A homeless man living in Town Centre said he was delighted to get access to clean, hot water.
Tyron Kayster, 33, who has been living on the streets for 10 years said the new wash trailer that was at the Town Centre on Thursday April 18, provides access to food and health services and is a big help for those living on the streets.
“If we ask others it’s always no. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and I thank God for this,” he said.
Mr Kayster has a leg injury. Someone threw him with a brick against his leg that left it swollen and infected. The wash trailer helps him keep the wound clean, he said.
He is still challenged by a drug addiction but has resorted to collecting scraps rather than stealing from people, he said.
“The injury helped me slow down. It’s going to take time. Being on the streets is not easy, people judge and put us under one class. I must be strong and pray, that’s all I can do,” he said.
Another homeless man, Jerome Nell, 45, said the organisations providing health services at the trailer treat them well.
“These services take care of us and teach us how to live. I’m grateful for this.”
Mr Nell said bad influences that led him to crime caused him to end up on the streets at a young age but he is now in recovery and avoids “bad friends”.
“It is a right to have access to water. We should have a societal approach that everyone plays a vital role in ensuring that the public has access to general services,” said Rene Daniels, a social worker at Mitchell’s Plain Community Health Centre (MPCHC).
Ms Daniels invited several organisations, which assist the homeless, to the MPCHC last Thursday when the wash trailer was stationed there. The trailer will return to the centre every two weeks.
The trailer, called Nina Manzi, was made possible by NPO Viva con Agua South Africa (VcA), said Phelisa Magoqoza, a community and network developer from VcA.
One trailer can serve up to 40 people a day.
“The creation of the facility was a response to seeing the need for wash facilities for those living within Cape Town that have limited or zero access to water and sanitation — a basic human right,” she said.
Deidre Petersen, a Mitchell’s Plain neighbourhood watch member, said their group was part of a crime prevention project for the Expanded Public Works Programme which connected homeless people to services.
“We’re cleaning up Town Centre,” she said.
Adrian Kriel, VcA’s Nina Manzi administration manager, said their goal is to bring dignity back to homeless people.
“A lot of them have lost their way, some don’t feel comfortable in their own skin. We can’t change the world but we can do a little,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the shower, some homeless people I engage with wouldn’t have sought help. They say it feels like heaven. In future we are hoping to build more wash trailers and help the disabled, attach ramps and create bigger cubicles for those who are differently abled. Their voices need to be heard,” said Mr Kriel.
For more information, contact Anova Health Institute on their office line, 010 824 0552 or visit the MPCHC for more details on this service.
