Homeless people and drug addicts were removed from the Che Guevara Road, formerly Moore Road, and have now settled under the bridge on Khuzimpi Shezi Road, formerly Williams Road.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers
The Umbilo Business Association is urging the eThekwini Municipality to create a temporary transit facility for the drug addicts on their doorstep.
Homeless people and drug addicts were removed from the Che Guevara Road, formerly Moore Road, and have now settled under the bridge on Khuzimpi Shezi Road, formerly Williams Road.
It was previously reported that addicts had built makeshift tents with bin bags and other materials, and encroached on Che Guevara Road under the M4 Southern Freeway bridge, making it unsafe for motorists entering the Durban CBD and the Port of Durban.
The Durban Metro Police Services (DMPS) had cleared the homeless off the road, but the latest migration of the addicts was on the doorstep of at least five businesses.
Doran Subiah, chairperson of the UBA, welcomed the DMPS's interventions in the past months in removing dangerous narcotics from the community and apprehending an individual allegedly profiting from the misery of addiction.
He said that a major oil company, a storage facility, a few panelbeaters, a major grocery wholesaler and a funeral services have been directly affected.
Subiah said he had written to municipal departments, advising them that short-term clearings without a comprehensive, humane relocation and rehabilitation strategy simply push the problem from one part of the precinct to another.
“One arrest does not constitute a solution, and a clean-up without a plan is merely displacement. The operation at Moore Road, while resulting in a positive law enforcement outcome, has exposed the fundamental flaw in the municipality's approach to this crisis,” he said.
Subiah considered this a geographical shuffling of a crisis. The UBA called for a separation of the homeless population into clear categories. Those willing to accept help versus criminal elements versus undocumented foreign nationals.
“There must be a designated transit facility. The drug dealers have not been dismantled. One individual was arrested, but the networks remain. The vulnerable have not been rehabilitated; instead, they have been dispersed,” he said.
Subiah said the UBA reiterates its offer of genuine partnership and has presented detailed, phased solutions that address the root causes rather than merely the symptoms.
“We have offered to facilitate business contributions, support rehabilitation efforts, and work alongside law enforcement and social services.”
He added that businesses continue to bear the cost of a crisis.
“We call on the relevant municipal departments to move beyond isolated operations and embrace the comprehensive, collaborative approach we have repeatedly proposed.”
Metro police spokesperson Boyce Zungu said the Che Guevara Road was now open, adding that the public was free to use it.
“Police will continue to monitor the area to make sure that it’s free of vagrants,” Zungu said.
In previous reports, the eThekwini Municipality stated that it has a plan to address homelessness. One of them is the Sakhithemba Homeless Shelter in Illovo, which is expected to be open in November 2026.
The project was envisioned to be a prototype facility for potential rollout across eThekwini. Once complete, it is expected to house 1,200 beds to address the city-wide homeless population.