Chris Nissen, a commissioner with the South African Human Rights Commission, has condemned the City of Cape Town for fining homeless people while they are kept in a campsite in Strandfontein.

The site was set up by the city to house homeless people during the coronavirus lockdown. Brett Herron, a provincial parliament member, yesterday released images of a fine issued to a person at the camp for allegedly using foul language.

The site has become controversial after many homeless people complained about their treatment last week during a guided media tour of the facility.

On Saturday local media reported that an 18-year-old woman who had been raped by a 36-year-old man at the camp. The man was arrested and appeared in court. He was later released on bail.

Opposition parties and faith-based organisations have called on the national government to close the camp.

Chris Nissen, a commissioner with the South African Human Rights Commission, has condemned the City of Cape Town for fining homeless people while they are kept in a campsite in Strandfontein. The site was set up by the City to house homeless people during the national coronavirus lockdown. Brett Herron, a provincial parliament member, yesterday released images of a fine issued to person at the camp for allegedly using foul language.

The site has become quite controversial after many homeless people complained of their treatment last week during a guided media tour of the facility. Some people complained of being treated like animals while others tried to break down a fence to try and escape during the media tour.

On Saturday local media broke a story of an 18 year old woman who had been raped by a 36 year old man at the camp. The man was arrested and appeared in court. He was released on bail.

Opposition parties and faith based organisations have been denied access to the camp and they have called on national government to close the camp. The Western Cape and the City of Cape Town is under the political control of the Democratic Alliance. The Western Cape is the only province not controlled by the African National Congress, the ruling party of South Africa.