Displacing Homeless in Durban’s Umbilo Raises Alarm Among Business Owners

The recent eThekwini Municipality clean-up operation at Albert Park in Durban has sparked concern in nearby Umbilo, where businesses are now grappling with the consequences of the displacement of homeless individuals and drug users.

The Umbilo Business Association (UBA) warns that the move to fence off and secure Albert Park—once a hotspot for makeshift shelters—has merely shifted the humanitarian crisis into their backyard, creating new pressure on both residential and commercial zones.

“This isn’t a solution, it’s a shuffle,” said Ian Campbell-Gillies, spokesperson for UBA. “The problem wasn’t resolved—it was relocated. And now Umbilo is feeling the strain.”

For years, Metro Police and SAPS have engaged in a strategy Campbell-Gillies describes as a “policy of chasing” vulnerable communities from one Durban suburb to another. He believes this reactive approach stems from the ANC-led city’s failure to fund long-term, humane solutions to homelessness.

However, he did acknowledge one progressive step: the city allowed a displaced group to temporarily occupy a disused power substation on Khuzimpi Shezi Road.

“It was the first time someone in local government showed a spark of Ubuntu,” he said. “But if this isn’t a short-term fix, it could devastate businesses already paying high rates.”

Displacement Without Direction

Democratic Alliance councillor Fran Kristopher echoed these concerns, reporting that many displaced people have since resettled along Williams Road and Renaissance Park in Umbilo.

“While Albert Park has been restored, nearby communities are now overwhelmed,” she said. “Public health, safety, and the risk of criminal activity have all intensified.”

Kristopher has officially questioned the city’s Safer Cities department about its long-term plan to address the homelessness crisis and warned that current efforts lack foresight.

“This isn’t just an enforcement issue—it’s a social crisis,” she emphasized. “Shifting the problem from one location to another is not a sustainable response.”

Calls for Balanced Solutions

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) eThekwini leader Mdu Nkosi supported the clean-up of Albert Park but stressed that profiling is necessary to distinguish between those genuinely in need and those exploiting homelessness as a cover for criminal activity.

“Many of these individuals are not homeless,” he argued. “Some come from stable homes but have fallen into drug addiction. We need shelters—but we also need law enforcement.”

Nkosi said enabling organizations must work with the city to create more shelters while simultaneously cracking down on drug use and related crimes around parks and railway lines.

What’s Next for Albert Park?

While debates around social responsibility continue, eThekwini Municipality is gearing up to host a fan zone event for the Nedbank Cup Final on Saturday, 10 May at Albert Park. The event promises family-friendly activities, entertainment, and heavy security.

But with displaced communities pushed into surrounding suburbs, many Umbilo residents and business owners remain uneasy.

As the city celebrates sporting events, questions linger: What happens to those displaced? Where will they go next? And more urgently—when will eThekwini finally take a coordinated, humane, and sustainable approach to homelessness?

{Source: IOL}

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