Gauteng’s vulnerable left in the cold

It is shocking that hundreds of society’s most vulnerable people – children, the handicapped, the elderly and victims of abuse – could find themselves on the street because the Gauteng government is choking off their financial support.

This administration, let us not forget, was the one on whose watch 144 people died in what has become known as the Life Esidimeni scandal.

Those people were shunted off to new care homes and shelters on the whim of bureaucrats.

We fear that this may be happening again, as charity institutions around the province – which take a major burden off the state when it comes to caring for those who can’t care for themselves – find their funding being squeezed.

And, in some cases, it seems that arbitrary bureaucracy is running rampant again, as these places are forced to jump through hoops to satisfy the “compliance” requirements of the civil servants.

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One of those institutions affected by the policy is Epworth House in Germiston on the East Rand, which will be forced to close its doors at the end of next month… after a history of more than a century of serving the community by taking in those society ignores.

The place, which cares for abused and abandoned children, had to sell off a piece of its property last year in order to settle a R600 000 bill to become compliant with fire regulations.

Even then, a fresh set of inspectors arrived asking for documentation the home had never heard of before.

While we acknowledge it is important to have all such institutions in a safe condition, we can’t help but wonder if this is an overreaction to the incompetence of Life Esidimeni.

It is also true that Gauteng is in a tight spot financially… and we hope these vulnerable people are not being sacrificed to save money.

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