Dressed in matching white T-shirts and black pants, Nkululeko Mazibuko and Tshediso Matshaka look like ordinary men, except their stories are extraordinary, full of hope and resilience.
They are both recovering drug addicts who lived in the streets of Johannesburg for years before their lives turned around for the better.
Mazibuko and Matshaka shared their stories during a City of Johannesburg Homelessness Workshop hosted by Social Development department at Marks Park Sports Club, Emmarentia, on Friday 15 November 2019.
“I had personal problem at home, which led to low self-esteem. I started to use drugs to escape what I was going through. I thought drugs would solve all my problems and boost my confidence," Mazibuko explained.
He said after his family discovered his addiction to drugs, he ran away and lived on the streets. “It was really difficult on the streets, especially during the rainy season. I used to rob people of their belongings. I needed to survive and feed my addiction," Mazibuko said.
Mazibuko was addicted to drugs for 16 years and lived in streets for seven years. He was disowned by his mother, who told him: “I wish I didn't give birth to you."
“My addiction didn't only hurt my family. I have hurt my neighbours, my community and South Africa as a whole. They suffered because of my addiction."
Matshaka started drinking and smoking weed when he was 12 years old at high school. He then graduated to crystal-meth and cocaine.
Just like Mazibuko, Matshaka said living on the streets was not easy. “I was homeless for six years. I would wake up in the morning without knowing what I would eat. I would wear the same clothes for more than two months without changing or washing them," Matshaka recalled.
Both Mazibuko's and Matshaka's lives changed for the better when they went to the Governors House, the City's assessment centre where displaced people use its ablution facilities, do laundry, receive hygiene packs and get assessed by social workers.
After being assessed by social workers, they were sent to one of the City's rehab centres, Joubert Park community-based substance abuse treatment centre, for six weeks. “I decided that I wanted a better life for myself. I realised that I can still fulfill all the dreams I had as a little kid," Matshaka added.
They are both currently employed under the Expanded Public Works Programme, one of government's key programmes aimed at providing poverty and income relief through temporary work for the unemployed.
“People now don't have to hide their belongings anymore when they are around me. They trust me, which is strange to me," Matshaka said, smiling.
“The City of Joburg has given me a second chance in life. I feel like I am now a productive member of society," Mazibuko said before getting a standing ovation from the delegates.
The duo urged the City and stakeholders to use them to help other homeless people who are on drugs to turn their lives around, just like they did with theirs.
Written by Takalani Sioga
