Stories of Grace

Catriona Shaikh left home because she felt like an outcast in her own home in Rustenburg, North West province . She felt she did not belong with her family due to racial issues. She then left home and her two sons because she wanted to experience life on her own. She went back home to look after her mother after she had a stroke, but after their mother passed away, her sister sold the property and that is when she ended up homeless.

According to Catriona, it was her boyfriend who referred her to MES. Catriona was recently hospitalized while at MES Impilo shelter due to health issues relating to alcohol addiction. She was then dignosed with a chemical imbalance condition. Through the help of MES health staff, she has conceded to taking medication to help her to overcome the addiction and get her health back.

‘Everyday I can see myself steadily changing; changing for the good and becoming a better version of myself, I am so excited! I am attending Care Group classes here at the shelter, where we are encouraged to write down long-short term goals for ourselves on a regular basis. This has helped me to re-ignite my passion for working with young people and I can see my dream of opening a Youth Development Programme where I can help troubled young people from my hometown a reality. Many young people from where I come from are struggling with drugs and alcohol abuse and addiction, and having gone through the same I believe I can be able to help them get out of it.” Said Catriona confidently.

MES has changed her life because she has now stopped using drugs and alcohol. She wants to become a better mother to her two sons. Catriona has also expressed her interest in serving at MES, as she is really passionate about helping young people.

Catriona is currently involved in the MES Johannesburg Gardening Project that was recently started with the aim of developing the shelter clients’ long-term skills that will help them to be able to sustainably exit the shelter environment.

‘’My dream for joining the project is to see homeless people like me being fed and not struggling for food. As soon as our harvest is ready, I want to sell it to ensure we have money coming in to buy more seeds and to feed more people in need. I cannot thank MES enough for what they are doing for me, noone has ever done this for me before! Everyday I have something meaningful to look forward, something that will make a big impact on the lives of other people.” Said Catriona.

Marius Basson is a 53-year-old gentleman originally from Kokstad in KZN. In 2012, Marius left his hometown for a contract job as a mechanical fitter at Sasol, in Secunda (Mpumalanga). Mid 2013, his contract job came to an end and he decided to journey to Johannesburg in search for new job opportunities.
Unfortunately, while on his journey to Johannesburg, Marius was involved in a car accident injuring both his legs. From the scene of the accident he was rushed to Natalspruit Hospital where he was admitted for a period of three months. During his stay at the hospital, Marius was assisted to file a claim with the Road Accident Fund claims office.

Three months later, after being discharged from the hospital, Marius was left destitute and homeless. He had no relatives or friends in the area nor in the surrounding areas, therefore he had no helping hand and found himself wondering the streets. Eventually, towards the end of 2013, Marius made his way to Randburg and settled in the streets of Westdene. Fighting to survive in this new and challenging environment for a period of 5 and a half years, Marius developed a drinking problem and an anger problem due to stressing about the progress of his RAF claim.

Due to the fact that the lawyer representing Marius’ RAF claim is based in Kempton Park, in 2019 Marius decided to settle in the area in attempt to make the process of following up on the claim easier for himself. One day, while roaming the streets of Kempton Park, Marius met a man who told him about MES Kempton Park and how he could be assisted by the staff working there. In June 2019 Marius started staying at the MES Kempton Park shelter and later joined the GROW programme.

After a few months of working at GROW and years of missing home, Marius had saved up enough money to buy himself a bus ticket to Kokstad. For the first time in 6 years Marius journeyed back home and stayed there for only 3 months as his pending RAF claim would not let him rest. In February 2020 he made his way back to Kempton Park.

His RAF claim is yet to be concluded however during August 2020, while working at GROW, Marius managed to secure a contract job at Ukhasi Construction, through the help of William Hills (GROW Programme Co-ordinator). He is currently working and staying at the MES Kempton Park shelter, while proactively following up on the progress of his claim.

