Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
THE increasing population of vagrants in Gwanda Town has become a concern for residents from the town who feel the streets are no longer safe as some of them move around carrying dangerous weapons.
The intimidating behaviour displayed by the vagrants some of whom are suspected to be mentally unstable is what has caused widespread fear.
Some move around slapping people’s vehicles, charging towards people as they pass by causing people to flee while others move around carrying dangerous weapons among other things.
Residents feel that something has to be done to control the movement of the vagrants.
Ms Tracy Tshuma from the CBD in Gwanda said she feels that it is unsafe especially for children to have so many vagrants roaming around the streets.
“We have always had vagrants roaming around the streets but their population has increased and they seem to be confrontational. There was a time when a vagrant used to move around our homes in the CBD closing gates that he would find open and even in institutions,” she said.
“We were used to these vagrants moving around the streets in town but now they are even coming to our houses. This is not safe for our children.”
Mrs Linda Moyo from Senondo area said seeing vagrants moving around carrying dangerous weapons such as logs or iron rods instils fear in people.
She said their behaviour cannot be predicted and they may attack people.
Mrs Moyo said they are forced to be on alert whenever approaching a vagrant.
“These days when you walk around the streets of Gwanda you are likely to meet a vagrant. Some of them can even advance towards you while swearing or mumbling unclear statements. We now have to be on the alert as some of them will be carrying dangerous weapons. Personally these incidences leave me scared,” she said.
Mr Doubt Dube from Geneva Suburb said something has to be done to make the streets of Gwanda safe. He said some of the people could be coming from other districts and there is need for their background to be traced.
Mr Dube said the vagrants must be screened and those that had to be insitutionalised should get the necessary assistance. He said the streets should not be a home for a person, especially one who displays violent tendencies.
Matabeleland South provincial social welfare officer, Mr Criswell Nyakudya said there are measures that are in place to assist vagrants. He said those who are mentally unstable have to be institutionalised. Mr Nyakudya said there are funds available to cater for their medication and the welfare of their dependents.
He said they can act on vagrants if an application is filed by a relative or someone with background information.
“In order to deal with such cases we need applicants with background information on these people who can come forth and make an application for the vagrant to be removed from the streets. From there we then activate a team comprising of the police, Ministry of Health and Child Care, our department and other relevant stakeholders and then we make attempts to remove the person from the streets,” he said.
“Some of these vagrants are violent and it’s difficult to just pounce on them and try to institutionalise them. if we are working with someone they are familiar with and who knows their background it becomes easier to handle them. In Matabeleland Region we have Ingutsheni Hospital which normally houses such people.”
Mr Nyakudya said some vagrants have dependents and in such cases social welfare safety nets will cover costs such as school fees, grain allocations among other forms of assistance.
He said the funds also cater for medical costs for the vagrants that become institutionalised.
Mr Nyakudya said in some cases the vagrants will be of no fixed abode as their relatives would have surrendered them to fate. Mr Nyakudya said some vagrants have been neglected by their communities because of criminal activities such as theft. He said some communities identify the criminal activities as the cause of the mental state of the vagrants.
“In the past we have tried taking the initiative of institutionalising vagrants but it has come back to bite us. Even after they have been released from a mental health institution these people need to be reunited with their families who assume the role of monitoring them. If there is no background information it becomes difficult. There is need for awareness so that people learn that instead of abandoning their relatives they must seek help for them,” he said. — @DubeMatutu
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