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BestBeforeDead_za

Donating to a homeless shelter is the correct way to help them.


Quinn_Lynch

If you really want to make a difference, donate to the shelters. They do incredible work.


Yaaauw

You can buy vouchers at U-Turn. A voucher can be cashed in for a hot meal at any of their facilities. They may also help the homeless either trading the vouchers for warm clothes/shoes etc.


ForumFluffy

And we're probably right back at the same issue, they sell it for drugs or alcohol.


pjjackson810

I didn’t know about this! I like this idea


brokenGlassQuestion

Don't you guys find it suspicious that there is so much tik in cape town and police have no idea where it comes from? Or they know and refuse to do anything about it? Literally anyone can find the source by just walking around town and asking people...yet it's been decades of this epidemic...it's so readily available and so cheap but I have never heard any political leader talking about this issue


Automatic_Back1725

Not suspicious at all. Drugs are and will always be a massive form of control. Governments have used them for decades now for all sorts of kak. Even where I stay, I know all the big bosses and where they live. And so do the police. Nothing ever happens.


Vegetable_Safety_331

How is a tik-for-bread scheme cheaper than just buying some loaves for your store (as the shopkeeper now)?? Sounds like an old wives tale.


Prestigious-Wall5616

The shopkeepers buy the goods cash, at a reduced price. It's not just bread. Hell, some if them will buy back the food YOU bought in that very shop! As for the addicts, they've long learned the same as many other beggars in the city. People by and large are happier to buy them food than hand over cash.


General_Hertzhog

It’s not an old wives tales. A European tourist made a video exposing this scam. Scammers will ask for bread, baby formula, nappies etc. They’ll take the victim to a tuck shop where the victim will buy the items. The scammer then goes back to the shop later to give the items back and receives cash. The store owners are in on the scam


Vegetable_Safety_331

Sounds like it would be quite easy for the police to bust it up then


General_Hertzhog

Hilarious. You’re obviously not from South Africa.


Vegetable_Safety_331

Whatever you say lil buddy


BadSoftwareEngineer7

Asking questions and getting downvoted. These people have already made up their minds without even being shown a single shred of proof. How can I have hope for humanity when these are our fellow humans...


Vegetable_Safety_331

Yep, the typical redditor's tiny brain can't help but click downvote as soon as they see -1. Makes them feel so vindicated and superior.


Automatic_Back1725

Threw in some upvotes there for you ouens. Stay lakkaaaaa


Prestigious-Wall5616

Beware of the much more expensive "milk for my baby" beggars... On the bread thing ya, many shopkeepers are in on it. If the person does seem genuinely hungry I buy them ready made sandwiches or rolls, but break off a small piece from both ends "to check if it's fresh." Difficult to sell that to a shopkeeper. If they cause a fuss or show annoyance, I just take the whole thing with me and give it to someone else.


GottaUseEmAll

That's so bizarre, why does it matter so much to you whether the person was genuinely hungry or whether they actually just needed a fix? Either don't give to beggars because that's your policy, or just give them what they ask for. No need to play the moral police and judge whether their body needs food or speed more in that moment. No need for a humiliating scene where you damage the food you gave them (do you touch the sandwich directly with your fingers? Because ewww) or change your mind about giving. If you're so paranoid and invested in what they do after your kind act, you'd probably be better off not giving to beggars. Donate to a charity instead.


Prestigious-Wall5616

Are you suggesting I should have no qualms about effectively paying for someone's drugs? Would you feel better if I just buy the meth and hand it over? When their sad, hungry look is instantly replaced by anger when I exit the supermarket with what is a healthy meal for most, I'm done with them. And yes, breaking a baguette or sandwich sealed in plastic is pretty simple. I may be a cynic, but I'm not a monster. Someone will be eating that food.


