OP-ED: Homeless 101: Moving from despair to dignity

Those of us who work with the homeless know a different narrative. We encounter women and men who – despite all they have suffered – are not victims but agents. They are people who are able to transform their lives and transform the lives of others. To begin with, they might need some help and in many cities there are faith-based organisations, NGOs, academics, corporations and occasionally government officials who do help.

In early 2017, I decided to write a letter to the mayor of Durban, Zandile Gumede, and to Sipho Nzuza, who is the city manager, to inform them about the injustice that was taking place on the streets of our city. There was no reply. This showed me how Durban is indeed a caring city. It cares about money, infrastructure, and investment – and for its politicians. Not about us. That is when I decided to start a homeless forum.

I started applying for jobs on the internet in different provinces. In 2018 I got to Durban, excited to start a new job. One day I went to the Denis Hurley Centre looking for food. I found a gentlemen called Stuart and I told him that I can sell anything. Next minute, I heard footsteps coming towards my friend and I. Before I could make sense of what was happening, I just saw a big figure on top of us. Then we got pepper-sprayed. I did not even get a chance to take anything.

But my story won’t end here. Every day when I wake up I find purpose through sharing my story with anyone who is willing to lend an ear.I hope you will see in me a brother, a father of two, a businessman, a survivor and a hard-working man. I am starting to see that in myself as well, but a couple of months back it was a different story.

They gave me full control of everything. I have no boss; I have no one to answer to. But that doesn’t mean I should relax. I have learnt to discipline myself. I have two boys I need to feed back home. They can now rely on me.I hate sharing my story because it brings back old wounds. But I also love it because I get to heal other people with my story.

I was building a double-storey house for some guy at Estcourt. He was impressed, so he said to come and help him with a few properties and I will make a lot of money! I saw an opportunity but he saw a “When we got to Durban he took me to a shelter but he only came once to check on me. I had to move out of the shelter. There were twojust outside who jumped on me. They pulled out an okapi knife and asked for everything I’ve got. They took my luggage, my ID and my wallet.

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