This is the message from Ekurhuleni Central Cluster commander, Maj-Gen Poobalan Subbiah, who said the problem with vagrants in Benoni is at a “level that is unacceptable”.
READ: Not turning a blind eye on the homeless
“If you feed them in the street, you create expectation,” said Subbiah.
The commander said a lot of street dwellers – including street children – are responsible for crimes such as smash-and-grabs, theft out of motor vehicles, property-related crimes and drug peddling.
“Street children are not interested in food, they are interested in drugs,” Subbiah added.
“You will always find where there is a concentration of street kids there is a concentration of drugs.
“… By allowing these kids to receive money, all they are going to do is to purchase drugs.
“At the end of the day the drug dealers won’t leave an area.”
He said when donations from the public dry up, some of the beggars turn to crime.
“If everyone stops supporting them then they will have no option but to go back to orphanages or anywhere else that sustains them,” he said.
Subbiah said the community must play their role to reduce crimes committed by vagrants.
“Let’s keep our streets clean,” added Subbiah.
“By that I mean let’s not support these people on the street, but rather support the entities that support them.”
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