ANC Youth League Western Cape says J P Smith's response to the attack on the blind busker is disingenuous

The DA-led City of Cape Town's Mayoral Committee member for Safety and Security J P Smit is disingenuous in his reaction to the Metro Police's brutal attack on the blind busker, Lunga Goodman Nono, 51 of Delft (see Cape Times report). Whilst Smith promises that the City will investigate the matter he already sides with the City's rogue Metro Police and faceless complainants.

Smith says that the police warned Nono a few times before about playing his guitar outside of their ridiculous conditions. The conditions punish poor people who want to make an honest living. It is absolutely absurd to allow street artists to only perform during lunchtime for seventy five minutes on weekdays and not at all on a Sunday.

We witness the same type of brutality when the City's Metro Police breaks down the stalls of small-scale vendors, act against job seekers, and evict people into the cold and rain. The City's foolish and heartless restrictions on the poor and vulnerable to earn a decent living should be lifted immediately. Instead of concentrating on drug and gang wars the DA declares war on the poor.

The ANC Youth League in the Western Cape commends the good citizens who came to Nono's aid and replaced his guitar which was destroyed by the Metro Police. The ANC Youth League calls on people who can assist him to also come forward to fight this injustice, perhaps get an interdict against such abuse, provide a guitar box to protect his instruments, and increase his marketability as a musician so that he can sustain himself and his family.

Statement issued by Muhammad Khalid Sayed, ANC Youth League Western Cape Provincial Task Team (PTT) Convenor, July 9 2013

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