Constable Lindiwe Pile, from the Yeoville SAPS social crime prevention unit, has urged motorists to refrain from giving donations to women with babies at intersections in Yeoville.
“Most of these women do not need our help. They are just using their children as cash cows. When you tell them there is a ‘piece-job’ somewhere, they do not take it,” she said.
Const Pile said she has tried offering many of them help – for them and their children, but they turned her down several times.
“They said they need money to take care of their children but they do not take job opportunities. They prefer to sit with their little babies, begging in the hot sun,” she said.
“We spoke to shelters who are willing to take care of these children. The mothers can leave them at the shelters in the mornings and pick them up in the afternoons,” she said.
The SAPS is also investigating allegations that some of these women stay with their working partners and that some are using children who are not theirs.
“We are following up on lots of information, including that some are child minders who are suppose to care for the babies while the parents are at work. Some are said to take these children and use them to beg on the streets. The woman then returns home shortly before the parents arrive back home,” said Const Pile.
According to Const Pile, many of these women tell people they need money to return to their home countries.
“Some have been telling this story for months now, but they are still begging. Do not give them any money. We have homes that are willing to take care of them and the children. These homes are willing to care for the children if and when these women look for employment. These homes are willing to give them meals and help if they are in real need. The challenge we have is that we cannot keep them in jail for it. But we are working with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Child Development and Social Services on a strategy to deal with it,” said Const Pile.
One of the women, who was found on the streets of Yeoville on Tuesday last week, said she was on the road because she had no food for her and her two-year-old daughter.
When asked why the child was not wearing shoes, she said she did not have any money to buy shoes for the child.
The woman said she has been on the streets for more than five months. She said she stays with friends in Yeoville.
“People are giving me about R10 per day. I cannot buy food and shoes for my daughter. I have tried finding a job but I have had no luck yet,” she said.
When asked if she was willing to take her child to a shelter and go look for a job, or go to work if she found a job, she said no.
“I do not want to leave my child anywhere. I want to be with her all the time. I will take her to work if I find a job, otherwise I will be on the streets with her,” she said.
The woman also said she was trying save money to go back to Zimbabwe.
She said she needed R3 000 to go home.
When asked how much she has saved for the past five months, she said she has saved nothing.
Inspector Edna Mamonyane, a JMPD spokesperson, said the women at the intersections with children pose a danger to themselves and other motorists.
“Our bylaws prohibit anyone to trade or beg at intersections. There should be no one at these intersections. In this country we have grants. We have grants for the elderly, children and disabled. We should not have anyone begging there,” she said.
She said the JMPD conducts operations to remove people from the intersections.
“We removed those women. We do profiles of them. We try and establish whether they are South African and if they do get grants. If we find that they are from other countries, we work with Home Affairs to deport them,” she said.
Insp Mamonyane said the women continue to return to the intersections because motorists give them money.
“If we can stop giving them any money for a week, they will not come back. Motorists need to work with the police and stop making these intersections lucrative for the beggars,” she said.
She said some children are being knocked down by cars at the intersections.
“In one incident, a child crawled onto the road while the mother thought she was sleeping. A motorist waiting at the intersection did not see the child crawl under the car. The traffic light turned green and the car drove over the child who died. This left the motorist traumatised. Stop giving these women money. If you want to help them, donate to the shelters that take care of them. These shelters provide safety and warm meals,” said Insp Mamunyane.
