’ from blocking entrances and harassing staff. The interim relief had the necessary effect and enabled the City to complete its work without interference. By the time that the Court allocated the hearing date for a final order, there was no need to decide the final relief as the matter had become moot, but the respondents insisted that the matter must proceed.
The parties were informed late last night that Judge Siraj Desai would be handing down judgment in this matter today at 10:00 almost a year later. The City does not necessarily agree with Judge Siraj Desai’s costs ruling today and will consider its options once a written judgment is made available by the Court.
In order to ensure a good working relationship with the City, Mr Nissen need only understand going forward that we will always act to protect our staff from intimidation and aggressive political opportunism.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
