Tshwane homeless get R1 500 after belongings removed in park clean-up

LAWYERS for Human Rights brought the application in the Gauteng High Court on behalf of 24 applicants against the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, the Chief of Police and the mayor, Solly Msimang.

The applicants were unemployed homeless people who slept at Prince’s Park in Pretoria.

They said they acquired their belongings through donations or by picking up unused items around the city.

During a clean-up operation on February 20, Tshwane’s waste management department, with the metro police, went to the park where the 24 applicants and several homeless people lived.

They confiscated their belongings. Many lost valuable items such as Id-books, cellphones and clothing.

The matter was due to be other argued on Tuesday, but city manager Dr Moeketsi Mosola filed an affidavit where he offered to pay for “emergency relief ” for the “distress caused to the applicants”.

In his affidavit, Mosola said the city conducted a routine clean-up operation in line with by-laws to remove the mess at the park, as the homeless urinated and defecated there. He said the operation was also to clean up the goods they left behind.

The application was to interdict the respondents from continuing with clean-up operations without following due process, to stop them from harassing the homeless as well as to prevent them from confiscating the people’s belongings.

The order was granted and the City of Tshwane undertook to pay each of the 24 applicants R1 500 for their confiscated belongings.