The Car Guard Chronicles

<p class="font_7">Look at that smile! This is Innocent, he is 33years old. He is originally from Masvingo in Zimbabwe. Great Zimbabwe the ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe is near Lake Mutirikwe and also near the town of Masvingo.</p>

<p class="font_7">He used to be a lettuce farmer in Zimbabwe.&nbsp;</p>

<p class="font_7">When I asked Innocent if he would mind chatting to me, I explained to him what this project was about. He plucked out his massive ‘tablet’ and did a quick google search before agreeing. He then said he loves the project and he vowed to follow it on Facebook. Super cool!</p>

<p class="font_7">He first came over to South Africa in 2004, he came over alone, settled, found accommodation before his wife came over. His wife came over in 2008. Both of his children were born in SA,&nbsp; his daughter in 2010 and his son in 2014. His wife is a chef. He happily tells me that she makes the very best food.&nbsp;</p>

<p class="font_7">He was proud to tell me that he builds tracks here at the Redbarn. The Redbarn is a farm venue and a cycle park. There are 36 kms of scenic tracks at the Redbarn, the tracks weave and wind through a a shady gum tree forest, over rocky African grasslands and farm fields and criss cross the Kaalspruit. Innocent told me that he was very happy and considered himself lucky to work on this project. He works as a car guard on bike during events and weekends.</p>

<p class="font_7">As you can see Innocent is a cyclist too, he told me about the strictness of wearing a helmet when riding. He also told me how he did the Sani to sea race recently. It was over 270km on bike (rather him than me I thought). He said that his boss and USN sponsored him with a bicycle and kit. The energy this man has is incredible I could just see that he loves riding.</p>

<p class="font_7">He now lives close to the Sun Herbs plot, I asked him if he cycles to work everyday, he replied by saying “no, I just come on foot. I don't use the bike to come to work it is not that far”.</p>

<p class="font_7">His Mother still lives in Zimbabwe, his father sadly passed away. He sends money home to help support his mother. He told me that it was hard to leave his country and family behind but he had to make the best choice he could for himself and his wife.</p>

<p class="font_7">While we were speaking Lawrence (with whom I spoke earlier) started speaking to him in another language. I was amazed by his response. He answered Lawrence and then translated what he had just said to me (being polite). It was lunchtime, Lawrence wanted to find out who was going to go buy food. I asked him how on earth he understood Lawrence when he spoke in Chichewa. He then told me that he picked up the language while they worked together. He said to me that he is very good with languages, he could speak 12. He hasn't mastered Afrikaans het as he has no one to speak to and doesn't get the chance to use it.&nbsp;</p>

<p class="font_7">I was well impressed. If it wasn't for lunch time I would have tried my best to teach him some words.</p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">When I asked him how he was, he said good thanks and then said to me in a teasing way..”Muli bwanji?”. Obviously I thought he was making fun of me and didn’t want to speak to me, and yes I thought he was cursing at me. Just as I was about to walk away, to my surprise he said “it means <span style="font-style:italic;">how..</span> are you?”. We both laughed and I was a bit relieved as I really didn’t feel like being blown-off again. It doesn’t happen often but every now and again I come across someone that just doesn’t want to talk to me. I completely understand, say thank you, and leave it at that, I just walk away. Anyway relieved that he was just showing some humour, we both laughed and I asked him where he was from, I didn’t recognise his accent or the language. He explained to me that he spoke to me in Chichewa. Ok Chichewa? Imagine how confused I was. So turns out it is one of the languages he speaks. He then saw my confusion and then said that he also speaks Sena. He also spoke English so well that he was able to be witty.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style=""><span class="wixGuard">​</span></span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">Ok so, I met Lawrence this weekend. He is a Malawian, and originally from Blantyre, the second largest city in Malawi and better known as the commercial capital of Malawi.</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">He first came over to South Africa to visit in 2006, and then decided to stay and find work. He told me that he loves plants and he sees himself as a bit of a farmer. He only works as a car guard on Saturdays. During the week he works at a nursery, he has been working there for 10 years. He told me that he has been a car guard for 3 years and he enjoys the work and the extra income. Naturally I asked him what he does on Sundays (in a joking way), he said to me that Sundays are for church, he wasn't joking. He attends the United Church of Christ (UCC) on Sundays.</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style=""><span class="wixGuard">​</span></span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">He spoke about his wife and children back home in Blantyre. He told me how its hard not being together but he tries to go home once a year. He also told me how lucky he was that he was there for both of his children's births in 2010 and in 2014. It takes him 2days to travel per bus to Malawi, and it costs him R1500 one way.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style=""><span class="wixGuard">​</span></span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">In South Africa he lives in Olifantsfontein. He told me that he likes living there and that he has no troubles. He said that he lived in Winnie Mandela, Tembisa before he lived there, but in 2008 things had gotten bad and there where xenophobia attacks, so he left.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">We spoke another while about his gardening and what he loves about plants. He told me that herbs are his favourite. The place where he works has given him a space to make his own herb garden and he grows all kinds of herbs there. He tells me how he likes to cook with herbs and how he is very popular in ‘Olifants’ and likes to teach others how to cook with herbs. I asked what his favourite meals were and he said “ Thyme, I like to cook with it the most. Make thyme chicken and I also like to make rosemary and beef meals”. That sounded good to me.</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style=""><span class="wixGuard">​</span></span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">Lawrence was a gentle giant type, very charming and I could tell, behind those excited eyes there were heaps of hidden jokes.</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">This man here is called Phillip. He was born in 1953 Polokwane (Pietersburg), Capital of the Limpopo Province. He has been a car guard in Pretoria for 1 year and 6 months. He tells me with smiling eyes that he used to be a very good security man and worked for Chupp and Fidelity Security. When I asked him why the change (without calculating his age) he replied and said “ Ek is nou oud”. He tells me that they paid him out a pension but he still needed to work so he did the only thing he could, he became a car guard.</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">He first worked in Menlyn but it turned out to be to far to travel. So he found this spot here in Centurion and he has been here ever since.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">Phillip lives in Atteridgeville, a township located to the west of Pretoria with his wife and 2 children. I asked about his wife, he told me that she works as a cleaner in Fourways. He told me, still smiling how she was much younger than him “daai vrou van my is nog baie jonk”. His wife was born in 1978.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">They had their first child in 1986, and their second was born in 1994 he said proudly. 1994 was also the year that Phillip got married to her. When I later took a photo of him he told me that he last had his picture taken when he got married, he went on to explain to me how beautiful those pictures where and even offered to bring them so I could see them if I make another turn here. When I handed him the instax mini photo he was so happy he even started calling other guards to come and talk to me.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">When I asked about his earnings he just replied and said that somedays are better than others “ander dag kry ons niks net bietjie en hier by die end van die month is dit beter”.</span></p>

<p class="font_7" style=""><span style="">I asked him if he ever goes back ‘home’, he tells me that he tries to go visit his gogo every 2 months or so..” ek vergeet hoe oud sy is dis al lankal” was his response when I asked how old his grandmother was. I could tell she was a very important person in his life.</span></p>