South Africa: Giving Money to Beggars - Yes or No?

1 October 2025
GroundUp (Cape Town)

We asked beggars, the City of Cape Town, and homeless organisations

Thousands of homeless people live in Cape Town. Many of them beg as their main source of income.

The City of Cape Town and some homeless organisations discourage giving cash to beggars. Others disagree.

In this video, we ask: does giving money to beggars make their lives better, or worse?

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Credits:

Video filmed and edited by Ashraf Hendricks

Presented and researched by Marecia Damons

Produced by Daniel Steyn

Sharfaa Ahmed assisted during filming

Read the original article on GroundUp.

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