This story was reported by a community journalist trained through our Social Determinants of Health Reporting Project, funded by Tekano.
Jack Kgodumo has lived on the streets of Bloemfontein for over 20 years. Now aged 39, he’s bracing himself for the cold snap expected over the next week.
“You can’t get comfortable on winter nights, your hands stop working right, your feet burn, and then go numb. You can’t fully rest. You don’t sleep, you brace,” he tells Health-e News.
“Because in this kind of cold, your body doesn’t relax. It survives. Your breathing gets shallow. Your muscles stay tight. Your brain narrows its focus.”
As the temperature drops to near freezing, organisations like the South African Red Cross Society assist by handing out blankets.
Kgodumo was given one last year. He sold it.
“Living on the streets blinds you. We don’t get to keep important things for ourselves. We end up selling things. We get blankets once a year, but some of us sell them for drugs,” he explains.
“I know I need a blanket, but if I continue to stay on the streets, I’d sell it again because I need to eat and survive.”
Neo Ndakana, the branch manager of the Bloemfontein Red Cross Society, says they’ll continue their annual winter drives.
“We take note of the homeless, and we note the public’s concerns over helping the homeless who sell the goods we donate,” she says.
Ndakana says it would be unfair to paint everyone with the same brush.
“We give help where it is due, and we don’t monitor what they do afterwards because they are homeless. Some don’t sell, but they eventually lose them to crime.”
Grateful for a blanket
Jacky Ramanamane, who grew up on the streets, is hopeful she’ll receive a blanket or two this winter to help stave off the cold.
She stays at the Central Park train station, a popular spot for vulnerable people seeking shelter. Handouts from the public and donor organisations help her survive.
“I get free clothes from people, mostly students from various areas,” she says.
Jabulani Jikila (27) came to Bloemfontein to study, but ended up on the streets due to drug addiction. He’s grateful to have survived the cold and recent rains that hit the city, and hopes to receive a blanket this year.
“The rains terrorised us. I’m going to need a few blankets to survive this winter. We don’t have enough old tyres to burn throughout the night to keep warm,” he says.
Kgodumo says on the coldest of nights, he has considered going back home. But the shame of how his life has turned out keeps him at bay.
Rising numbers of homeless people
According to Statistics South Africa, the country has seen an increase in homelessness from 39 713 in 2011 to more than 55 000 in 2022. Most of the homeless population is concentrated in the metros. Mangaung, the municipality in which Bloemfontein is located, accounts for 3.3% of the country’s homeless population.
Research shows that people living on the street are among the most vulnerable to illness. Prolonged exposure to cold weather puts them at risk of hypothermia. Cold exposure also makes people vulnerable to respiratory infections and other diseases. “We are ready to assist our people during the times when temperatures drop. We are urging our people to help each other to survive chilling and freezing weather,” Free State health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi says. – Health-e News
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