The Car Guard

CHRONICLES

The Car Guard Chronicles

"A car guard is an informally employed person in charge of finding parking spots for cars and ensuring the safety of those cars until their owners return".

I hope my images will inspire us to be more tolerant and understanding towards each other. This project aims to document the everyday life of car guards in South Africa. I believe that just a bit of humility can change someones day. I believe in being treated with dignity no matter who you are or what you do in this world. I observe the beauty in the survival and the creativity of the entrepreneur. I have hope. Always.

Tomorrow is another day..

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey and for reading and viewing.

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts or mail me directly.

MEET OUR

CAR GUARDS

Andries

Franzina

Erika

Rudolf

Rudolf, has been a car guard for 3 years. He used to be the manager at Electric Express. He says 600 shops closed in one year, everyone was let go. “ Ek het verkeerd gaan swot, ek sit hier met n HR graad, ek wou nog altyd gehire en gefire het”

He his a 31 year old,from Carletonville. He has a son and makes sure to pay his maintenance of R1200 every month, he tells me that there isn't even a question. He told me that he only gets to see his son once a month, as he lives with his ex in Springs.

The ‘Golden Girls’ 4 senior ladies pull up in a parking spot. The are wearing bright polyester flees jumpers. The driver gets out and walks straight up to Rudolf, she pays him before they go into the shop, when I ask why he laughs and says by the time he leaves they will still be doing shopping. He tells me she is here everyday, he knows her well. He works on the same spot everyday. He said that most of these people were his  customers at the shop so they know him well. He has been involved in the centre for over 8 years.

I asked what he did before he worked in retail. He said he worked on the mines, “ek het my blasting ticket en als”. He chose to leave Western deep levels, he said in his opinion that it was either his life or the mine, he explains that he had to dig people out ‘fall of ground’ and that enough was enough. He needed a new start.I t’s not that he wanted to be a car guard he just couldn't find another job he sent his CV out everywhere.  “ Dame ek bly in n huis wat R7000 n maand kos ek het nie n keuse nie ek moet hier staan”

Before I take his photo, he apologizes for not shaving. He tells me that his friend was in a bike accident last night and it was a crazy night. I asked if he was ok and he said he came away with a broken arm but his bike is a goner. He smiles and tells me he used to be a biker but when he got married he had to choose between the bike and his wife. They got married before he became a car guard. He said that she gets a long with his son very well. 

He says that he makes enough money to survive, he also owns a creche that is run by his wife and 3 other teachers and a panel beaters. He works half day as a guard.

In his off time he doesn't say no to a party he loves music and he loves to dance.

He tells me that people treat him well because he is  a peoples person, you need to treat people the way you would wanted to be treated. “ As jy heeldag met n dik bek staan gaan mense dit optel en dit gaan oor hoe jy met mense werk”. Then he started asking me questions…”nou waarmee sukkel jy” ? I found this such a typical HR trait, and told him a bit about myself.

He told me that the strangest thing that has happened to him during his time as a car guard is when an old lady “ambushed” him….She had asked him to come talk to a group of woman..when he got there it was a church group of over 300.

Oom Deon

When I stopped at the parking lot of ‘Gezina Stad’ as the locals call it, I was super confused, did I manage to time warp myself to Texas? This amazingly interesting looking car guard was standing there over looking an insane amount of cars, like a scene out of a western movie.

I obviously walked straight up to him and started chatting to him. His name is ‘Oom Deon’ and I didn't even ask, I knew he was the leading man of the lot. He had such a strong, yet calm demeanor. 

Oom Deon has been working as a car guard at Gezina Centre for 20 years, he tells me that over the years he has seen a lot of things, good and bad. He tells me that these days the bad guys come armed, although he said that he had never feared for his life. He quickly reminds me that one should never try and be a hero and that these guys will shoot if you get in their way “as hulle wapens uithaal en jy gee nie pad nie, glo ek hulle gaan jou skiet”

He worked at Nissan’s factory in Rosslyn for 13 years, he then took a severance package when they offered one, “ Ek het die pakket gevat, toe hul dit aanbied” and became a car guard.

He is married and has 3 children, his youngest was still at school when he became a car guard. They are all grown now and it is just his wife and himself that live in Gezina. Deon’s wife is a “huisvrou” and she looks after their grand kids.

He told me he is originally from “die Boland” in Westen Cape, he said that he prays for god to show him a way back to the Cape but there is no work down there. When he finished school he joined the correctional services, he tells me they had transferred him ‘up’ here. That was back in 1973. He worked there for 6 years. He tells me that it was their job to keep an eye on the prisoners and that things were very different back then.. He looked at me knowing that I had no idea what the inside walls of prison looked like, and told me to watch the movie “vyfster” he says that it depicts the situation of the correctional service he had done. “As jy will sien wat daar binne aangaan, kry vir jou die fliek, dit is identies wat daar aangaan, identies.” I found a video on youtube if you want to watch it <a dataquery="#textLink_iqbcdj5p">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXrBaUmjnhk</a> (I watched half of it and it made me feel young, as I had never heard of it before, all though the theme tune sounded familiar).

I asked him if it was difficult and he quickly said no, he told me that one  needs to go for training in Kroonstad at the college for correctional services for 6 months and then they place you at the different stations.

