The partnership, a section 21 company, has been the driving force in establishing city improvement districts in the Cape Town metropolitan area.

An unintended consequence of the improvement districts has been to displace homeless people and street children from areas like the central business district into neighbouring areas.

Areas bordering the improvement districts have also reported an increase in petty crime.

'The antisocial behaviour of informal parking attendants, street children and vagrants has become unacceptable, both to the public and to street-level retailers, who complain on a daily basis that their businesses are being seriously affected,' says partnership CEO Michael Farr.

He says the partnership has neither the funds nor the mandate to tackle welfare problems. It has recommended to provincial government that it create an umbrella body to use the limited resources available as efficiently as possible.