Thanks ... for nothing

A Cape Town advertising agency has jumped on the bandwagon following the global success of a YouTube video showing a woman being harassed by men during a walk through New York.

In the clip, the woman is sexually harassed more than 100 times during 10 hours of walking through Manhattan. The video was shot by international non-profit organisation Hollaback! which is dedicated to ending street harassment.

In the Cape Town clip, homeless man Sakkie van Wyk is filmed in the city centre begging for money. He is ignored or brushed off more than 100 times in four hours.

Advertising agency M&C Saatchi Abel executive creative director Gordon Ray said the video was about creating awareness about the experiences of homeless people, "who face an equally humiliating and demeaning reality".

"Our offices are near the Haven Night Shelter on Napier Street. Two guys from our office saw the harassment video and had the insight that homeless people get ignored," he said.

"We made the video as a quick tactical response to raise awareness around the experiences of homeless people."

Van Wyk, originally from Kimberley, has been homeless for two months while seeking work. He said the treatment he endures in the video is part of his daily routine.

He was attacked with a broken bottle outside a pub in Sea Point last month while begging for food, and still has stitches in his neck from the incident.

"People should take [homeless people] more seriously than they are taking them now," he said.

Haven spokesman Hassan Khan did not find the video surprising.

"Nobody stepped over someone in obvious need, so I am quite neutral to the inferences one can make," he said.

Khan said people should give responsibly and not aid homeless people to remain homeless by giving them hand outs.

"I would rather have you speak to a person, acknowledge their humanity and encourage them to come to The Haven."

The Haven and M&C Saatchi Abel previously collaborated on the Street Store campaign, which is a pop-up shop where homeless people can shop for clothes for free. The drive has reached 89 countries and has won numerous accolades.

The latest video has had almost 160000 hits since it was uploaded last week.