Since arriving in
Johannesburg, South Africa, from his native King William’s Town in Eastern
Cape, Mayenzeke Shiyani has had a hole in the wall on Commissioner Street as
home. These peculiar living arrangements have attracted a whole lot of people,
who have come around to see this odd scene.
Shiyani comments he
misses many things from his original home, including his two sisters, his
mother, “and waking up to Morvite, Weetbix and Jungle Oats for breakfast.”
He now spends most of
his time neatly tucked away inside the large cavity, which is long enough to
hold him completely stretched out in a sleeping position. It is not very high
nonetheless, only about two feet tall.
He does not leave his
hole very often, only to wash himself, buy some food, or sit around to hear his
favorite radio stations on the small transmitter device he always carries with
him.
The hours he is
normally away are between 2 pm and 6 pm. “I walk to the filling station with my
two-liter bottle to fetch water to bath by the corner."
People get curious about Shiyani's peculiar living arrangements.
The only other few
possessions he has are a digital watch, some fake gold bands, a backpack, his
ID book, which he has filled with photos and a poster.
His present “chambers”
may be quite humble, but Shiyani has the tiny space very neatly organized and
clean. Many people pass him by but do not manage to see him, because the space
is partially hidden behind trees, which gives him a relative privacy. “There
are many homeless sleeping around the station,” Captain Xoli Mbele, from the
nearby Johannesburg Central Police station said.
Shiyani claims he is a
high-ranking clan member back in his hometown, and a “leader of soldiers”, but
has not made it clear yet what his intentions in Johannesburg are.
No comments:
Post a Comment