“I left home at the age of 14 due to abuse and have been living on the streets ever since. I want to go to rehab and be a better parent for my child, but I am afraid that I may never see my children again if I go to rehab.” A young adult, sharing […]
Social development, “Give a Hand-Up, not a Hand-Out”, within the MID requires a transversal approach. Social development challenges along with inadequate transformation and support services, permeate throughout the streets of Cape Town. Zone in on Muizenberg, and you will see small clusters where this is also reflected in the fabric of the homeless community living […]
It was an early start to an extraordinary day for one hundred senior citizens, dressed in their best, from Heideveld, Netreg, Woodstock, Eersteriver and Lavender Hill as they made their way to Muizenberg. A programme arranged by Rail Tourism, Metrorail Area South and MID. “I’ve not seen the ocean in 23 years!” recounted one of […]
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou. Reflecting upon the work of social development we see many faces, […]
The seminar focussed on identifying the barriers, and brainstorm solutions, to intervention services and family preservation that may positively impact the life of street children. “Today we are on a level playing field . . . , we can only benefit the children on the street” said social worker Marion Thomas in her welcoming address. Presenters […]
An identity document (ID) is a legal requirement in order to access many government services in South Africa. Yet the Department of Home Affairs remains inaccessible for many destitute street people. Limiting access to social service grants, housing applications and employment opportunities. The MID, to date, assisted fifteen homeless individuals with access to an […]
1019 units of alcohol confiscated around the Muizenberg beachfront area on New Year’s Day. Let that sink in, 1019 units! Some of units were confiscated from people leaving the shopping area, making their way to the beachfront. Some from passengers as they disembarked the train station, and then taxi drivers and passengers being fined as […]
The Department of Social Development needs you, and warmly extends an invitation to YOU to open your hearts and homes to vulnerable children in need of care and protection. Why do we need Safety Parents? “We believe that every child deserves a safe, nurturing home environment, free of abuse and trauma and where there needs […]
We encourage you to consider partnering with MID Social Development for event clean-up and set-up support. Giving a hand-up, not a hand-out. Herewith a letter received from Cape Mental Health (CMH) in recognition of the cleaning and set-up support services facilitated by MID, creating job opportunities for local residents living on the streets of Muizenberg. […]
The Muizenberg Improvement District operates in public space, and therefore public safety refers to improving the safety of ALL people engaging with the public space environment. On Friday 29 September, Gary Theron, a homeless Muizenberg resident for more than ten years, left us with a powerful message. The lack of response from government services when […]
Pretty Pride and MID partnered to run a Ladies Art Workshop on 31 August this Women’s Month. Pretty Pride’s mission is “empowering women through art” and their objective is to teach women art design and production skills to build self-esteem foster financial independence. The All Saints Anglican Church Hall was kindly made available and 14 […]
The MID Social Development team are living proof of the truism “you can eat an elephant – just do it one bite at a time”. Social issues and their solutions are complex for many reasons: They stem from so many factors including physical, physiological, psychological, economic, historic, etc. They involve human beings – each one […]
(* Names mentioned in this article have been changed to protect anonymity) The MID Social Development portfolio is a mechanism to assist with bringing about social change and uplifting the lives of those most vulnerable in the MID area. Children and adults who live on, or roam the streets of Muizenberg, are often dealing with […]
The mother of all storms hit Cape Town this past week, shocking everyone after a very mild lead-up to winter. Temperatures plummeted and by Wednesday afternoon in addition to rain and wind, it was even hailing in Muizenberg. At 17h25 on Wednesday MID received a report, via local neighbourhood watch group MCSI, that a woman […]
At the beginning of May Councillor Eddie Andrews invited the Special Ratings Areas (“Improvement Districts”), in his area, to get together and brief him on: What’s working What’s not working Long outstanding issues Recommendations The appointment of mini-mayors in January 2017 forms part of the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan (ODTP), which aims to […]
On Wednesday afternoon, 22 February, tension in Muizenberg reached its peak, after several weeks of reports from the community, who were both concerned, and frustrated, about children living on the streets in the area. Reports indicated that the children were displaying behavioural patterns that put them at risk of becoming dependent on substance abuse in […]
Muizenberg Improvement District recognizes that the social, environmental and hygiene challenges posed by the homeless living on Atlantic Road are real, problematic and untenable. MID is continuing to apply increased pressure at the only point where a change can be effected in the long-term: The City of Cape Town. In the long run the City, […]
According to The Big Issue “The most important needs of marginalised adults are employment and dignity”. The Kite Festival and Muizenberg Improvement District are playing a successful part in fulfilling this need and it’s working well for everyone. Holding such a big event in the area can place a lot of stress on the suburb, […]
On Wednesday 25 January Muizenberg’s Improvement District joined forces with the City and the Department of Social Development to conduct a joint field operation to identify street people and street children in our area. The team of 16 consisted of Marion Thomas (MID Social Worker), Kevin Rack (MID Social Development Director), Rudy-Leigh Eksteen (City Street […]
Cape Mental Health held their 20th Cape Town International Kite Festival on 1st and 2nd November and kindly accepted the MID offer to use our homeless to support the cleaning exercise. At 07h30, on the morning of the 1st November, a team of 10 gathered at the Atlantic Road Clinic office ready to commit to […]