City of Cape Town officials say they have a "constitutional" World Cup plan for street children and homeless people which will ensure they are treated with respect and dignity.
They have rejected claims that law-enforcement officers are rounding up vagrants and dumping them on the city's outskirts.
But details of the "2010 Street People Readiness Plan", operational between May and July, would only be "unveiled" in about three weeks.
This emerged after a city press briefing yesterday where the police's provincial commander of visible policing, Robbie Roberts, said: "We are not going to arrest everybody and put them in a cell to get them off the street. We are not allowed to do it, and we won't do it."
Pam Naidoo, the city's 2010 operations project co-ordinator, said World Cup-specific plans dealing with street people, child safety and substance abuse prevention would be unveiled next month, but she had been asked "to keep the details quiet for now". She said incidents of "anti-social behaviour" would be managed in a "humane and dignified manner".
They were responding to questions from journalists after allegations that South African host cities would "clean up" their streets by arresting homeless people.
Lesley de Reuk, the city's 2010 director of operations, said they had recently been approached by an international news agency and asked when the "concentration camps" for homeless people would be completed.
Speaking to the Cape Times later, Sea Point ward councillor JP Smith rejected allegations by non-profit organisation Mylife that the city council had rounded up about 200 street people and moved them to Blikkiesdorp as "offensive".
He said the city had, after years of negotiations, allocated a number of houses in temporary relocation areas such as Blikkiesdorp to people who wanted to move.
He said two batches of about 80 people had, after three years of counselling, agreed to move from Sea Point to Blikkiesdorp. Smith said the street people had to move voluntarily.
Mayoral committee member for social development Grant Pascoe said: "The city has never rounded up people, it won't round up people and there are no plans to do it in the future."
He said the city council would work with its partners, organisations dealing with homeless people, to deal with the problem.
He said the city's 2010 Street People Readiness plan was based on the constitution and called for street people to be treated with respect and dignity.
They have rejected claims that law-enforcement officers are rounding up vagrants and dumping them on the city's outskirts.
But details of the "2010 Street People Readiness Plan", operational between May and July, would only be "unveiled" in about three weeks.
This emerged after a city press briefing yesterday where the police's provincial commander of visible policing, Robbie Roberts, said: "We are not going to arrest everybody and put them in a cell to get them off the street. We are not allowed to do it, and we won't do it."
Pam Naidoo, the city's 2010 operations project co-ordinator, said World Cup-specific plans dealing with street people, child safety and substance abuse prevention would be unveiled next month, but she had been asked "to keep the details quiet for now". She said incidents of "anti-social behaviour" would be managed in a "humane and dignified manner".
They were responding to questions from journalists after allegations that South African host cities would "clean up" their streets by arresting homeless people.
Lesley de Reuk, the city's 2010 director of operations, said they had recently been approached by an international news agency and asked when the "concentration camps" for homeless people would be completed.
Speaking to the Cape Times later, Sea Point ward councillor JP Smith rejected allegations by non-profit organisation Mylife that the city council had rounded up about 200 street people and moved them to Blikkiesdorp as "offensive".
He said the city had, after years of negotiations, allocated a number of houses in temporary relocation areas such as Blikkiesdorp to people who wanted to move.
He said two batches of about 80 people had, after three years of counselling, agreed to move from Sea Point to Blikkiesdorp. Smith said the street people had to move voluntarily.
Mayoral committee member for social development Grant Pascoe said: "The city has never rounded up people, it won't round up people and there are no plans to do it in the future."
He said the city council would work with its partners, organisations dealing with homeless people, to deal with the problem.
He said the city's 2010 Street People Readiness plan was based on the constitution and called for street people to be treated with respect and dignity.
- Cape Times
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