Mayor Dan Plato said that once gazetted, it would officially be law in Cape Town that an offer of social assistance first be made, including shelter, to ensure the constitutional enforcement of the prohibition on sleeping in public places.
The Western Cape High Court heard arguments in the occupiers' urgent court application on Friday, almost two weeks after city ordered the dismantling and confiscation of the tents and other informal structures.
It insists prohibiting people from sleeping in public spaces is constitutional and it will enforce this by-law humanely.
On Friday, health workers administered vaccines to those situated at the Haven Night Shelter in Kraaifontein.
Judge Desai found that South African Human Rights Commission monitors trying to enter the site were acting lawfully.
Linda Morrison of We Are Durban, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), said the co-governance of temporary homeless shelters between NGOs and the city had ensured the recovery of at least 660 homeless people with a drug dependency.
The current state of disaster ends on Thursday and it was not yet clear if it would be extended.
At the beginning of the had lockdown in March, the city was forced to find shelter for more than 2,000 people living on the streets.
This amount is in addition to the R72 million that was procured for the provision of personal protective equipment to ensure that basic services can continue while protecting frontline and essential staff members.
According to the city, R44 million was spent on weather-proof tents, to shelter those living on the streets under national lockdown regulations.
During the lockdown, hundreds of homeless people were accommodated at a temporary facility in Strandfontein, but it closed at the end of April and people were moved to smaller sites.
The Community Chest group made the claim saying the group was left on the pavement in Culemborg after they were moved from a homeless camp in Strandfontein.
The Community Chest has accused the City of Cape Town of 'dumping' homeless people who had been accommodated at the now-closed Strandfontein homeless shelter.
The amendments will allow an authorised individual to conduct search and seizure operations without a warrant under certain circumstances.
Drug expert Monique Marks said she has observed that in many cities across the country – except for Durban and Pretoria – it has become difficult for indigent drug users to access the medical care they need.
He said he was appalled by a front-page article in Saturday’s 'Weekend Argus' under the headline: 'Fears of Homeless Outbreak’.
The City's Zahied Badroodien said everyone at the site had now been screened at least twice and no one had tested positive for the coronavirus.
For some homeless people, government's decision to supply temporary shelters has been a blessing, while a horror for others.
