Municipality to monitor area around Jetty 3 where homeless will be housed

The Greater Tzaneen Municipality said that they will have officials monitoring the area around Jetty 3 where homeless people will be housed during 21-day lockdown.

“We plead with residents around Jetty 3 to work with the municipality to ensure that the situation at the shelter does not cause them any inconvenience. Our officials will monitor the shelter closely to ensure that all hygiene standards are adhered to and that there is no noise or unnecessary movements at the venue,” said Neville Ndala, spokesperson of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality.

On Saturday, Limpopo’s MEC for Social Development, Nkakareng Rakgoale, visited the temporary shelter. Rakgoale said the provincial government has heeded a call of ensuring that COVID-19 preventative measures are being adhered to. She was accompanied by the Greater Tzaneen Municipality mayor, Maripe Mangena, and the Tzaneen Cluster Commander, Maj Gen Maggy Mathebula.  Pierre Cronje, councillor for the area, was also in attendance. They also visited a local grocery chain store to ensure that the social distancing rule is being followed.

At the moment 40 homeless people will be cared for at the shelter but it it can accommodate more than a hundred peole, Ndlala said on Saturday. “The venue was selected because it has electricity and running water and belongs to the municipality. We have also deployed security to monitor the movements of those who will be at the shelter.”

There was an outcry on social media from residents near the Jetty 3 site when it became known that the shelter has been erected in their midst. Many asked why Jetty was selected and not the MacDonalds building or the Showgrounds that have the same facilities. Desireé van der Walt, DA shadow minister for Education and resident of Tzaneen, appealed to the mayor and municipal manager to provide proper facilities such as the MacDonalds building.