Thabo Mohlala
Mxolisi Ntshikilana is one of the thousands of children in South Africa who does not have a home and spends all day begging on the streets.
Unlike his counterparts, whose signs are poorly spelled and at the mercy of elements, his is well written and waterproof to boot. The top half his board reads: “I have no food and money; any donations will be greatly appreciated.” The bottom half is an advertisement for a company that offers waterproofing services.
He had a piece of cardboard before with the words “No food, no money, God bles [sic] you.” Then, about three weeks ago, a man came to talk to him, and offered the plastic laminated board instead. Now he attracts more attention with his blue and white board and the homeless boy advertises a service to people who want to improve their homes.
Every day when children his age wake up to go to school, Mxolisi (12) goes to occupy his usual spot on a street corner in Milpark, Johannesburg, where he begs money from passing motorists.
Clad in black top and black jeans, with unkempt hair, a snotty nose and bare feet, he displays his board to cars that stop at the robots. He has a cheeky but pleading look.
Mxolisi was born in the Transkei where he attended school up to standard three. He lives with his mother in Newtown in a deserted building. She collects and sells cardboard boxes, hardly making enough money to survive from day to day. Mxolisi’s father walked out on them a while ago.
Mxolisi was forced on to the streets to augment his mother’s meagre earnings. On a good day he takes home R50 and when “business is bad” he gets a paltry R5 to R10.
“All I need is to get to a shelter, which will make things much easier for me to get to a school,” he says.
Mxolisi’s board was written and sponsored by Aquaproofers, whose owner Trevor Noriskin believes it is a “sponsorship” to street people. He says so far he has given 20 boards free of charge to street people.
Asked why he is using this medium to advertise his business, Noriskin says he employs six men and sometimes business is so bad that it is difficult to pay them.
Has there been any increase in business since street children starting working for him without pay? “This is a recent thing … I only started three weeks ago and I will only be able to tell over a period of time if business improves.
“Whenever I have spare change, I give them something,” Noriskin says.