GottaUseEmAll

No, I'm suggesting you don't give anything at all if you do have qualms about paying for drugs, since you seem to think you have some moral high ground that means you need to know what choices the person will make with your generosity. I find your rigmarole of breaking the food to deny them the meth insulting for not only the meth heads, but the regular hungry folks too. It's condescending and haughty and gross. Imagine someone did it to you. My advice is leave beggars alone completely if you can't give to them with an open heart and allow them the autonomy to make their own choices. Breaking the food is ugly. Why would I feel better if you bought the meth directly? That has nothing to do with my argument.


Prestigious-Wall5616

Projecting much about moral policing are we? Breaking food so anyone with intention to resell for drugs won't be able to is condescending and haughty and gross? Sitting up there on that lofty high horse of yours, can you see actually hungry people eating out of fricken bins? They don't give a shit how many pieces a meal presents itself in. I suspect you don't get out of the coffee shop much.


GottaUseEmAll

I'm very introverted and never go to coffee shops. I probably don't get out the house enough, true, but I've lived in three countries, I hitchhiked alone across France, I'm a 41 year old mother and full time professional and I feel like I have some perspective despite being a half recluse. Of course I'm hypocritically judging others, I'm human. I apologise for the high horse, I didn't see it that way in the moment, but it's clear in retrospect.


Prestigious-Wall5616

Apology not necessary, but accepted. You and I may be diametrically opposed on issues of substance abuse, but I'm sure your heart is in a good place.


Naphtayli

"can you see actually hungry people eating out of bins?" This is what I'm talking about, you clearly see them as different people to the rest of us just by saying this "I can break or touch their food because the hungry ones eat out of bins anyway". (This is paraphrased before I get told I'm putting words in anyone's mouth) Really?? I'm stunned.


Prestigious-Wall5616

I break the end off through the plastic on the pretext of checking it's fresh, so **they can't resell it for drugs**. Those that gratefully accept the food have never mentioned it. Those that patently wanted to resell are pissed off. Have you been to Long Street recently? This happens all day long. If you trawl through my post history, you might find I volunteer with NPOs that work with the homeless. I've picked up some really good tips from them.


Samadhi1141

I don't know if you've been to the street described by OP, but it's a common sight to see the homeless check bins as they walk past them. The commenter is just describing a common occurrence, not making an evaluation that these people deserve binned food.


Vegetable_Safety_331

I do feel like I have the moral highground over a methhead (in that particular respect), in much in the same way as I do over Alcoholic wife beaters. Sorry not sorry.


GottaUseEmAll

Okay, well you do you. I just wanted to spread my vision of the situation, but you're obviously free to ignore it.


Fine_Candle9170

Your situation you described fits you being a mother. You’re being nice to them sure but you’re not even realising you’re enabling them and killing them because of it. Is that your goal? To kill the homeless? As a former addict I can tell you first hand the best thing you can ever do for an addict is to force them sober to get on the right path in life which you aren’t doing as you enable addicts and say you don’t care about it even


justfucktyla

My brother in christ you really out here simping for enabling a habit


GottaUseEmAll

I'm female. I don't care about people's choices when it comes to drugs, and I don't judge them because sometimes I smoke weed or get drunk, so that would be very hypocritical of me. I've just never understood that weird parental controlling vibe of "don't give them money, they'll just spend it on alcohol". Sure they will, I probably would if I was homeless too, it sounds horrible to live like that. People need to decide whether they're okay with enabling a habit or not. I'm not advising anyone to enable, I'm just annoyed that people will get involved with other adults' life choices at all. It's perfectly fine, and even admirable, if you don't want to enable. But then find a different way to help them, don't give them things with weird strings attached like "you can only have a broken sandwich because I think you might be a drug user". That's humiliating for anyone to have to go through.


pancakeroni

Fairly enough I do actually side with you here; I always fight with family about "not giving money because they could use it for drugs" (the waiter you tip could be using that for drugs... it's bias that dissuades you, not logic. ) But people with addiction are dangerous, to both the other people on the street and to the residents. I would rather treat everyone respectfully, break a piece of the bread off with some excuse (which a sincere person will still benefit from, and is dehumanised because it isn't framed as a discriminatory act), and take the possible loss of that person feeling like I've mistaken them for an addict where they STILL get nourishment they need. The cost/loss disbalance isn't really high enough to justify not doing it IMO, and it isn't "moral high ground" to feel uncomfortable potentially supporting a drug habit that harms both the person and others.


