ONE of the main problems that homeless people in Durban face, says Raymond Perrier from the Denis Hurley Centre, is the impact of law enforcement, whether by Metro Police, SAPS or private security firms.
According to Perrier, students from UKZN School of Law have been helping the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) collect statements from homeless people about their encounters with the police, which has given them a much clearer pattern of the abuses suffered.
Some of these include theft of goods under the claim of confiscation, detention without charge, abduction (to ‘clean up the city’), harassment, rape and violence.
“While some of it could be because of ‘rogue officers’, it is also clear that there are policing practices initiated, or at least condoned, by the authorities that amount to human rights abuses. We have thus been discussing with the SA Human Rights Commission the possibility of launching an investigation into this area,” he said, adding he was also pleased to report back on a constructive engagement.
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Perrier said recently a group of police officials from the USA were in Durban to report on the effectiveness of strategies that address underlying problems rather than just bluntly enforcing the law.
As was pointed out, it cost more to put a drug-user in prison than to take them through a rehab programme, and yet only the latter has some chance of helping the person improve their life.
The visitors facilitated a meeting between local police and homeless people, drug users and sex workers, made possible thanks to DHC partners eThekwini Municipality, DUT Urban Futures Centre, TB/HIV Care and Sphephelo.
Bongani Madida, a homeless member of the eThekwini Task Team, made an impassioned speech about the loss of common humanity among many security officers: “They say they are enforcing the by-laws, but nowhere in the by-laws does it say you can beat people up in the night!”
Commenting on the workshop, Perrier said: “We hope dialogue will bring improvements, and in the meantime, we continue to monitor the actions of the police.”
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