Homeless people demand answers from parties ahead of local elections

Durban resident Xobani Ziqubu attended the presentation of the 2026 National Homeless Manifesto hosted by the Denis Hurley Centre on Thursday. Photos: Joseph Bracken

• Political party representatives were presented with the 2026 National Homeless Manifesto at the Denis Hurley Centre on Thursday.
• The manifesto details several demands to the incoming municipal government to address issues related to homelessness.
• Demands include more shelters, better access to health services and sanitation, equal treatment under the law, and more economic opportunities.

Xobani Ziqubu started selling books in an attempt to make enough cash so that he would not have to sleep on the streets of Durban. But he was forced to stop after the municipality slapped him with fines for not having the correct permit to sell books.

With the help of the Denis Hurley Centre, Ziqubu now sells his books at the Umlazi Mega City mall through the StreetLit programme.

“That is how far the civic organisations go to touch homeless people’s lives on the ground. Now, I’m able to rent my own place,” said Ziqubu.

This week homeless people, supported by the Denis Hurley Centre, presented the 2026 National Homeless Manifesto to political party representatives in eThekwini ahead of the local government elections on 4 November. Parties included the ANC, DA, EFF and MK Party.

The manifesto was first launched on World Homeless Day, 10 October, after the organisation consulted National Homeless Network members and other organisations working with homeless people nationally.

At a meeting on Thursday, Sipho Hlongwane, who is homeless, directed his frustration at ANC representative Thabani Nyawose, the Speaker of the eThekwini Municipality Council. He accused the party of only caring about homeless people around election time.

Nyawose objected to being singled out. He said he was invited for a discussion, not to have accusations thrown at him.

Hlongwane said that after he completed a bricklaying apprenticeship through the municipality, he applied for a municipal job, but he was turned away for not having a registered address.

From left to right: Thabani Nyawose (ANC), Zoë Solomon (DA), Thabani Miya (EFF) and Thamsanqa Mkhize (MK) represented their parties at the event.

Among the manifesto’s demands are more shelters, better access to health services and sanitation, equal treatment under the law, and more economic opportunities.

People who live on the street and in shelters across the metro were given an opportunity to ask the politicians questions and raise concerns. Several people spoke about the lack of safety for homeless people and made allegations of abuse by Durban metro police officers and private security hired by the municipality.

Earlier this year, GroundUp reported on an incident in which Ensure security guards were seen on a security camera beating a homeless man and driving away with him.

The municipality needs to put in place more safe spaces in Durban for homeless people where they can sleep without fear of being attacked or having their belongings confiscated, said Zoë Solomon, a DA ward councillor who spoke at the event.

Solomon, who is also a member of the eThekwini municipality’s Safer City unit, under which homelessness falls, said she has personally gone to police stations with homeless people to report incidents of assault and abuse by police and security, but nothing has ever come of it.

“Disciplinary hearings of officials should not be kept secret by the municipality. The public deserves to know what’s going on,” she said.

The EFF’s Thabani Miya apologised to the homeless people at the event for eThekwini’s “consistent failure” to support them. Miya said more government intervention and funding was needed to assist homeless people to access housing and jobs.

Raymond Perrier, Denis Hurley Centre director, told GroundUp that he was happy that homeless people had been given a platform to have their voices heard.

Police comment will be added when received.

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