You can’t save them all, just one at a time
Young rider hits top gear with his passion
GROWING up in the marginalised community of Kwaxolo on the South Coast, Piwe Zulu has defied the odds to succeed in motorcycle racing.
Now a Margate resident, Zulu, 33, started off-road motorbiking in 2010 and has since ridden for KTM Durban and RBS Yamaha in Pinetown, among others.
To inspire other young people, Zulu reflected on the odds he had overcome in pursuing his passion.
Biking became a dream for him as a young child after witnessing bikers making annual pilgrimages to Margate.
Later, once he started working, he started dreaming of racing off-road bikes.
“But I could not afford a motorbike. I had to work extra hours as a personal trainer and approach family and friends to save up for a motorbike.
“Then once I got a bike, I had to put in extra hours on the track with experienced racers to skills.”
“I am thankful for each challenge and the opportunities I have had. The learning curves eventually made me victorious to the point where I was noticed by big brands such as Herbalife Nutrition and Yamaha. These sponsorships have since enabled me to influence learn the technical other aspiring bikers, and change lives,” he says.
When not on two-wheels, Zulu is a social facilitator for MGM Holdings, a company that works closely on economic transformation through the support of entrepreneurs and other professionals.
Zulu said Youth Day symbolises freedom to him. “I celebrate the day every year keeping in mind what privileges we have as young people today. Freedom to express ourselves, dream and work in industries. Generations before us, we couldn’t.”
Advising his fellow youth, Zulu encourages young people to stay creative in their approach to work and earn an income.
“Find what you are good at and explore creative ways to solve problems out there and, in turn, generate money.
“Surround yourself with sound mentors and people who have achieved what you aspire to. Choose what information you read and be grateful and humble. Keep in mind that there are people and organisations that will notice your efforts if you persevere and work hard to stand out in your industry – like my sponsors and mentors noticed me.
“My hard work has provided me with a strong support structure today.” CHILDREN who live on the streets evoke all kinds of reactions… sympathy, thankfulness for one’s own lot in life and, if we are honest, sometimes less kind thoughts.
Many people who live a comfortable existence are often judgmental of the homeless and the down-and-out. Do these kids beg out of hunger, or to feed their craving for drugs or alcohol? These are often the first questions asked.
There are, however, many people who view their plight with less critical eyes, those from I Care – a Christian organisation focused on uplifting street children.
It was started by the late Graeme Cochrane in 2002 and has since assisted more than 2 000 children beyond just providing shelter through its drop-in centre.
Anne Slatter, who was an accountant at a Durban school before joining I Care in 2009, took over as general manager in 2012. “We work holistically with the children, and have a cycle through which we work to deal with their problems.”
This entails outreach, rehabilitation, housing, aftercare, education and skills development.
“We strive for the end result, which sees each become an effective member of society.”
And every day heralds a new approach, much of it influenced by what had happened to the child during the night. Each evening that unfolds brings with it different challenges, and often unexpected setbacks the children might have to contend with, she says.
Contrary to public perceptions and reports that the police have instructions to clear homeless children from the streets, Slatter says the police are actually very supportive of I Care’s work.
Some days bring a ray of hope – a group of children leave I Care’s drop-in centre to go into rehabilitation.
“When they graduate three months later from the programme, our hearts are full.”then there is the satisfaction of reuniting some of the children with their parents who had lost hope of ever having their child back home – always an emotional moment for I Care workers.
“And seeing a child finish matric, or successfully find employment after gaining a skill, is very rewarding. It means we have achieved our objective of helping them become an effective member of society. They have taken the hope that we gave them and made the choice to change their lives,” she says.
But there are sad, low days, such as when a child dies from illness, or when one whom they have been working with for a long time suddenly runs away for unknown reasons.
“They choose to go back to the street, only to start the process all over again.” Do I Care outreach workers venture out at night to face the dangers on darkened streets, drug lords, and hardened criminals?
Slatter says this seldom happens. “The children all have specific places where they hide out at night and are unwilling to emerge from this little sanctity to meet with those trying to reach out to them.”
While the centre had experienced a few incidents over the years, none of these had made members of I Care too afraid to continue.
“Most of these children have the utmost respect for all of us,” says Slatter.
She says that when outreach workers first encounter a child on the streets, that is where their work in establishing a relationship begins. Everything hinges on trust, until finally the child might agree to come to the drop-in centre, where the first phase of his or her rehabilitation begins.
“It takes us a little while to chip away at the guard which they have built up on the streets. But once they see we only want to help them change their lives, they are open and willing to work with us.”
What is discouraging is seeing how drugs are becoming more freely available.
“These drugs are destroying our youth and making our work that much harder,” she admits.
“We have to continuously hold on to the good outcomes and remember The Starfish Story – you can’t save them all, but it made a difference to that one.”