Cape Town - Meet Cape Town’s very own Tarzan and Jane.
Every night this loving couple tuck themselves into bed in a tree which they have called home for more than a year.
Bernard Daniels, 41, and his girlfriend Yolanda Solomons, 31, survived two cold winters and even Valhalla Park’s gang violence in their tree-storey home.
Their home gives a whole new meaning to living in a leafy suburb and having roots in the community.
The two moved into the tree after they were evicted by their landlord. The couple say they were unable to pay the rent and lived on the streets for a few months.
“We didn’t have a place to stay after we were put out,” Daniels told the Daily Voice.
“There was a pallet in this tree which was left there by the children who used to play in the tree and so we decided to move in.
“We then decided to make the tree our home because here we don’t have to pay rent,” he said.
When the Daily Voice visited the couple, they were on their way back from fetching their five-year-old son at school.
Daniels said their tree house is snug and cozy.
“Everything is closed up, so it’s really warm. We also don’t worry about load shedding because we use a candle,” he joked.
The couple even used to have a neighbour in their tree.
“Our neighbour lived on top but he’s in jail now. When the cops came looking for him they were too scared to climb the tree.
“One eventually came up, maar toe kom klop hy eers by my. (but they first knocked by me)
“I told them the man they were looking for is upstairs.”
Solomons said that on windy days they can feel the branches sway from side to side then she hold onto Daniels.
The couple is desperately looking for jobs so they can afford a home of their own.
“We must get out of this tree so we can give (our son) a better life,” said Daniels.
“He really wants to stay with us but we can’t live here with him.”
Theboy currently stays with his grandmother in Valhalla Park.
The couple have become adept at tree-climbing, and scurries up and down without much effort.
Resident Camela Brandt says she lets the couple use her toilet.
“They have been living here for a while and they don’t bother anyone. I also give them food whenever I can,” she said.
Daily Voice