Residents have concerns over odd job jacks

Suburban residents have concerns over the people waiting at street corners such as Woltemade Street for a chance to get some work.

Some wanting their house painted or their grass cut or someone moving furniture would know exactly where to find a few capable and willing hands to help out. These men wait in the shade by these intersections day in and day out.
Although there is nothing inherently wrong with that the residents of the houses nearby have concerns about their privacy and security. They claim that the men waiting there have the opportunity to observe their entire daily pattern such as how many people live in the house, what time they are at home and what time they leave for work.

The concerns these residents have boils down to the fact that to a burglar this kind of information can be very useful.

However the men waiting at the street corners have every right to be there. Since it is a public place no one can restrict anyone else’s right to stand there. The municipal by laws on loitering is very clear that loitering only occurs when,

“The offense of loitering is usually enacted in city by-laws concerning roads and transport and requires an individual to be purposefully obstructing road or pedestrian traffic or staking out a place of worship with the intent of obstructing or intimidating attendees,” according to legal advice website Justanswers.co.za.

The website also states that sometimes loitering arrests are unlawful.
Since this is a municipal by-law it falls in the jurisdiction of the law enforcement unit of the municipality and not the SAPS. Lebo Mofokeng has been contacted for comment on more clarification of these by-laws.