While you might think you are feeding a hungry vagrant, behind your back, they allegedly sell the food to feed their drug habits. 

This was revealed by a deeply committed Musgrave resident, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, that when someone gives the vagrants food, they take it and sell it to buy drugs.

She tested this by giving a sandwich to a vagrant who said he did not want it, he wanted money instead. 

“He became aggressive and insisted he wanted money instead of the sandwich. I asked him to bite the sandwich because once he bites out of it, he can’t sell it,” she said. 

She said, unfortunately, the public is either feeding the vagrants or giving them money; they are, in fact, feeding their drug habits. 

“It’s quite sad because we’ve urged the public not to give them food or money. Rather go to a shelter and donate food or money. 

To further test this, she approached a car guard who said that when beggars are helped with food like bread, they are selling it. 

“Anyway, I did buy a loaf of bread from the guy that sold it… and they go and buy the drugs with it,” the car guard said. 

“…for the information I’m giving you, I hope it goes out to everybody around the area.”

The Musgrave resident said the vagrants are thin and look undernourished. Their eyes are also discoloured. 

“They don’t want to be helped. They prefer to appear poor. When they are given clothes, they sell the clothes and buy drugs,” she said. 

Ward 31 Councillor Remona McKenzie said they have heard of such incidents where vagrants would rather sell their food for drugs. 

Ward 31 covers Musgrave, Overport, Sydenham, and Asherville. 

“Not everyone is doing it, which makes work difficult for the CPF and authorities,” McKenzie said about vagrants selling food for drugs. “How do you differentiate between the two?”

“It’s causing issues for those who need it.” 

McKenzie said she also noted an increase in drug use by vagrants, particularly in informal settlements in her ward. 

She said she has also noticed that people are using containers to sell drugs. 

“I try with the CPF, Safer Cities, structures, departments that try to curb such issues, to implement operation clean-ups,” McKenzie said. 

Meanwhile, eThekwini Municipality by-laws stipulate that under the Nuisances And Behaviour In Public Places By-law, “No person may approach any pedestrian or a person inside a motor-vehicle on any public road or public road intersection or any other public place for the purposes of begging from such pedestrian or person in a motor-vehicle”.

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za

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