A clean-up operation was conducted under the Monte Vista Boulevard-bridge crossing the N1-highway recently, where vagrants have been making their home for some time now.
The clean-up was not the first, and unless drastic steps are taken, will not be the last operation of its kind, says Riana de Wet, a resident and member of the Monte Vista/Plattekloof Glen Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association.
On Tuesday 28 January De Wet shared the news of the clean-up on the community social media pages. On the specific day officials of the City of Cape Town’s displaced people’s unit (DPU) had conducted a clean-up under bridge. De Wet also mentions in her post that a further operation will be arranged with the department of social development to address the issue.
Risk to motorists
She told TygerBurger that the vagrants, referred to as “ruff sleepers”, remain a huge problem, and that they pose a risk to motorists on the N1.
“This has been a continued battle as they dug themselves in under the bridge removing stones and bricks.
“A few years ago we asked Provincial Roads to investigate the structure of the bridge, as we are concerned about the integrity of the bridge due to the continuous digging into the walls and fires being made. At the time we were assured that it is structurally sound. However, we need to continue monitoring,” De Wet says.
She says the clean-up operations have been in place for some years now and added that DPU cannot physically remove the individuals.
“We remove as much as we can of the rubble and odd building materials, but the law does not allow us to touch any personal belongings. This makes it very difficult, and the amount of personal stuff has now reached a crucial stage with mountains of items that we cannot touch.
“By doing the clean-ups regularly we can maintain at least a bit of control over the amount of rubbish that would end up in our residential area. We have learned that they get tired of having to look for new so- called ‘building material’, and then some of them move on,” says De Wet.
She says to date they have not had one person directly under the bridge, accepting the help offered to them by the department of social development. “We have had some success in Uys Krige Drive. But if we have learned anything, it is that by continually doing this, we can get the area clean.”
De Wet says the prison grounds, the K9 dog park and Lovers Lane are evidence of these success stories. “But if you leave it for too long and not keep your hand on it, they do move back, and you start the process all over.”
She says that until the law changes, they are helpless in this regard and that they can only continue to try and keep the area as clean as possible.
Grateful
Tyrel Painczyk, chair of the Monte Vista/Plattekloof Glen Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association, thanked De Wet for her efforts in taking the lead.
“We need to continually bring to the forefront that giving handouts unfortunately will never solve the problem as whilst help is available to them, they choose to stay on the street as handouts keep them happy. We have also seen an increase in crime through the area,” Painczyk says.
A similar clean-up was conducted the previous week under the bridge leading to Vasco Boulevard in Goodwood.