Marius said “The only reason I came back to Kempton Park this year is because of my claim. When I’m finished with this case I am going back to Kokstad. I miss home, I miss my family and I want to be with them. Here I have no family, but MES Kempton Park has become a second home for me. MES has helped me a great deal, if it wasn’t through MES, I would still be staying on the streets. Being at MES has helped me kick my drinking problem and the GROW workshops helped me to turn away from my violent ways. Being here has helped me to keep my mind occupied with positive things and keep my emotions intact. If it wasn’t for MES I wouldn’t be where I am today. Hope, faith and the help I’ve received at MES Kempton Park has helped me not to give up.”

Sophonia Katisi is a 44-year-old man who is originally from Limpopo, in a town called Botlokwa. In his early 30’s Sophonia moved to Pretoria in search for a job as a security guard and was fortunate to find employment. During this period, Sophonia was blessed to receive an RDP house in Mamelodi, a township in Pretoria.

Being a single Dad, receiving this house meant that he could finally bring his son to live with him. However, along the way Sophonia fell into the trap of using drugs. He started off with using dagga then moved on to using a range of other drugs. The addiction led to him sell his belongings just to sustain his drug habit.
He started to skip work which eventually lead to him leave his job. In desperation to get money, he attempted to sell his RDP house. Fortunately, the news reached his family in Limpopo, the family then sent his younger brother to move in with him in order to look after him and the house.

After a while, he resorted to borrow money from the wrong crowds and not paying it back, he even started to steal from people within his community. This led to his life being threatened and he eventually fled Mamelodi. He then found himself living on the streets of Kempton Park, without food, clothes or even a blanket. He resorted to using Nyaope to try and cope with living on the streets.

In October 2019, Sophonia started to become ill and in an attempt to seek help he went to a church on Margaret Street in Kempton Park. The pastor of the church referred him to MES Kempton Park and paid for him to shower and receive a meal.

When he arrived at MES Kempton Park, Sophonia met with Soul Malatji (Social Auxiliary Worker), who assessed and referred him to the Department of Social Development (DSD) because of his drug problem. During the application process for rehab, Sophonia started attending sessions with a DSD Social Worker, while staying at the MES Kempton Park shelter. At the same time, he was being strictly monitored by Soul, which was a formal request from the DSD Social Worker. Sophonia completed the required number of sessions and was placed into the SANCA Rehab centre.

At the beginning of 2020, Soul Malatji was contacted by SANCA and the DSD Social Worker, to inform him about Sophonia’s progress, his successful completion of the programme as well as to request shelter for him. He then joined the GROW programme and worked with dedication and discipline. Through the help of Soul, he managed to secure a job as a security guard at a construction site in Kempton Park.

“My life was terrible, I never thought that I will work again, regain my strength and restore my dignity again after so many years of struggle with drugs, but with MES Kempton Park I have realised all my dreams. I want to say to people with the same problem as mine out there, never ever loss hope in life, there are places like MES, where you can get help, only if you are ready to change your life, speak to a social worker and seek advice, they will help you to move forward and make your dreams come true.” Said Sophonia

In conclusion Soul Malatji shared these words on Sophonia’s journey and as encouragement to others in the same situation: “With the help of the DSD social worker and SANCA I have worked very closely with Sophonia Katisi to transform his life. It takes minutes to destroy your life and takes miles to recover. With Sophonia the journey was very hard however, at the end it proved that if you as an individual are willing to change from bad habits to good habits it is possible. He was a very good individual in our GROW programme and in the shelter. He is eager to learn from other people and from his mistakes. I am very grateful for his progress in life and I am wishing him all the best in life.”

Meet Thumisang Dube, a 31 year old man who is originally from Zimbabwe and is a panel beater by profession.

Prior to staying at the MES Kempton Park shelter, Thumisang was living in Midrand, but due to his life taking an unfavourable turn, he had to move out.

