Cape Town barber takes his ‘senior day’ mobile
Cape Town - A Cape Town barber, whose dream of taking his work mobile came true, is now going a step further to bring about change.
Warren Theunis, 41, originally from Mitchells Plain, has been in the barbering industry for 21 years and his latest project, established in 2018, is now becoming a reality.
Theunis is the founder of Groomed for Change, a project which aims to model new behaviour and show seniors they have not been forgotten.
He is also one of the founding members of the Barber Association.
Theunis has worked hard at getting his mobile barber shop up and running and has since participated in the 16 Days for Youth project hosted by Heart FM.
Theunis has also held his seniors day at his Strandfontein barber shop on Wednesdays but has always wanted to branch out.
Speaking to IOL, he said he held the seniors day in Strandfontein for the first time with the bus and this has since instilled more confidence in him to branch out to other areas.
“Last week I did Bridgetown. A collaboration with Impact Direct Ministries. They usually only offer a service to the women (pedicures) but the men could now stick around and get a free haircut. It was a little nerve-racking as this was the first time I was doing Groomed for Change in Bridgetown.”
“But the community received me so well. I felt at home. And this has given me the confidence to go and take the bus to as many communities as I can,” he said.
This week Theunis will be headed to Elsies River, thereafter Mitchells Plain, Lansdowne and more.
However, he will not confine himself to the Cape metropolitan area.
“Once the bus is mechanically sound, I will go even further. I am in talks with an organisation in Barrydale about bringing the seniors together for a day of grooming.”
“I saw the impact that 16 days for youth had on the communities, especially outside of the metro.
“My focus was on the children, and many of those children never sat in a barber chair before, let alone a barber bus.
“I saw 547 kids in my chair over 16 days. And there were many more, but there’s only so much you can do in a day.
“What the 16 days project has taught me is, you don’t get to back out when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. If you’re committed, then you do it regardless.
“I have committed myself to doing seniors days every Wednesday and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Theunis said.
While the barber bus may still have some mechanical issues, Theunis is just grateful it’s functional for him to conduct his duties as that is most important to him.
He told IOL that as soon as he has saved enough money, he will replace the bus’s engine and take it “over the mountain” and then down the opposite side through the West Coast region and back again into the city.
“There’s no shortage of places to go.”
The only thing which can limit Theunis’s effort is the ever increasing cost of fuel. But his faith and determination will not allow this to dampen his spirit.
“The best thing about seniors day is literally spending time with the seniors, their humour, the decades of knowledge that flows once I start cutting.
“How grateful they are to see that this generation isn’t completely lost. Their words, not mine,” he added jokingly.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL