South Coast shelter mismanagement, 4 in court

Two shelters on KZN’s South Coast were temporarily closed a week ago, allegedly due to mismanagement and fraudulent activities.

Three women and a man in charge of the shelters were arrested by Margate SAPS last Wednesday after a case of theft was opened for investigation at the two facilities in Oatlands, near Margate, and Izotsha.

This resulted in over 100 vulnerable people, mostly the elderly and sick, in dire need of help and support.

Alarm bells were rung after two local women, Geraldine Moatshe and Julie Akoon, started investigating seven shelters on the South Coast that did not have registration documents and NPO certificates with registration numbers.

They also allegedly found drug dealing and mistreatment of senior citizens at the two shelters. Moatshe and Akoon opened cases with the police, which led to the arrest of four responsible for running the shelters.

SAPS Ugu District Communications Department said further charges, including tampering with infrastructure and extortion, have also been made against the suspects involved in the daily operations of the two shelters.

“They appeared in the Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Court. One suspect remains in police custody, while the other three were released on R500 bail each. The matter has been postponed to a later date for further investigations,” said the department.

Moatshe, one of many complainants, said: “The conditions at these shelters are appalling. There are no rooftops; rain pours in, cold conditions, no proper facilities and illegal electricity connections. The people responsible for these shelters are playing with senior citizens’ lives. Most people living at these shelters are pensioners, and they pay rent via their grants. I have written to the KZN Department of Social Development, and we are awaiting their investigations,” she added.

Shelter residents who did not want to be named said they paid the woman running the shelter R900 a month for rent. “We live in terrible conditions. It’s so sad to see the elderly in tears. They are sometimes mistreated by the shelter management, and there’s little we can do as we don’t have anywhere else to go. At times, we have witnessed items brought in by the community, but [they] are taken away and sold. We are desperately seeking help from anyone to place us in better living conditions or proper management to take over the shelters,” said the residents.

It has been established that the property in Oatlands has been hijacked by the so-called ‘shelter owner’. “The ‘shelter owner’ has no lease agreement from me. This property has since been stripped and vandalised. On witnessing the state of my property, I have opened a case with the police,” said Akoon.

Vulnerable people are still living at these shelters. They have not been evicted, as Akoon believes that they cannot be on the streets.

Organisations have stepped in to provide emergency support and food for the residents at both shelters.

Ignite Revolution has been providing meals for the past two years. Founder Jessica Naicker said they will continue with food projects and prayer meetings daily.

“We pray the right people are put in place to manage the shelter, people who will have the residents’ best interests at heart. Programmes must be implemented to secure skills development and training to ensure the residents can be reintegrated into the workplace and community,” said Naicker.

Anyone willing to assist the residents with non-perishable food items, toiletries, clothing, a hot meal or other essentials can contact Moatshe on 079 449 8801.

The South Coast Herald will be reaching out to the Department of Social Development for comment for a follow-up story and will be published.