WATCH: Steenhuisen clashes with journalist over ‘unfair’ questions on Cape Town’s homeless

In an interview on eNCA, things got tense between Democratic Alliance (DA) interim leader John Steenhuisen and the show’s presenter, Shahan Ramkissoon, when the leader of the official opposition was confronted on the City of Cape Town’s fining of homeless people.

On Thursday, the homeless in Cape Town won a court victory preventing the City’s authorities from issuing fines and confiscating property belonging to people living on the streets.

Ramkissoon asked Steenhuisen why the homeless were fined in the first place.

“Let me ask you why you’re targeting the poor, the homeless in Cape Town for trying to find somewhere warm to sleep,” he said.

“They’ve been taken to court for fining poor people who don’t have homes, they have been fined between R300 and R1,500?”

Steenhuisen said he wasn’t familiar with the details of the matter, and added that the City of Cape Town’s bylaws were, in his view, no different to those in any other SA metros, with the ones in Durban being “far more draconian”.

He said someone involved in the running of the City should be interviewed on the matter rather than the leader of the DA.

“This is your party, do you not know anything about this? I’m surprised,” Ramkissoon responded.

Things then began to get a bit tense, as Steenhuisen accused his interviewer of pursuing an unfair line of questioning.

“I’m sure you don’t expect Cyril Ramaphosa to know what’s happening in every single municipality in the country which he’s in charge of.”

“Then let me educate you on what’s happening here, and it’s very simple,” said Ramkissoon.

“I don’t need to be educated by you, Shahan,” Steenhuisen responded angrily.

READ MORE: Steenhuisen sceptical of Ramaphosa’s ‘sudden sabotage claims’

Ramkissoon then appeared to read from a report on the matter: “The legal action follows the City having issued at least 199 fines to the homeless this year for contravening a bylaw that makes it unlawful to obstruct pedestrian traffic on sidewalks. People have been fined for R300 for obstructing pedestrians on a pavement, R300 for sleeping in a public space and R1,500 for lighting a fire of course during winter to keep warm.”

Ramkissoon then suggested: “It seems as it stands that the DA is again being antipoor by taking these people and trying to fine them when they don’t have money.”

Steenhusien responded: “With respect, we’re going to have to wait for the outcome of the court cases, I’m not familiar with the circumstances and I think it’s an unfair line of questioning. But let me just say this, there is no metropolitan government in this entire country that is doing more to uplift people out of poverty and into opportunity.

“If you look even by national government’s own metrics, highest access to housing, highest access to basic services, cheapest basket of goods, most pro-poor policies, these all come here from the City of Cape Town.

“The most unequal metro in the country is Buffalo City, led by the ANC.

“This is a government here in the city which is on the march to make sure we uplift people out of poverty and into opportunity. If you want to push on this particular issue you need to invite [Cape Town head of security] JP Smith or the mayor of Cape Town [Dan Plato] into your studio to do so. I think it’s an unfair line of questioning.”

Ramkissoon said: “I don’t know how you can say you’re pro-poor when you’re actually fining people for trying to keep warm on a sidewalk when they have nowhere else to go, that’s a simple question and it boils down to humanity over your bylaws.”

“That is your version of events, let’s see what the court case says before you simply jump to conclusions,” Steenhuisen responded.

“How is it my version of events when the City has confirmed that it has issued 199 fines to people on the streets? That is a fact,” Ramkissoon countered.

“Feel free to invite anyone from the City to answer here, you never ask Ramaphosa anything about the municipalities that his ANC councillors are mismanaging and stealing and driving into the ground. It’s unfair to be asking a leader of a political party something so micro-focused on a particular city matter,” said Steenhuisen.

“It might be micro-focused to you but for the homeless people affected by this, it’s a big deal,” was Ramkissoon’s last word, apart from saying he would try and ask JP Smith about the matter.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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