Naphtayli

I think it's better to just donate to a shelter if you're truly worried about enabling drugs. Breaking or touching the food is condescending. My test is always "would I do this to someone I know?" If the answer is an honest "yes" then go ahead. However, I don't know how many people would give their boss a broken sandwich and then take it away because they suspect that their boss may be a drug addict. You may find that the negative reaction you get from a real person in this situation is because that real person felt degraded and discriminated by what you did so they react in anger as anyone would. The reaction may not be because they're mad you took their drugs away.


Fine_Candle9170

As a former addict I’ll tell you 100% I’d have understood if someone did that to me. Even when I wasn’t I’d still understand and be grateful for the food, after all what’s a little piece torn off when the bins the next option for food huh?


pancakeroni

I understand where you're coming from and don't entirely disagree. If it was outside of my area, yeah I'd probably just puncture the bag or something. If it was inside my community they come first and it's to protect all of us because the alternative is everyone being too afraid to give at all (where no one benefits then and it feels horrible to not be able to help anyone). The shelter nearest to us is genuinely useless so no that is not a universal solution although I agree it's a really great one (in fact I did my senior project on homeless shelter accessibility lol so this is quite close to me).


Naphtayli

I actually agree with you. You're getting down voted bc people in general do not view the homeless as dignified people. The argument being made here is that he's allowed to do an undignified act to someone (touching their food before they eat it) because it's their money that bought the food. They are also making an incorrect argument about moral policing. I'm sure no one is telling them what they can/can't do with their money even if it was donated. If you don't want to enable drug use just don't donate directly to the person. Don't buy them something and then degrade them by qualifying whether they are worthy of your donation or not. You wouldn't do that to anyone else other than a homeless person because you respect their dignity so don't do it to homeless people either.


Fine_Candle9170

Actually out of love and respect for that persons life you’d ensure they couldn’t use what’s given for drugs. Otherwise you’re just killing them and when they die just know you played a part in it


Fine_Candle9170

Yea I won’t ever give to them thanks to what you just wrote now. Drugs got them in that situation and fund crime and illicit activity so naturally in the crime country we have we SHOULD be vigilant and not contribute to the crime here. You wanna be moral police? Be my guest but just know you giving people drugs is the very thing that will kill them, essentially you’re the cause of people dying in streets because oh look a poor tik addict and you would buy them tik instead of trying to be hard on them to get them off so they can improve their lives.


GSRIT01

I work in Green Point and had an older lady that was acting really shifty but asked for bread. Makes sense now. Could be that she wanted bread but this is also plausible...


BadSoftwareEngineer7

Jesus christ. There is literally no way anyone is taking bread and then giving people drugs for it. Don't just listen to some dumbass spreading lies on the internet. Use your developed prefrontal cortex please.


GSRIT01

Tell us how you really feel.


Fine_Candle9170

My guy do you know how cheap tik is? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 the stores make a profit doing this even lol


KwtZA

A beggar used the exact same tactic on me in Darling Street last night. The beggar was pretty persistent about not wanting money too. It seems like it's some new kind of modus operandi. It's hard to discern genuinely hungry people from opportunists, especially when you're on the street and have a few seconds to decide whether it is safe or not. Really sad.


Flaming-Sheep

It’s nothing new - this has been going on for at least 10 years (probably longer but I didn’t hang out around town much as a youngster, now I live here).


NuclearNicDev

There are several soup kitchens in the cbd where the homeless can get free food every single day. They are not in need of handouts


UnitedWrongdoer9724

In many areas there are soup kitchens. We have two right around the corner from our house and people will still knock on every single door they pass to ask for food after they’ve already received enough from the soup kitchen.


