A KNYSNA Good Samaritan has been forced to stop his charitable work by “arrogant” traffic officers.
Bakery owner Mike Evans, who regularly distributes bread to the needy in the Bossiesgif informal settlement in Plettenberg Bay, said traffic police told him his donations were illegal.
Evans yesterday told The Herald police officers two weeks ago said they “could lock him up”.
Evans said he gave sealed day-old bread from Whisk Bakery in Knysna to Bossiesgif residents as they crowded around his vehicle.
He said traffic officials told him he was “littering” when he tossed unsealed bread onto the ground for starving dogs.
Evans said his efforts to contact the officials after the incident had failed to elicit a response.
“I was given a verbal warning that if it ever happened again they would give me a R500 fine. They were extremely arrogant.
“The residents even started fighting with them because they knew I wasn‘t coming back.
“The traffic officials said they could lock me up. I asked for what, for giving stuff away to the poor?”
Evans said since September last year he had given left-over bread to a soup kitchen in the vicinity, which closed at 3pm.
If he arrived late, he distributed the bread to the underprivileged.
“When you see the kids who haven‘t eaten for two days, as well as the starving dogs, it makes you want to cry.”
Evans said if bread was unsealed or not up to baking standards it was given to the dogs, and even goats used to gather around his bakkie for bread.
Evans said the bakery also gave bread to women who managed soup kitchens. They came to collect the bread each morning.
Bitou officials did not respond to media queries.