He first came to MES Kempton Park at the beginning of March 2020, looking for accommodation at the shelter, after he had found a job as a panel beater in Pomona. Shortly after his arrival at the shelter the country went into lockdown, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thumisang says that during the lockdown levels 5 and 4, he managed to save a lot of his money. This was possible because while at the shelter he received all his meals and the accommodation at no charge as the overnight shelter became a stay-in shelter, for which the shelter clients were not being charged for their stay.

“During the lockdown levels 5 and 4, staying in all day was challenging but to keep myself busy I started doing some research on small business ventures, which I first came across on WhatsApp. This research yielded positive outcomes which lead me to consider it as and when the lockdown levels lower.”

When the country moved into lockdown level 3, Thumisang went back to work in Pomona and shortly after that he managed to find himself a place to stay and moved out of the shelter.

Soul Malatji (Social Auxiliary Worker) worked closely with Thumisang and got to interact with him even more during the lockdown, this is what Soul had to say about him: “Thumisang Dube is a very well organized and someone who is dedicated to work hard, better himself and is eager to learn from other people. There were no unpleasant behaviours and surprises from him during his stay at our shelter. He is very disciplined and willing to assist in the shelter with cleaning and packing of stuff when necessary. I am very grateful for his contribution at the MES Kempton Park shelter and very confident that he has the intelligence, work ethics and communication skills to add value wherever he works.”

Thumisang says that he is very grateful to MES Kempton Park for playing the role of a stepping stone to rebuild his life again. He added that his future plan is to open his own business (though he didn’t reveal in what kind of business that would be).

In parting he said, “When your opportunity comes, grab it with both hands and make sure that you do your best to make it a success, then God will do the rest.”

Bruce Nyalunig is a young man from Mpumalanga who came to Johannesburg to pursue his dreams in music like any other young person; he had hope that Johannesburg would give him his biggest breakthrough in his music.

Bruce left home because he felt like he did not belong, and that his parents could not take care of him and help him pursue his dreams, so he chose to leave home to hustle for his dreams that he strongly believes in. He rented a place with his friend until someone decided to steal their production equipment that they used to earn a living, they both got kicked out and ended up homeless and had to sleep under bridges.

Bruce was then introduced to MES or rather placed at MES because of the lockdown. He was taken in and that is where he says he started seeing changes in his life. In his own words he said that MES has moulded him into someone who is capable of taking responsibility in making his dreams a reality again. He says he was able to have a warm cooked meal for the first time in the three months since he had been on the streets.

When asked what advice he would give to someone who went through similar challenges, he replied to say “never wait for anything to come to you, but you must go for it yourself”. Bruce says he is glad that he came to MES and he is now in the process of changing his life for the better.

“Last year, I went through a few difficult obstacles in my life and ended up on the street in Kempton Park. Although I had a job as a driver at a local Appliances Company, I couldn’t afford to travel every day from Kempton Park to Alberton, where the rest of my family (wife and two children) were staying. Finding affordable accommodation in Kempton Park was also a challenge and I ended up at the MES shelter in January 2020. Something I never thought would happen to me,” says Riaan Nel, one of MES Kempton Park’s recent clients for the last five months.

He continues: “Anyone of us can fall at any time in life and while I was on an emotionally low point in my life, the staff of MES walked the road with me. I had to start to build a life again, from scratch – they were there for me. They became like my own family. I was well looked after, by having a warm bed and meals every day. They provided not only in my physical needs, but also in my spiritual.”

“During my time at MES in Kempton Park, I have learned more about people. I have realised there really are people that want to change their lives and haven’t gotten the chance yet. It is as if the world does not want to give them a second chance. However, with the support of an organisation like MES, there is always hope. I have also learned during this time to be humble and treat others with dignity.

For the destitute out there, I want to say: “Believe in God and pray continuously. The Lord will provide.

In conclusion Riaan said: “MES Kempton Park and its staff, were like angels on my journey. Thank you for keeping me safe and caring for me emotionally. You have always been there to listen to my challenges, always picking me up and I thank you for that. I would also like to thank MES in general for providing such wonderful services to the needy and for also providing excellent support to those without jobs. I salute you for that.”

