The Cape Argus has launched a new collaborative editorial initiative called #TheDignityProject – a 15-part daily series about the homeless people of Cape Town. Homeless person Danny Oosthuizen will be writing a daily column for the duration of the project. Read the third entry in Danny’s Diary below ...
Cape Town - What a wonderful long weekend we, the homeless, had a few weeks ago.
There is this group of people, the “Super Troopers”, who took it upon themselves to support the homeless. They are not an NGO, just a bunch of friends who are giving back.
Kerry Hoffman and her team donated clothes on Saturday. Good quality stuff. I got my hands on a Zara shirt, walking on air in my Nikes and I smell like a million bucks. There was this D&G number I could have killed for, but sadly it was two sizes too small for me. It’s moments like these I wish I had Kate Moss on speed dial… she could give me some great instant weight loss tips.
And if that was not enough, they arranged a party for the street kids on Sunday. There were the most beautiful cupcakes from Charly’s Bakery. To see the kids’ happy faces was a special moment for me. They even had the magic school over to show off some tricks. There was a free concert in the Company’s Garden and the music was good. Believe it or not, us homeless people are cultured, you know.
And the jazz. With the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Greenmarket Square was one party. And we were there! Dancing with the rest of the world like Cinderella, holes in our shoes and all! I must confess many of us were way over the limit. All these kind larnies left beer, wine and other alcohol behind. Are they on a Banting diet?
I also noticed the toilets… Those portable ones. Rows of them. And – wait for it – toilet paper! Soft and white… no need to wipe your bottom with a politician’s face on a newspaper. Total freedom for me doesn’t mean going to pee under the moonlight, against a tree!
We have a toilet problem, people! Some streets stink. This is because most public toilets close after 5pm and the train station later. Then where do we go after that?
It is not like we do our business in the open on purpose, but we really have no other option. I’m serious.
We must duck and dive under a bush, behind a tree and, at times, we get caught. People shout at us and it is frustrating. And embarrassing. Imagine while doing a number two, and midway through a rat (the size of a cat) is staring you in the face? Tomorrow, the headlines will read: “Another homeless person went crazy.”
It will be awesome if the city can place these toilets on the streets for us, close to the CCID’s checkpoints. I am sure the city is aware of the so called hot spots. And I am sure not only our homeless will make use of it.
* To engage with Danny, e-mail him at [email protected]
Cape Argus