Councillor discourages handouts to beggars
She indicated that JMPD has intervened and has spoken to some of the beggars.
The MMC for Economic Development and Ward 97 councillor, Leah Knott has urged residents to refrain from giving handouts to beggars at traffic lights. Instead, they should donate to a local charity.
Knott made the appeal after the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and Social Development explained at a recent Councillor’s Forum meeting that they were battling to address the high influx of beggars and what appear to be local homeless people into Wards 97 and 126.
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She indicated that JMPD has intervened and spoken to some of the beggars. “JMPD did blitz operations and interviewed them to find out where they were from and why they were begging for money etc.
“Fifteen people, mainly [begging] at Hendrik Potgieter and Peter Roads travel from Tshwane every day and said they would come back as community members bring them money, food, clothing and bedding,” she said.
She also highlighted the issue of school children begging at the Hendrik Potgieter Road and Clearwater/ Makro entrance intersection, which the Northsider has previously reported on. These teenagers claimed they begged for extra pocket money. Knott added that several of those young beggars are also from Alexandra and Tshwane.
“As long as this misplaced charity continues, it will be impossible to address it properly. Residents are rather encouraged to support local NGOs or community groups who have proper programmes for residents within the ward who genuinely require assistance. We have many people living informally in Ward 97 and have been here for many years, who could actually benefit from community upliftment,” she advised.
