Residents of the City of Johannesburg’s 03 Kotze Street overnight shelter received an unexpected surprise when members of the Alexandra Afrika Tikkun hair and beauty programme arrived to treat them to free hair and beauty treatments.
Four graduates from the programme got down to work braiding hair, shaving heads and offering nail manicures. Two of these graduates will stay on at the shelter on a permanent basis to ensure the grooming programme continues. The aim is to ensure that residents are always well groomed when they attend interviews for prospective jobs.
The Afrika Tikkun hair and beauty programme is headed up by Shaun Unterslak who sees it as a way to empower youth.
“The purpose of the programme is to take young people living in the townships where Afrika Tikkun has established bases which are Alexandra, Orange Farm, Diepsloot, Uthando in Braamfontein and Mfuleni in the Cape Flats. And they take these young people and allow them the opportunity to learn skills that will enable them to go into their own business,” Unterslak said.
One resident, Nkululeko Mazibuko, was initially skeptical when he was told about the opportunity to have his hair cut for free. He was visibly elated after being pampered and described himself as “handsome” after having his head shaved akin to, in his own words, Jacob Zuma.
The programme takes three months and prospective graduates use opportunities like visiting shelters and community service to sharpen their skills and gain practical experience all the while giving back to their respective communities.