Buccleuch, Gauteng 18 October - Car Guards from the Congo
How does one find a starting point… I suppose just to start. So October 18th is the day to start my long promised blog. Sitting outside in Gauteng with a glorious October evening, radio Midrand playing some good music (a change from 5FM and Classic FM), mozzies beginning to bite, birds still active. I decided a starting point was to write about some of the people I come across in my day to day activities and maybe present a different face of Jhb.
Kelvin is my local yokel shopping centre - Post Office, Pick n Pay, Hardware and Pharmacy etc. About a year ago I noticed new car guards - what first struck me was they smiled and worked together as a team and unlike many other car guards around the city added to my day - for those that are not familiar with this service, they provide an informal guarding service for our cars when shopping (sounds more serious than it is?) but generally we see it as help when we have a full trolley and a way of supporting the informal sector who desperately need some sort of income. I decided to tell them what a pleasure it was to see them working as a team and not in competition with each other. A refreshing change and in particular the car guards at the new large Woodmead centre who won’t help you unless you are in the ‘correct lane’! I have got to know these four - Guy (pronounced Gi), Jo jo, Fausten and Laurence while practicing my school French and they their English. One can only be humbled by meeting people like this - they come from a country of unrest and violence, are far away from home and are here as there is more opportunity. They have an energy about their work despite it being so humble - a lesson to those of us with so much more who complain rather than be grateful for what we have. I have many questions in life but one is ‘where does their natural charm come from? Their exposure to the French Colonialists for so many years? Or is it just the French accent? Or have the Congolese always been like this!’ Well! I’m pleased to have met them and will rather go to Kelvin, pay a little more at the Pickn’pay and leave feeling part of a community rather than just getting the cheapest deal!