Host Cities Sweeping Vagrants and Prostitutes Off Streets

Street children, prostitutes and vagrants are being swept from the streets in South Africa's World Cup host cities. They are being relocated to places with services, according to some officials, but other say they are being put in concentration camps. Street vendors and advocates are outraged.

As the continent's biggest economy, South Africa's streets are a magnet for immigrant beggars, who see the country as a step out of poverty.

In the last two months, police in Johannesburg swooped on mainly Zimbabwean blind beggars who roam the busy streets and women who sit with babies at road intersections - much to the anger of rights groups.

"Their presence violates the city bylaws and we arrest them. In many cases those in need, like women with children and disabled people, are referred to places of safety, where they can access welfare services," said Edna Mamonyane, spokeswoman for the Johannesburg Metro Police.

Poor, prostitutes removed from streets
Independent Online
May 18, 2010

Cape Town Establishes Program to Protect Children During World Cup

Officials in Cape Town are setting up a system to handle lost and runaway children during the World Cup. Specifically, the program seeks to protect children from human trafficking, sexual exploitation and substance abuse.

Together with Home Affairs and non-governmental organisations, the department of social development has established a school holiday programme for local children. It has also set up places of safety for children at stadiums and public places as well as interpreters for children who speak foreign languages.

“We have put everything in place – social workers, interpreters and places of safety,” spokesperson for social development MEC in the Western Cape Danny Abrahams said.

Abrahams said they would put “lost children” or “runaways” in places of safety until the World Cup is over. He said they would also work with Home Affairs and International Relations in cases where children are from other countries.

Plan to keep children safe during World Cup
Sowetan
April 8, 2010

Street Children Play World Cup in Durban

Street children from around the world have been flown to Durban to participate in the "street kids World Cup". Organizers are hoping the event will highlight the persistent problem South Africa and other countries face when trying to deal with their homeless youth populations.

The teams are competing on a school campus in downtown Durban, with vuvuzela trumpets blowing in stands filled with wigs and faces painted in national colours. The tournament wraps up Sunday with a final and trophy for the winner.

During the Fifa World Cup, organisers of the children's event will set up a surveillance system to reduce the risk of street kids facing abuse during the month-long tournament, and to set up sports events to keep them off the streets.

Street kids stage own World Cup
Independent Online
March 19, 2010

Street Kids Won't Be Hidden During World Cup

World Cup officials have announced that no efforts will be made to hide South Africa's street children during the World Cup.

People had often asked him if the shacks and street children would be removed, [2010 Fifa World Cup organising committee chief executive Danny Jordaan] said.

"No, we can't be a society that misleads and creates a false impression. We are a country of diversity, rich and poor, employed and unemployed, and the world must know that we have massive challenges of poverty and housing and we must address these issues."

We will not hide street kids in 2010, says Jordaan
Daily News
September 17, 2009

2010 Provides Illegal Economic Opportunity for Street Children

The 2010 World Cup is expected to be a big economic opprtunity for black market work by street children, who are likely to sell drugs and sex work during the event, according to former street children.

The City of Cape Town has reportedly set aside money to remove street children during next year's event, but those rumors have not been verified.

Former street children Sigumbuzo Makhubo and Thozamile Ganjana, both 23, who are now working in the film industry and as "fixers" for international journalists, said street kids had plans to make big money during 2010.

Makhubo, who left the streets in 2005, said the children were ready for one big party.

"They know the visitors will use drugs and want sex. And they know they can make money from that."

Street kids' 2010 plan: drugs, sex=big bucks
Cape Argus
July 12, 2009

Soccer in South Africa in Photos

This collection of photos from The Boston Globe's The Big Picture photo blog shows soccer in South Africa. Most shots are of kids playing, and some are a bit on the cheesy/rose-colored side, but they offer a nice visual display of the sport in the country.

Soccer in South Africa
The Boston Globe
June 24, 2009

Homeless Children Won't Be Cleared From Streets During World Cup

While in the past, the international spotlight was typically proceeded by an effort to temporarily rid the streets of homeless youth, South African officials are saying that this will not be the case during the 2010 World Cup.

[eThekwini municipal manager Michael Sutcliffe] said the city faced the challenges of providing services to rich international visitors as demanded by the national government and soccer governing body Fifa, while continuing to serve poor and vulnerable residents.

..."We have to use the event to our advantage to advance our economic, social and sustainability agendas. It (the World Cup) has given the city the opportunity to ramp up its investment in public infrastructure and to bring it to the poorest of the poor by building more clinics and providing social facilities," Sutcliffe said.

However, he said, while street children were a "visible" social problem, the city had the challenge of caring for eight groups of vulnerable people including the "invisible" poor.

"We have 100 000 households in the city who have no income and they contain about 500 000 family members. And there are those households living off casual labour," Sutcliffe said.

Source:
Street kids 'won't disappear' for 2010
Independent Online
April 2, 2009