Community fed up with Morris Street 'garbage dump'

Update

GEORGE NEWS - Morris Street residents and business owners said they have had it with the besmirching that follows the daily influx of homeless people seeking shelter around the George Police Station.

Appallingly, shelters are sometimes even erected under the window sills of the police station building.

With many of the after-hours complaints falling outside of the purview of the police and municipal law enforcement only operational during office hours, these community members feel powerless.

Whereas the residents feel empathy for the homeless seeking shelter there, they said it's not as much their presence as the mess they make and the occasional criminality that have locals hot under the collar.

With complaints to the George Municipality and police ostensibly falling on deaf ears, elderly Morris Street residents Freddie (76) and Christina (74) Senekal turned to George Herald.

They reached their breaking point after being woken in the early hours of Monday 2 June by a trespasser, allegedly one of the homeless people seeking refuge, who had laid a rubber mat over the razor wire that lines the top of the perimeter wall and climbed over into their property.

The trespasser allegedly stole Freddie's car cover valued at R1 200 and at some point also lifted the automated gate off its tracks.

Freddie had to receive a tetanus shot following a puncture wound he sustained to his hand when trying to restore the gate at daybreak.

He said he had reported the incident at the George Police Station across the road in person, but did not receive an incident report number or case number.

The police did not respond to questions seeking an explanation.

A shopping trolley left outside the Senekals' residential wall with garbage spread around it. Photo: Supplied/Freddie Senekal

Disrupted dinner

In addition, the couple describe family dinners routinely being disrupted by the piercing sound of glass bottles shattering on the tar road, punctuated by vulgar obscenities spat from the mouths of seemingly intoxicated strangers outside the front gate.

Then there are the daily discoveries of steaming piles of fresh human excrement on the pavement that not only emits a choking stench, but also attracts an assortment of flies in summer.

Albert Neizel, owner of the Total Energies petrol station on the corner of Courtenay and Morris streets is just as fed up. Keeping the area surrounding the forecourt clean and odour-free for customers is an ongoing operation that involves routinely washing the pavements and gutters with outdoor cleaner.

He and his team had recently, for the umpteenth time, cleared away a bakkieload of trash accumulated and left behind by homeless people.

Total Energies Courtenay Street employee cleans rubbish from the gutter across the street. Photo: Jacqueline Herbst

The broken window

Neizel said he longs for co-operation from the powers that be, referencing the broken window theory (developed by criminologists James Q Wilson and George Kelling in 1982) that posits that disorder causes crime and crime causes further disorder and crime.

One of the Morris Street homeless people George Herald spoke to said they sought shelter around the police station because it was a safer option.

Originally from Gqeberha, the man (26) came to George by bus for his mother's funeral and never left as he couldn't afford the bus ticket back home.

He said he also couldn't afford the R25 to R50 overnight shelter rate, which left him with no choice but to camp out on the streets. Another man blamed his relatives for his lot in life.

Most of what he said was unintelligible, but he did manage to communicate losing weight because he often got robbed by younger street dwellers.

A homeless person on the Morris Street kerb outside the George Police Station. Photo: Jacqueline Herbst

No quick fix for homeless hurdles

While repeated requests for comment from the George Police Station remained unanswered, senior municipal spokesperson Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe acknowledged and expressed understanding for the frustrations residents and business owners face regarding homeless people on or near their private properties.

He said the municipality was doing its best with limited available resources. Still, he encouraged residents to secure their properties.

Mangqwengqwe explained the municipality was actively seeking solutions to the problem. This as the municipality's Community Safety Directorate has held several discussions with relevant social sector departments on the issue, including the shortage of overnight shelters in George.

However, he cautioned it was important to note that all individuals, including homeless people, have constitutional rights, particularly the right to freedom of movement. "The municipality continues to approach this matter with sensitivity and diplomacy," he said.

No direct handouts, please

He added it was impossible for one sector to manage these vagrant issues. It requires cooperation from all sectors, including social services and non-governmental organisations to work together to find a sustainable solution to remove vagrants off the streets forever.

He unpacked the complexities of the issue:

"There are vagrants who have houses who want to live on the street and we have vagrants who have families and who are chased away. We also have vagrants who are drug users and then we have vagrants who get involved with criminal activities."

He stressed that a law enforcement angle alone would not sort out the issue on a longer term.

"We require interventions that will include community commitment to stop feeding their drug habits. They are accumulating at places where they get money and food," Mangqwengqwe explained.

He implored residents not to give food or money directly to homeless people or street beggars, as these well-meaning actions, unfortunately, contribute to the problem's persistence.

A vagrant, with his pants pulled down, outside the George Police Station front entrance on Courtnay Street. Photo: Jacqueline Herbst

Which law enforcement agency to call when

Clearing the fog around where the municipal law enforcement's duty ends and the police's begins, Mangqwengqwe said instances where criminal activity is involved, such as trespassing, theft and intimidation, must be reported to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.

When it comes to enforcing municipal by-laws infringed upon, Mangqwengqwe said while municipal law enforcement issued fines where possible, enforcement can be challenging, particularly where offenders have no fixed address, as this makes prosecution and following up difficult.

On the issue of municipal law enforcement only operating during office hours, Mangqwengqwe said the municipality was working towards the implementation of a 24-hour service to improve response capabilities.

Filthy rags like this one hanging over the police station’s fence is a common sight on Morris Street. Photo: Jacqueline Herbst