CPF, NGO action plan to rein in child beggars over festive season

WITH the expected increase in children begging at the corners and intersections of the streets of Tableview, the Community Policing Forum and non-profit organisation TLC Outreach Projects have put in place a plan of action to curb this.

Child begging has been an ongoing challenge in the area with children coming from as far as Atlantis and other areas.

In October, during a meeting with Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez, residents asked the department to take responsibility.

The plan of action includes an awareness campaign where residents would be encouraged to give responsibly, profiling of the children, development of systems and programmes, and patrols at traffic lights, including holding parents accountable for child beggars.

Colleen Pietersen from TLC Outreach Projects said currently 11 to 13 children were begging at intersections and harassing motorists, making approximately R500 a day. With the festive season, she said, more were expected as people perceived the time as a season to give.

“My biggest worry is that one of them will eventually get knocked over and killed because when they are high on glue they skate dangerously in the traffic. The kids are as young as 8 and harassing people for money for glue.

“They are not hungry but are collecting money for drugs. It is a tragic accident waiting to happen and these kids need the appropriate help and not being chased from one traffic light to another,” she said.

Pietersen said as an organisation they can intervene by putting the kids on the holiday programme, but their assistance was constantly rejected.

“They would rather beg daily with the older ones bringing in younger children because they garner more sympathy and make more.

“If they are not sustained in this lifestyle choice they will be more open to assistance. I believe these kids can be rehabilitated if the structures were in place, and they can go back to the education system,” said Pietersen.

CPF chairperson David Harris said what was of concern was that some of these kids were throwing stones at passing cars and verbally abusing people.

“These kids are being used by adults to obtain money and they are going about it in an aggressive way while also risking their lives in the streets,” he said.