GQEBERHA, EASTERN CAPE — In the Eastern Cape, Gqeberha bridge settlements are rapidly expanding as individuals living on the streets form organized homeless communities beneath major overpasses. While these informal camps provide crucial street safety and mutual support for the vulnerable, local business owners argue the encampments are negatively impacting commercial areas.
The most prominent encampment has taken root beneath the Uitenhage Road (M4) and Freeway Bridge in the suburb of Sydenham. According to those living there, the migration to these concrete shelters is driven by a desire to remain close to economic hubs just kilometers away. One long-term resident explained that the settlement started with just one person, eventually drawing in friends and acquaintances seeking a secure spot before authorities could evict them. For groups of young men and other vulnerable individuals, banding together has replaced the isolation of street life with a surrogate family dynamic. A smaller but similarly motivated group has also begun establishing a presence right at the city’s entrance.
However, this grassroots social structure has sparked tension with the surrounding commercial sector. Enterprises operating near these underpass hubs report that the growing populations are disrupting daily operations, with makeshift structures occasionally obstructing business entrances and altering the local environment.
Advocacy groups on the ground note a distinct shift in how the unhoused population is organizing. Representatives from the Healing Hands Community Project, an organization that has spent 16 years assisting vagrants and street dwellers, observe that this communal trend could actually be leveraged to lower street-level crime.
Spokespersons for the NGO are actively lobbying the municipality, the mayor’s office, and local councilors to secure a dedicated building. Their goal is to transition these individuals into a warm, roofed facility where they can receive proper counseling and rehabilitation. The organization emphasizes that many of these individuals are not substance abusers and would thrive with structured, compassionate care rather than being left to fend for themselves under bridges.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality acknowledges the complexity of the crisis. Officials state that by-law enforcement teams conduct regular clearance operations, but the sheer scale of the issue overwhelms their current capacity. The M4 corridor remains a persistent flashpoint; authorities have repeatedly erected fencing to block off areas under the bridges, only to watch the barriers get dismantled and the spaces reoccupied shortly after.
Faced with limited resources and a sprawling metropolitan crisis, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is now looking outward for answers. The local government has confirmed it is actively researching intervention strategies and policy frameworks utilized by other major metros grappling with similar urban homelessness challenges, specifically looking at the City of Cape Town for potential models.
Until a comprehensive, long-term strategy is implemented, the makeshift communities beneath the city’s busiest arteries continue to multiply, leaving both the municipality and the local business sector searching for sustainable solutions.