Despite the Covid-19 pandemic that saw the country implement its first ever nationwide lockdown recently, for some homeless people of Nelson Mandela Bay, life has never been better. ‘PE Express’ reporter, CANDICE BEZUIDENHOUT, paid a visit to the home.
Outside in the yard, two young boys were playing soccer with a ball donated by a community member.
After seeing the reporter taking a video, one of the boys showcased his talents, dribbling the ball on one foot before passing it back to his partner.
A few metres away, under the shade of a tree, community health workers were taking care of the elderly and doing routine tests to see if everyone was healthy. In a corner of the yard, not too far away, a group of elderly men were playing cards, laughing loudly after the winner couldn’t stop boasting. The inside of the hall proved to be quite cosy, with matresses placed approximately 1m apart, separated by a chair.
This area was quiet as some of the residents were taking an afternoon nap, whilst others were reading magazines or books. Not too long after, a group of young boys sat down on the floor and started playing a boardgame. “It’s Trivial Pursuit,” one of them said excitedly as he picked up a card from the box to start the game.
“I’m very happy here because life is extremely difficult on the street,” said one of the residents, Frederick Cornelius (56). “The people here are taking care of us and being here with everyone brings me joy. The guys make jokes, we play cards together and we have books to read.
“They even brought a TV for us the other night,” he said, smiling.
Cornelius, who is in possession of a code-14 driver’s licence, said that he has been unemployed for approximately five years, although he’s been doing odd jobs here and there.
“After a marriage of 30 years and then a divorce, adjusting was hard.
“I couldn’t renew my driver’s licence and had to hustle on the streets, asking for at least a piece of bread at shops,” he added.
One of the Muslim residents, Brenwill Rondganger (34), said being at the shelter had both its pros and cons, especially with Ramadan around the corner. “During the period of Ramadan, we’re supposed to be separated from others and spend time in prayer alone, so that will be difficult to achieve, but we’re not complaining.
“We are grateful to be here. We have become better people. We are clean, clothed and fed and that is more than I’ve had these past four years.”
Ward councillor, Abraham Isaacs, said that since the intake started last weekend, everything had been going well. “I was concerned about the protocols at the beginning because I had no idea how to handle such a situation but with the help of everyone involved, we are managing.”
According to Isaacs, there has been a minor hiccup or two. “We found knives in some of their bags, but confiscated them immediately and will be handing them over to the police.”
Isaacs mentioned that he understood some of them might need to protect themselves on the street, but it was communicated to them that this is not allowed at the shelter.
“They understand and adhere to the rules. There haven’t been any issues and everyone gets along well. We are also truly blessed to receive so much help from the community and can’t thank everyone enough.”
When asked if there was a plan in place to take care of the homeless even after the lockdown, Isaacs said that it had been his concern as well.
“I would really like the municipality to identify a piece of land where emergency shelters could be set up for the homeless of the metro. From there they could be uplifted. Going back to the streets is not a solution.”
Municipal spokesperson, Mthubanzi Mniki, said that there were always plans in place for the homeless.
“Plans are submitted to the provincial and national departments of Human Settlements for developments to take place in different areas.”
He also added that the competency of allocating and housing people was not only the municipality’s responsibility, but also fell under Human Settlements. “We have plans in place for everyone who is on our housing waiting list.
“If the homeless are not on our waiting list, it will be tricky, but we encourage everyone to register as someone who needs a house, so that we could have the exact number of people we need to give houses to.”
