Johannesburg - The community of Balfour Park in Johannesburg has helped unite a homeless man who had been living on the streets for 22 years, with his family in Tzaneen.
The Star understands that 45-year-old Hakani Ndlovu came to Johannesburg in 2001 looking for a job, but things did not go as planned. The concrete jungle was not kind to Ndlovu, and he ended up living in makeshift structures around Balfour Park.
Ndlovu survived on begging, and he would do piece jobs wherever he could, but he did not stay in one place because of frequent harassment from law enforcement.
A handful of community members noticed that Ndlovu was able to communicate properly and could explain how he had ended up on the streets. They then organised help for him with their local councillor, Belinda Echeozonjoku, who facilitated the process of tracking Ndlovu's family.
"The community members told me that he was not on drugs, that he was not crazy, and that he could recite his ID number. We bought clothes for him and made sure that he got a proper clean-up; we then placed him on a taxi back to his village," Echeozonjoku said.
Ndlovu had made contact with Balfour Park residents who helped him, including Echeozonjoku, to tell them that he was home safe in Tzaneen. The DA team in Tzaneen also confirmed that Ndlovu had arrived and that he had been well received by the community he came from.
"We have been trying to contact him on the number that he called us on, but there seems to be a language barrier problem. But we are keeping a close eye on his reintegration into the community," Echeozonjoku said.
Ndlovu’s story is not unique because of Johannesburg’s status as the economic hub of the country.
“But it also shows that people are people at the end of the day, even though they may sleep on the streets or dress in rags.
"This also highlights the fact that homelessness is on the rise and the lack of shelters in the City of Johannesburg is a serious challenge."
Echeozonjoku said she was surprised that Ndlovu had survived that long on the streets of Johannesburg without proper support.
"He survived from begging, and when it was rainy or cold, he had to create his own warmth and shelter while hoping for better days. His communications and interpersonal skills assisted him with fostering long-term relationships in the community of Ward 74, which is where he had permanently found shelter and had residents providing him with clothes, blankets, and meals," Echeozonjoku said.
Ndlovu survived a robbery, being beaten by other homeless people, and sometimes losing all his belongings, including his identity document.
"Every morning he went to stand by the robots of Balfour Park shopping mall and kept asking different people to assist him with money to go back home. One resident, Lettah Motale, has been assisting him on weekends with food," Echeozonjoku said.
The Star