Before you bite into that chocolate…

Of all the stupid decisions the City of Cape Town has made over the past few years, their resolution to move all homeless people to a central (or not-so-central, geographically speaking) camp has to be the dumbest. I will demonstrate this via two arguments – one psychological, the other scientific.
Firstly one of the worst legacies of the forced removals during apartheid was the long lasting effects of breaking down social cohesion, leading to increased feelings of isolation, the formation of gangs, and the rapid increase of crime. In communities where there is strong societal connection – resulting in an unwritten law of one for all, and all for one – children are raised by ‘the village’, women are part of social networks that offer a safe space for them to speak about domestic violence, and, perhaps most importantly, it reduces anonymity. Several studies have shown that soldiers in foreign countries commit acts that would normally be counter to their morals, and findings strongly suggest that this is due to a level of anonymity; they all wear the same uniforms, even their comrades have little or no connection to their families back home so they cannot be held to account by their nearest and dearest, and they are essentially unidentifiable except by the few that know them personally. Humans are naturally a herd species, meaning they are cooperative and also respect the hierarchical structure; where there is no such structure in place people will scramble to be at the top, often with disastrous effects as the power battles ensue. These battles are based on the premise of Might is Right, rather than inherent respect that has been earned through wisdom and experience. And because humans have a strong need to belong they will surrender their morals and values for the benefit of fitting in.
Although homeless people may not have an official domicilium they do nevertheless have societal networks and structures; they look out for one another, recognise a stranger in their midst, and have strong bonds of friendship and kinship. By lumping them altogether those established bonds are weakened, the existing pecking orders are challenged (did we not see exactly this amongst the refugees in the CBD recently?) and they become anonymous within such a large group. Taking someone else’s blanket doesn’t happen within established groups, but it may well happen under these new circumstances, and a lot more besides!
Psychology aside let’s take a few moments to remind the powers that be of basic epidemiology. This entire Lockdown strategy has been designed to promote social distancing in order to slow down the spread of Covid-19. It will not kill the virus, nor will it eradicate it – that is not how viruses work – but it will reduce the ability of the virus to move from one host to the next. With a novel virus such as this, slowing down the epidemic serves to reduce demand on the health care system; the virus itself will continue, and, over a more prolonged period, humans will develop some form of immunity against it. That’s basic 101 epidemiology that we have all been subjected to ad nauseum over the past several weeks, yet the city of Cape Town has seen fit to take small groups of individuals from all over the metropole and throw them all together , creating a perfect breeding ground for the virus we have worked so hard at isolating!
There is no logic in their argument that it will be easier to manage the numbers of homeless people who live in our city if they are all conveniently in one place; many NGO’s and other community groups had already set up temporary shelters and feeding schemes, as well as hand sanitising stations, where the established ‘families’ of homeless people could continue to co-exist (more comfortably than their usual rough sleeping conditions) and even keep their pets with them.
Now they have been placed in fenced camps that truly resemble concentration camps, where social distancing will be more difficult, group dynamics will be challenged, and there will be a good deal of anonymity. What is more as financial pressures mount in other communities more people may chose to abandon their homes, and take up residence in the now deserted streets and parks, once home to those who are now incarcerated on a piece of land that could have been utilised to build homes for those who have been waiting patiently for many years. It is not surprising that the people of Strandfontein and surrounds are not happy with this arrangement, and the whole scenario reeks of a repetition of apartheid-style dumping grounds!
If the authorities within the city council that made this completely absurd call had stopped for two seconds to consider the knock-on effects of their hasty decision, based purely on a desire to be seen as ‘the good guys’, they could have come up with far more suitable, and sustainable, solutions. Instead they have thrown a spark into a self-made woodpile that could have very far reaching consequences.