He told me how the prisoners come across as normal ‘people’ to him, he was never scared and some even seemed to be perfect gentlemen. “Ek moet se hulle het hulle gedra”

I enjoyed listening to him reminisce, he spoke about a man, a millionaire called Ronald Cohen. He was charged for murdering his wife. Oom Deon tells me that he spoke to him many times and he seemed to be a very ‘normal guy’. You never really know anyone. You can read the murder mystery of Ronald Cohen here <a dataquery="#textLink_iqbcdj5p1">http://www.africacrime-mystery.co.za/books/fsac/chp16.htm</a>

While we were talking, his walkie-talkie joined the conversation, he lifted his yellow vest and showed off his 3 walkie-talkies. He told me that he is well connected and that he knows everyone in “die Moot”. The one is for community service (GPF) connection, the other one is to connect with the security and the police and the other one is for the guards.

Deon said that they pay R40 a day to be guards at the centre. He told me that he doesn't really understand why.On average, on a good day he takes home R200. 

He tells me that his day was made the other day when someone came to him and told him how they were glad that he was there and that they appreciate him and they gave him a nice ‘donation’.

He says the sun is his worst enemy in the summer and that he needs to wear sunblock.  But its ok in the winter and he quickly explains that he has excellent health and that he only wears his sunglasses for the sun, “ Ek is darem nog nie op die brille en pille nie”.

He says its hard on him when people treat them bad. The forms of thank you accepted by Oom Deon is food, cooldrinks, sweets and money.

Gert

I recently had a photoshoot at Wollies Animal Shelter in Wolmer, Pretoria- North. After the shoot I met Gert. He works as a car guard at the shelter every Saturday, and public holidays. He only works for tips at Wollies. His daughter has the doggy parlour at the shelter, he explains to met that he wouldn't be-able to get here if she didn’t. He had a stroke a few years ago. Gert then told me that he has a drivers license but he doesn't want to be behind the wheel of a car, he told me this in a responsible tone.



I asked Gert what he does during the week and he told me that he works in Hercules close to where he lives as a car guard at a crafters place twice a week. He explained to me that he in fact is a pensioner, but the pension he receives is not enough so he relies on these jobs for extra income “elke sent help, wat is die pension van ons?”  They had asked him to come and help as a guard as they have another guard that needs off days so he fills in when he is off. They pay him R120 per day, and he says that he doesn't make much more than that on tips. He works from 8:30 -17:30.

He used to work for Sasol all his life before he had a stroke. This was in 2004. He tells me that he still has problems with his hands and feet, but he is fully mobile “Ek loop die wereld vol”

He told me that he grew up in Kameeldrift West, on the mountain, just off the road heading towards Hartbeespoort Dam . I was kind of in disbelieve, turns out Gert and I went to the same primary school (obviously not the same year). He spoke about his childhood and neighbours, and took me back to mine. 



It was so great listening to him talk about the ‘town’ and how great it was to grow up with the Magalies basically in your back yard. If you were to go there now, no one would believe the amazing childhood we had,it has changed, everything is different except that beautiful mountain and the blue gum trees. My sister and myself took a trip down memory lane a few years ago and went to have a look at our childhood home, we were disappointed. The amazing place we loved and once knew didn't exist anymore. They say you should never go back. 

Anyway i just found it so random that we had so much in common and realized once again how small the world is.



Gert is married, he says that he will never leave his wife “sy kan mos nie meer loop nie”. He tells me that they are going back to hospital on Monday,  she has been struggling to find a spot at the hospital for a knee operation that she desperately needs. “Ons is mos ou mense ons gaan eers dood gaan voor hul ons help, 5 jaar nou al wat hul ons rond neuk". He also said that if they could go to Steve Biko they would have been helped ages ago but they need to go to the government hospital that covers their area, Hercules. The hospital they need to go to is the Kalafong Hospital, a public hospital in Pretoria, Gauteng. The hospital is situated on the western outskirts of Pretoria in the suburb of Atteridgeville. He looked hopeful and tired at the same time and told me how they have made promises that they don't keep, she was supposed to have her first knee done in December.. Gert explains to me how difficult it is for his wife not to be mobile. They both live in a granny flat behind his daughters home. He tells me how his wife can barely walk..”sy gan so bietjie aan met die ‘kierie’s’”.He said that If she doesn't have something to hold on to she cant walk. He sadly laughed and then said that its old age getting to them. 

I told him that it was nice of him to come here and ‘help’ as a car guard on Saturdays at the animal shelter. He told me that he needs to keep busy “as ek by die huis sit gaan ek ook net dood gaan, ek moet besig bly, ek kan nie by die huis sit nie”



Gert has been a car guard for almost a year, I asked him in his experience as a guard what he thought of people in general. He responded by telling me this: “ Jy kry vieslike mense hoor, jy kry darm maar snaakse mense” he said that some people treat him like he doesn't exist until something goes wrong.



I asked if I could take his picture for my project, he was wearing sunglasses, and told me how he had cataract surgery in both his eyes. He bragged how well he can see now.

SOUTH AFRICA

Special thanks to Instax Fuji Film for sponsoring film and Olympus for the dictaphone.

Every guard gets to instantly keep the memory of our chat.

INSTAX MEMORIES

Car Guard Chronicles

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Car Guard Chronicles

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Car Guard Chronicles

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Car Guard Chronicles

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Disclaimer;

The stories told are by no means my own. They are not researched facts, they have only been written down as told to me. I do not intend to insult or accuse anyone by the words used in this blog. Please contact me directly.

The Car Guard

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CHRONICLES

The Car Guard Chronicles

Tomorrow is another day..

MEET OUR

CAR GUARDS

Rudolf

Oom Deon

Gert

SOUTH AFRICA

Special thanks to Instax Fuji Film for sponsoring film and Olympus for the dictaphone.

Every guard gets to instantly keep the memory of our chat.

INSTAX MEMORIES