Latest news with #MandelaHouse
The Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- The Herald
Ex-warder wins damages claim after son drowns at house where Madiba spent last part of prison term
They argued the employees failed to lock and secure the premises. The parents said they also failed to prohibit young children from entering the premises and to cover the pool with appropriate material to prohibit young children from falling in. They told the court the historic property's gates were hardly locked and that children from a neighbouring farm and the neighbourhood wandered inside and swam in the pool at the back of the property. The parents and three witnesses testified about lax security at the house. The mother testified that at the time of the incident, they lived with their three sons — about 500m from the Mandela house — in a home provided by the department. She said about six families lived down the road from the iconic house. The mother lived on the property for eight years between 2004 and 2012. 'She testified that anyone could move freely through the fence and that she had never observed any security or security post at the fence area bordering the prison property on which the Mandela house is situated,' the judgment reads. The mother told the court she was asleep at home on August 13 2010 when one of her sons ran inside 'shouting' that her baby had 'drowned'. She walked out and found the child 'lying on the ground outside the house on the grass'. 'He was soaking wet and not conscious. She tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] on him but he was just lying there, lifeless,' the judgment reads. The child was rushed to the Paarl Medi-Clinic where a doctor told her he 'had died'. She testified that her then husband 'was also extremely distressed and disturbed at the time and was running up and down in a very distressed and agitated state'. 'She stated that her whole life changed after the drowning of her son ... She suffered severely psychologically and was diagnosed with depression,' the judgment reads. 'Her marriage suffered terribly as [her husband] was always drinking after the incident and there was constant blaming and fighting in their relationship.' The father testified he had worked for the department for 18 years when he resigned in August 2014. 'He suffered memory loss and would sometimes have fits at night. He had already been under psychiatric treatment for bipolar disorder before [the child's] death and his symptoms became worse after that,' the judgment reads. The minister argued that at the time of the incident, the property and swimming pool were under the control of a building contractor doing renovations and repairs to the pool. However, the minister did not pursue the argument during the trial. The minister also argued that the public was required to get permission from the department to enter the property. He said the parents 'did not obtain such authorisation and their son, so the defendants plead, had no authority to enter the premises, which includes the swimming pool'. But the court ruled in favour of the parents. 'I hold that the minister is liable for the agreed or proven damages suffered by the plaintiffs following the drowning of [the child] at the Drakenstein Correctional Centre on August 13 2010,' the judgment reads. The judgment effectively holds the correctional services minister liable for the 'agreed or proven damages' suffered by the parents. The minister was ordered to pay the parents' legal costs. TimesLIVE
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Oakland clears homeless encampment, moves 70 to shelter — but advocates say city's outreach efforts fell short
The City of Oakland has cleared a large homeless encampment on East 12th Street, relocating about 70 people to the Mandela House — a former hotel turned shelter, now funded through a state grant. The move marks one of the city's most visible steps toward addressing homelessness, a crisis that has more than doubled in Oakland over the past decade. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Driven by rising rents, stagnant wages and a chronic shortage of affordable housing, more than 4,000 people in the city are currently unhoused. Oakland officials say the clearance is part of a broader push to connect unhoused residents with long-term housing support. It follows Governor Gavin Newsom's rollout of a model ordinance aimed at helping cities respond to what he calls the 'dangerous' and 'unhealthy' conditions of encampments. 'There's nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,' Newsom said in a press release. 'Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history.' As Oakland aligns with statewide efforts to address homelessness, the impact of encampment closures — and whether they help — remains at the center of the conversation. California's homelessness crisis has reached a breaking point. According to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 187,000 people were homeless in the state last year — nearly 24% of the entire nation's unhoused population. The pressure is mounting on state and local leaders to act fast. In response, Newsom announced $3.3 billion in new funding to help cities expand access to housing and treatment for the state's most vulnerable. Cities like Oakland and San Francisco are rolling out targeted interventions. San Francisco's newly elected mayor, Daniel Lurie, has pledged to tackle homelessness head-on. Oakland is already home to the Community Cabins program — a shelter initiative offering small, two-person cabins built on public land. These temporary shelters focus on stabilization and connecting residents to long-term support. The program has seen high participation rates, largely because cabins are built near existing encampments, allowing people to stay close to familiar spaces. 'Oakland's Cabin Community model is one of the most promising and cost-effective homeless shelter innovations I've seen,' said Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it City officials say closing the East 12th Street encampment is a step forward, but community reactions suggest a more complicated reality. Some residents and business owners say they're relieved to see the area cleared, calling it a long-standing source of frustration. "I was driving by, and I was shocked to see the whole encampment was clean," said Veleda, an Oakland resident, in an interview with Fox KTVU. "It was an eyesore, and it was very hard for them to tackle it." But homeless advocates say that while shelters like Mandela House or Community Cabins represent a step in the right direction, the process of clearing encampments often unfolds with little warning and limited resources. "People lost medication, people lost their IDs, people lost their phones, people lost their clothing, their food," Needa Bee, director of the homeless advocacy group, The Village, told Fox KTVU. According to Bee, she was able to reconnect with 54 individuals from the East 12th encampment — none of whom were offered housing options before the site was cleared. The city maintains that shelter space was made available at Mandela House. But advocates argue the outreach efforts fell short, and question how effective these emergency responses really are in the long term. With growing pressure to 'clean up' encampments, cities risk swapping long-term solutions for short-term optics — and sidelining the very people these efforts claim to support. Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Oakland clears homeless encampment, moves 70 to shelter — but advocates say city's outreach efforts fell short