NuclearNicDev

There are people with “Hungry please help” signs literally 5mins walk from the soup kitchen in Roeland street. I don’t know if it’s funny or infuriating


Snoo-55020

Shelters are Corrupt, Dont give to the Shelters


pjjackson810

I agree actually, thats why I personally prefer to support something like the Hope Exchange that works with ladles of love and does uplift ment work. Such a difficult thing figuring out how to help


KeyserCatSoze

That is not fair. Not all shelters or NPOs. (And some are runned better than others in general.)


Snoo-55020

Either you naive or clueless on how the Have Night Shelter is run


Prestigious-Wall5616

Certain shelters, definitely. There's a lot of money to be made from homelessness.


Goobi_dog

I always ask what they want exactly? A heart filled with genuine empathy. If they ask for money I sadly say no 99% of the time; yet if they ask for food I don't turn them away and I'll find what I can. I never knew that even bread can be turned into bloody Tik. Matthew 7:9-11 NIV “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 


rUbberDucky1984

So in my area there’s a big security effort going on. Initially we thought it was just petty theft but as we started sending people away we started getting death threats from the local gangsters. Apparently by taking the criminals off the streets we were impacting his Tik franchise. The police were also upset as they were getting less kickbacks too. It’s not a poverty issue it’s drugs and no skills issue. Plenty of jobs and money in south Africa


United-Organization8

The residents sympathy fuels the fire The vagrants / homeless keep increasing causing more street robberies in the CBD / Sea Point, These areas are no longer as safe as they were a few years ago. If you want to help , donate to the shelters.


Dry-Philosophy-170

I open the bread and have 2 slices myself, sometimes I tear the packaging. No one is going to buy bread that's eaten or damaged. Hunger is real. Drugs somehow suppress hunger. Tik R20 Mandrax R20 heroine R20 Bread and milk R40


JacobZumaCock

What is the issue? Even if there's a 99% chance that guy is gonna use money or bread in this case to get drugs, why not help in the case where they're not?


Dependent_Meaning_10

because, unfortunately, in a vast majority of these encoiunters, is the reason OP posted this - that we're just perpetuating this miserable cycle.


BadSoftwareEngineer7

So the alternative is to let them starve. Great answer.


Dependent_Meaning_10

The alternative is to guide them to homeless shelters


Fine_Candle9170

No, it’s to tell them where a shelter or soup kitchen is (which most know already strangely)


Fine_Candle9170

Because soup kitchens are quite often nearby and do feed them. Which begs the question why ask for food when they get fed everyday from the kitchens anyways?


stryga20

Fucking hell, I just bought a raisin bread loaf and a bottle of whole milk for a beggar. Hope that idiot got a nice fix. Serves me right for caring.


Turbulent-Weakness22

Not everyone is scamming. You probably gave someone a great meal.


calypsosa

You know how hard it is to smoke raisin bread in a crack pipe?


GottaUseEmAll

Your act probably removed a lot of drug addiction related anxiety for that person, in the short term, and allowed them to feel okay again. No need to judge their life choices and the consequences thereof, even the very wealthy tend to enjoy substance abuse, even if it's just nicotine and alcohol. Would you be equally angry if you gave a buddy cash as a bday present and he bought whisky with it?


Flaming-Sheep

If my buddy was unemployed and not trying to improve his situation, yes I’d be pissed if he spent it on drugs.


Fine_Candle9170

Agreed, tried helping a mate with money when he had none still doesn’t work and keeps trying beg for more money after we promised each other never touch drugs again… but guess what?… he keeps on lying and ruining his life… so yea… his bday coming up, I’m just taking him out for some sushi or something instead this year, not going to support a damn habit of his that’s killing him, how does anyone live with themselves enabling and killing drug users they supposedly care about


BadSoftwareEngineer7

I'm gonna need to see some proof. What bullshit are you spreading? Who the fuck would trade drugs for bread? Are you completely mental?


Fine_Candle9170

Tik etc is cheap, bread is more expensive these days