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Homeless suffer due to food shortage at NMB shelters

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Dear MyPE

Two meals a day consisting of substandard food, lacking in nutrition, and a shortage of toilet facilities are just some of the issues facing residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality homeless shelter in Uitenhage.

Today, 21 May 2020, I conducted an oversight inspection at the Uitenhage Town Hall and met with the 32 homeless people housed in this shelter.

I was joined by DA EC Shadow MEC for Social Development, Edmund van Vuuren, MPL, DA Winterhoek Constituency Leader, Marshall von Buchenroder, MPL, and DA NMB Spokesperson for Public Health, Cllr Leander Kruger.

The residents of the shelter informed me that they are starving. They say that, while they get two meals a day, the servings are not sufficient and of substandard quality.

They are also not allowed to leave the shelter to find ways of possibly earning extra income to buy more food.

These people are being starved and caged and denied their basic human rights.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has been tasked with running the homeless shelters in the Metro, and I have asked MPL Van Vuuren to submit questions in the provincial legislature to ascertain who won the tender to provide food to the Uitenhage shelter.

Cllr Kruger will also take this matter up with the Acting City Manager and Executive Director of Public Health to find out what the Metro’s plan is to deal with the shelters and the processes followed in awarding the tender.

There is currently a back and forth between the Metro and the EC Department of Social Development regarding who is responsible for the provision of food to the shelters.

We also conducted oversight inspections at the shelters in the Jarman Hall, Schauderville, and the Walmer Town Hall in Port Elizabeth, where we were joined by DA NMB Caucus Leader, Cllr Jonathan Lawack.

At both of these shelters we were also informed that the food was of substandard quality and that the portion sizes were too small.

The DA will not watch our people suffer and if the Metro does not step up to assist these vulnerable people I will be forced to write to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and request an investigation into the matter.

Regards

Cllr Nqaba Bhanga
DA EC Provincial Leader

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