Residents worry about state of homeless man in Craighall Park
CRAIGHALL PARK – Several efforts have been made to try and help a displaced man in a wheelchair but he refuses to be moved.
Community members have been involved in various efforts to obtain help for a displaced man in Craighall Park.
The man who stays on the corners of Burnside and Jan Smuts avenues, as well as Conrad Drive, makes use of a wheelchair which was donated by a passing motorist. Ward 90 councillor Martin Williams said, “People are complaining about him, some people feel sorry, some angry. People are complaining about environmental pollution in terms of toilet facilities. He doesn’t want to be moved but he’s living in and out of a wheelchair.”
The councillor added that a few months ago he had asked the Displaced People Unit at the Department of Social Development (DSD) to visit the man. He said the unit visited and interviewed the man and took down his details.
However, since the man refused to be moved, Williams said the unit would instead ask another unit in the department, the Persons With Disability Unit, to persuade him to move to a shelter for people with wheelchairs. “There are a number of displaced people in the ward, just bear in mind that they can’t just be chased away or locked up or discarded. We will try and deal with them in the best way possible.”
In recent communications by email to the City’s Environmental Health Department, Williams wrote, “As a City, we can up our game in devising and implementing humane, practical ways of dealing with the many displaced people here. I respect that you are all understaffed and over-burdened. Cape Town is in the news, struggling to carry out a court order compelling the municipality to enforce its own by-laws regarding displaced people.”
Williams also wrote that he intended to contact the MMC for Health and Social Development requesting guidance on policy and direction.
The Rosebank Killarney Gazette also contacted the Environmental Health Department and the Department of Social Development spokespeople but did not get a response.
However, Erica du Toit from the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities said a social worker would have to visit the man to find out more about his situation and discuss with him ways in which to help. The referred social work manager from the Gauteng Provincial Association for Persons with Disabilities (GPAPD) Maya Keel said, “We do not render services in Blairgowrie. One of our social workers will be in contact to get more information. Thereafter, the social worker will refer the plight of the client to an agency for disabled persons who renders services in that community. We really hope we can assist the client to receive appropriate care.”
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