Finding a place to call home

HAVE you ever read something, then read it again and again, as you think you were mistaken? Well, last week I did. There was an article in a local paper about a property in Sea Point where the rent was (wait for it…) R120 000 a month!

And here I am: I can’t even get a bachelor flat for R3 500 a month!

Seriously, I am doomed to either live in another person’s place or a shelter for the rest of my life. It is so frustrating not being able to find my own little place I can call home.

Will I never be able to get my own little dog, take it for walks on the beach and just spend more time outdoors?This is the only thing is I so badly want and need: a little dog.

On to some gourmet news. Members of the Central Methodist Church on Greenmarket Square serve a Sunday meal at the service dining rooms, and these days the homeless are raving about it. Indeed it is very tasty.

I wish there was a way we homeless could get involved in community projects, like cleaning windows at an old-age home or maintaining the gardens, as a way to say thank you. A way to give back.

We have some guys who can paint, others do plumbing, etc. Our skills are going to waste! If any reader’s got some ideas, please let me know.

Everywhere one walks in the city, there are signs that spring is upon us. Trees are getting new leaves, flowers are starting to bloom and it gets lighter earlier in the morning.

Spending time in the Company’s Garden is such a pleasure. Our city looks good. Just a pity the area around the Grand Parade is such a sorry sight.

The area is surrounded by historical buildings like the City Hall, yet not a pleasant area to visit. The smell of urine hangs in the air and it is not one of the safest areas to be in. At times it is quite risky walking over to the Castle.

One can do so much as there is so much space. This area to me is the only sorry sight the city has left. Even some of the homeless only go to the Parade if it is an absolute must.

Coffee is dead cheap here and one can buy cornflakes with hot milk any time of the day.

Some homeless use drugs. Fact. If one gets caught with an empty packet or tool, you go to jail. One ends up with a criminal record.

But how ironic this is: last week a member of the police was caught smuggling drugs into Sao Paulo, Brazil.

We had our ex-high commissioner to Singapore, Francis Ngubeni, caught for smuggling drugs, we had Mrs Cwele, the ex-wife of the then state security minister jailed for smuggling.

Mrs Cwele was the one who recruited Tessa Beetge to become her drug-mule. What else are these people up too?