Zavan Wilson is among Durban’s swelling homeless population streaming into the city each year.
He has lived on Durban’s unforgiving streets for the past six years and is not ashamed to tell his story.
“It was drugs,” said the 25-year-old while watching over his “turf” near Mahatma Gandhi (Point) Road, where he makes his living as a car guard.
“I grew up in Wentworth and got involved with the wrong crowd. Before I knew it I was hooked on heroin and started stealing just to get high. I was even stealing from my own home,” he said.
As his drug addiction grew and consumed his life, he ended up on the streets at 19.
“You got to do what you got to do to survive.
“I have done things I am not proud of living on the streets and I have seen some terrible things. Living on these streets is not easy,” he said.
Knife scars on his arms and neck bear witness to the tragedy of his life.
Three years ago he went back to his family home and begged for forgiveness.
“My mother welcomed me back on condition that I went to rehab,” he said.
It was around the same time that he found out that his girlfriend was pregnant.
“I needed to turn my life around and I went for the rehab. After rehab I decided that I needed to be a man for my child and my girlfriend and to make it out on the streets, this time without any drugs,” he said.
Wilson claims not to have taken any drugs since then.
His daily battle now is no longer with the demons of his addiction, but in making the R60 it costs to rent a 2x2-metre room at a shelter in Anton Lembede (Smith) Street.
“Without any skills or education the only option for me to make that money is to car guard.
“Every day I have to deal with crooks who want to break into cars or people who want to come to guard cars here. It is tough but I cannot allow people to take food out of my family’s mouth,” he said.
Wilson said that although some people find car guards a nuisance, it was the only way he could make a living.
“If you do not make that R60 there are no second chances at the shelter.
“They will come and pack up your things and put them out on the street. And that is not where I want to be, especially now that my girlfriend is pregnant again.”