Vagrants & beggars: huge issue for Camps Bay but we always hear this problem cannot be solved effectively due to legal constraints, SAPS ineffectiveness etc. How will a CID break through?

Written by 0vdge on 6 March 2023. Posted in FAQResi.

Camps Bay, especially the Beachfront, is a magnet for vagrants and beggars, especially during tourist season. Various government and municipal entities are tasked with managing the attendant problems of homelessness, vagrancy and crime – including Western Cape Provincial Social Development, SAPS, Law Enforcement and others.

The methods for dealing with vagrancy and homelessness are different depending on whether single individuals, families or children are involved. Each category has a different process stipulated by the authorities.

Navigating these processes requires significant collaboration and NGOs such as Ignisive are capable of building and maintaining the strong relationships required to deliver this collaboration. This has already been demonstrated.

Without the work that has already been done, Camps Bay’s vagrancy problem would be considerably worse than it currently is, and trying to stay on top of things requires continuous work.

A CID will provide a sustainable solution to this by funding the necessary collaboration and resources required to better coordinate and access existing programmes and implement new programmes for minimizing vagrancy and its effects. This includes:

Funding projects such as the Community Stewards Programme, which selects vetted individuals from among Camps Bay’s homeless to work as official car guards, provide crime intelligence, help displace aggressive, disorganised car guarding, and offer a dignified transition to formal employment;
Expanding the Community Stewards Programme (longer hours, plus other locations where informal car guards operate);
Providing funding for Responsible Giving campaigns, working with restaurants and guest houses to minimise hand-outs to those on the streets;
Providing a dedicated liaison with SAPS and the City to ensure that Camps Bay issues are on the agenda and dealt with by these organisations;
Building a database of contacts in existing public and non-governmental organisations who can supplement the resources deployed in Camps Bay.
Volunteer capacity for such initiatives no longer exists, and they won’t happen without a CID.

At the same time, the CID will pursue a zero tolerance to crime within the confines of the law, including:

Two 24-7 dedicated Law Enforcement officers, at least one in a Tac vehicle, with the powers to arrest, detain, search and transport suspects to SAPS, and deal with anti-social behaviour
Three Tactical vehicles patrolling 24-7
Dedicated professional staff to follow up cases with SAPS and assist them in crime investigation
Private Security foot patrols, especially in the beachfront area
Monitored cameras to identify criminal / suspicious / anti-social behaviour

Upgrading all greenbelt areas for the enjoyment of all residents, increasing foot traffic, providing eyes and ears, displacing vagrants and ensuring Camps Bay remains free of illegal structures and other illegal activity.

Swift removal of any new illegal structures and accelerated removal of existing ones (see

FAQ: ‘Will the CID be able to remove shacks?’)

Taken together, Camps Bay will cease to be comfortable place for vagrants and petty criminals, resulting in a cleaner, safer, neighbourhood. All of this can only be done with financial resources that a CID can provide. There is no viable or sustainable alternative.