The Gauteng provincial government has sent a team of negotiators out to persuade homeless people in various cities to be housed at boarding schools during a national lockdown.

Acting social development MEC Panyaza Lesufi said there were four vulnerable groups that had been identified by the provincial government for urgent help.

The first is homeless people.

The government has identified spots where homeless people are concentrated and had started approaching them. Lesufi said homeless people will be housed at boarding schools as there is currently no teaching and learning at these facilities. They will remain in these schools for a month.

“We’ve identified them as a group that needs to be sheltered for a period of a month. But also that needs to be fed. We will also the strengthen the support to NGOs that help them. In terms of support, we’re now relocating, unless the security cluster indicates otherwise, all willing homeless people into our schools.