‘Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it’s more common than most of us realize. It’s a hidden crime, meaning victims usually aren’t able or willing to come forward and seek help, or share their experiences after they escape. ’
‘. . . The City, the province and their aligned NGOs would rather waste the money that the public either generously donates to these organisations or pays to the state in taxes than work with anyone that publicly criticizes the model of addressing homelessness they support. . . ’
‘Whilst it’s true impact is that this by law amendment gives the City the right to evict without having to go to court to get an eviction order. This means taking away all means and protections afforded all others being evicted. ’
‘Even without looking at the statistics, it’s easy to imagine the connection between people who are unhoused and those who struggle with substance use disorders. ’
The City of Cape Town has been aggressively clearing homeless encampments across the city since a High Court judgment granted the City a conditional order to evict those individuals living at the Three Anchor Bay Tennis Club earlier this year.
COLUMN: Carlos Mesquita writes that the extent of homelessness in South Africa is extremely difficult to ascertain, and that this in turn points to our greatest failure in addressing homelessness.
Carlos Mesquita writes that he has taken a moment to reflect on the past four years since leaving the streets as he marks his fourth anniversary as the Cape Argus’ Dignity Project columnist
COLUMN: ‘This coming Thursday is World Homeless Day and World Mental Health Day. It is highly significant that these two days fall on the same date, as it is crucial to recognise the correlation between the two. ’
‘The number of elderly individuals experiencing homelessness is rising. The number of elderly individuals experiencing sheltered homelessness nearly doubled from 2019 to 2023. It’s not slowing down, either. ’