In May of this year, by the Grace of God, Riaan found very suitable accommodation in Kempton Park and was reunited with his family. Soul Malatji, social auxiliary worker said: “It was a pleasure to have Riaan as one of our shelter clients. He is disciplined and was always willing to help in the shelter. I wish him all of the best for the next phase in his life.”

Manase Pakela is a 42 year-old woman and a mother of a 23 year-old son, who is currently studying at The University of Free State. She is originally from a township called Thabong, situated in Welkom in the Free State. Being a qualified fire fighter and paramedic, Manase worked at a fire station in Welkom for 15 years, but lost her job in December 2018.

After losing her job, she made her way to Kempton Park in search for work opportunities. However, time passed and she couldn’t secure a job which lead to her funds running out. Because of this, she could no longer afford to continue paying rent for the place she was staying at and had to leave. In her search for more affordable accommodation, she was lead to our overnight shelter at MES Kempton Park.
Manase reached our doors not long before our country went into a national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Before lockdown, she had joined our GROW programme, where she could earn enough to pay for her overnight accommodation. Soul Malatji (Social Auxiliary Worker) says “I am very grateful for her contributions to our GROW project, she is very patient, hardworking and always has a smile on her face. She is like a mother, sister and aunt to the fellow clients in the shelter and she plays a very prominent role in the shelter.”

Manase shares how she has experienced life at our overnight shelter, during lockdown “I can never thank MES and especially MES Kempton Park for all you’ve done for me, I am forever grateful. You helped me right when I needed help most. If anyone deserves thanks, it’s MES staff. You have been extremely supportive through this difficult time of the Covid-19 pandemic. I could have not gotten through it without you. Your support has made me a strong person and I will be forever grateful. You always take your time to help us and time to be kind. You are the most wonderful thing to happen to me and I am fortunate. I was new in this city and didn’t know much about the area. You have given me so much respect by giving me accommodation for the three months of lockdown without me having to pay for it, and honoured me with such great hospitality. Saying thank you does not seem enough for what you have done for me. You acted like a lifesaver for me and made this journey way easier then it could have been. I still remember how miserable I was when I came to this place. You welcomed me with warm hands. Your friendly staff and personal service made me feel like I was staying at a home away from home. Once again, I thank you for your hospitality and for making me feel so welcomed.”

Manase is actively searching for employment, she is diligently sending out her CV for every opportunity that comes up in the newspapers and the job sites on the internet.

James Dhludhlu is a 40 year old man, who is also a shelter client at MES Kempton Park and proof that hard work does pay. Through the GROW programme, we have recently managed to secure a temporary job for him at a nearby construction site.

James shares his story: “Originally I come from Tembisa. A few years ago I lost my job and started to experience some conflict with my family, this led to me falling ill with no one to help me and no place to sleep. When I came to MES Kempton Park, my story changed. MES gave me accommodation and I got involved in the GROW programme. In 2017 I got a job at a construction site in Nimrod Park and I was able to rent out my own place. However the construction job came to an end and I found myself going back to MES Kempton in October 2019, at this point I had lost all hope and didn’t see any hope for me and my future.

But MES and the church close to MES helped me and gave me a chance. They helped me with counselling which gave me hope for the future. Now I’m strong mentally, physically and spiritually. I am a believer and have faith in God through the lessons of life and with brother Soul (the Social Auxiliary worker) always encouraging me to not lose hope and to be patient.

At MES I have a shelter over my head, food to eat and clothes to wear which makes me very thankful. To my fellow brothers and sisters I would like to say first trust God with all your life. Then set long term goals for yourself, don’t be short sighted but work for a better future. MES is a place where you can turn your life around. MES cannot help to turn you or your life around if you don’t discipline yourself, it is your choice. You will not find the right answers in drugs or alcohol.”