The City of Oakland has cleared a large homeless encampment on East 12th Street, relocating about 70 people to the Mandela House — a former hotel turned shelter, now funded through a state grant. The move marks one of the city's most visible steps toward addressing homelessness, a crisis that has more than doubled in Oakland over the past decade. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Driven by rising rents, stagnant wages and a chronic shortage of affordable housing, more than 4,000 people in the city are currently unhoused. Oakland officials say the clearance is part of a broader push to connect unhoused residents with long-term housing support. It follows Governor Gavin Newsom's rollout of a model ordinance aimed at helping cities respond to what he calls the 'dangerous' and 'unhealthy' conditions of encampments. 'There's nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,' Newsom said in a press release. 'Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history.' As Oakland aligns with statewide efforts to address homelessness, the impact of encampment closures — and whether they help — remains at the center of the conversation. California's homelessness crisis has reached a breaking point. According to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 187,000 people were homeless in the state last year — nearly 24% of the entire nation's unhoused population. The pressure is mounting on state and local leaders to act fast. In response, Newsom announced $3.3 billion in new funding to help cities expand access to housing and treatment for the state's most vulnerable. Cities like Oakland and San Francisco are rolling out targeted interventions. San Francisco's newly elected mayor, Daniel Lurie, has pledged to tackle homelessness head-on. Oakland is already home to the Community Cabins program — a shelter initiative offering small, two-person cabins built on public land. These temporary shelters focus on stabilization and connecting residents to long-term support. The program has seen high participation rates, largely because cabins are built near existing encampments, allowing people to stay close to familiar spaces. 'Oakland's Cabin Community model is one of the most promising and cost-effective homeless shelter innovations I've seen,' said Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it City officials say closing the East 12th Street encampment is a step forward, but community reactions suggest a more complicated reality. Some residents and business owners say they're relieved to see the area cleared, calling it a long-standing source of frustration. "I was driving by, and I was shocked to see the whole encampment was clean," said Veleda, an Oakland resident, in an interview with Fox KTVU. "It was an eyesore, and it was very hard for them to tackle it." But homeless advocates say that while shelters like Mandela House or Community Cabins represent a step in the right direction, the process of clearing encampments often unfolds with little warning and limited resources. "People lost medication, people lost their IDs, people lost their phones, people lost their clothing, their food," Needa Bee, director of the homeless advocacy group, The Village, told Fox KTVU. According to Bee, she was able to reconnect with 54 individuals from the East 12th encampment — none of whom were offered housing options before the site was cleared. The city maintains that shelter space was made available at Mandela House. But advocates argue the outreach efforts fell short, and question how effective these emergency responses really are in the long term. With growing pressure to 'clean up' encampments, cities risk swapping long-term solutions for short-term optics — and sidelining the very people these efforts claim to support. Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
East Oakland encampment cleared, officials say 70 moved to interim housing
Oakland city officials said Friday a large homeless encampment in East Oakland has been cleared and several dozen residents were moved into transitional housing following a multi-day operation. In a statement Friday, the city said it had completed the closure of the encampment on East 12th Street between 14th and 19th avenues. Officials said 423 tons of debris was removed and 33 abandoned and inoperable vehicles were towed during the operation, which began on May 12. Seventy people who lived in the encampment were moved to the Mandela House, a program funded primarily by the California Department of Housing and Community Development's Encampment Resolution Fund. "Oakland leads this work with compassion and respect for our unhoused community, and we are grateful that so many of the residents of this encampment have taken advantage of this opportunity," said Mayor Barbara Lee, who was sworn in on Tuesday. Officials said outreach workers had engaged with encampment residents one-by-one for more than a year leading up to the operation with offers of shelter and supportive services. Teams ensured the residents were enrolled in the county's Coordinated Entry System, providing connections to services and pathways to housing. Meanwhile, Oakland Animal Services spayed or neutered 21 cats and returned them to their owners, minus a handful cats that were surrendered. Animal services rendered medical aid to two dogs. The Human and Pet Initiative also gave vaccinations and microchipped the pets, along with distributing 150 lbs. of dog food, cat food, and other supplies to Mandela House residents. "I am so grateful for the collaborative efforts of multiple City departments and partner organizations in clearing these encampments in a safe and efficient way while offering shelter to the residents," said City Administrator Jestin Johnson. Along with the residents of the 12th Street encampment, 36 people from two other encampments have moved into the Mandela House, which can house up to 150 people. Officials said the units would be converted to permanent supportive housing in the coming year. While the city announced the encampment's closure, officials said debris removal on side streets would continue for the next three weeks as crews prepare the site for construction "to reduce the likelihood of re-encampment."