James Geldenhuys is a 37 year old male, whose journey with MES started as a shelter client in July 2019.

After joining the GROW job rehabilitation programme, his life story was revealed, during a skills session, presented by our Social Auxiliary worker, Soul Malatji. On that specific Monday morning, James had the courage to come forth and state that he had anger issues and needed help.

This revelation, encouraged us as a branch to start with counselling sessions. However, as our staff resources are very limited, we approached volunteer counsellors to assist us with these type of sessions. James was then also the first client to attend regular sessions and always completed his homework with diligence. He eventually progressed so well that he eventually landed a job and moved out of the shelter. James is still continuously attending counselling sessions and busy with his emotional healing journey. “We are grateful for our volunteer counsellors assisting us with making a difference in the lives of our clients at MES” said Helena van Blerk, Branch Manager.

Soul added “I worked very closely with James during the time at which he was a part of GROW. During this time I got to learn more about his life as well as his character. I am very proud of how hard James has worked to change his life for the better.”

Zakhele Nkosi is a 25 year young man who reflects an example of an individual that MES has helped against the odds stacked up against him.

Zakhele was born in Booysens, Gauteng and attended a boarding school in Magaliesburg from when he was 4 until the age of 18 when he dropped out of school to live with his mother. In 2011 his mother, unfortunately passed away, leaving him with his grandparents in Standerton where he had given up on life after the untimely death of his mother. He soon became involved in robbery and dealing drugs.

He adopted a belief system where he was God and did not need to depend on any other person for spiritual guidance. He became a violent individual and was soon asked to leave his sister’s house which he had been living in.

He moved to Hillbrow and met a MES client by the name of Lucus, who introduced him to Pastor Pholoba. The pastor preached to him and with some time, he accepted Jesus. The pastor exposed him to the MES culture and cared for him as his own. He entered the GROW job rehabilitation programme and the pastor assisted him with a place to stay. He is now independent and works at a restaurant in New Town. He has also been given the opportunity to study Theology in Pietermaritzburg as his dream is to become a pastor and facilitate the process of saving others as he was saved.

Lubabalo Mpayipeli is 30 old and he comes from Eastern Cape. After completing matric he wanted to study tourism but due to lack of finances he couldn’t pursue this dream. Both his parents are pensioners and could not afford to support him financially.

He then decided to come to Johannesburg in search of work opportunites. Unfortunately life was tough for him and he slept on the streets sometimes. When he had money he booked himself in a shelter. Through word of mouth he heard about MES and came to seek for help at Assessment Centre. MES informed him about the courses we offer. While waiting for training he was integrated in GROW project so that he can meet his daily needs.

After a month he did computer literacy and was offered free accommodation at Ekuthuleni for the duration of his training. He completed his training and is hoping to find permanent employment. While waiting for the latter he continues to participate in the project and is grateful for what MES has done for him.

Ferron Hancock is a 24 year old young man from Free State. He is currently sleeping at Ekhaya overnight shelter. He left home because of domestic problems which started after the death of his mom who was then married and living with Ferron’s step dad.

Apparently after his mom died he received threats from his step dad and step siblings because they wanted a share of Ferron’s late mom’s estate. As a result he felt unsafe and decided to relocate to Johannesburg for a peaceful life and better opportunities. He was in Johannesburg for a week and had no support system whatsoever.

MES assisted him with accommodation at our overnight shelter and integrated him into the GROW project. Surprisingly during the F2G (free to grow) training he remembered that he loved farming and that passion was again revived. He is currently doing gardening in our creches, growing vegetables. He was also assisted with re-application of a new ID card and will do computer literacy training next year.

We celebrate with Ayanda Sende for a new job she has found at Soweto Bulletin newspaper company.

She is employed as an Advertising & sales executive and is on three months’ probation.

Should she prove herself to be competent she will sign a contract for a permanent position. She will also write an article on spiritual upliftment for the newspaper.