Just before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown due to the fast increasing number of coronavirus infections, citizens flooded supermarkets buying food and essential items in bulk.
Traffic officer Siphelo Msamo saw a chance to feed the homeless people of Cape Town since they had no option but to ask for help from all the people who are self-isolating.
Twenty-five year old Siphelo, from Khayelitsha, told Vukani that when he was younger he wanted to become a lawyer. However his mom’s dream for him was to help other people through social work.
Due to financial restraints he wasn’t able to pursue either option but still found his purpose in being a traffic officer.
He says having empathy and a giving heart was something that he learned back at home growing up with his five siblings.
His mother, Nolusapho, raised them in a small home with nothing but the money she made from baking and selling scones.
Even in her struggles, she always taught her children the importance of valuing other human beings and the importance of sharing the little things they have with other people, no matter how much society sidelines them.
The traffic officer believes that everyone is born with a purpose, and he believes he has been called to help and serve others.
“For me, helping others is a ministry. It’s something I don’t take lightly. I pray people realise that and start doing what they can too. Imagine how beautiful the world would be if we all just did what we can to make another person’s life easier?”
“You find different people on the streets with different needs, some have babies, some are sick and others are hungry. I thank God who made me able to assist and the job that he has given me so that I can make a difference in other people’s lives”.
Siphelo’s long term goal is to register a non-profit organisation and an orphanage that will help take people off the streets and into a shelter that will not only feed and clothe them but also give them skills that will help them become independent and have spiritual leaders to help with counselling the kids.
“There is nothing I love more than helping people. It makes me feel purposeful. It’s amazing what a little independence can do for someone’s self-esteem and view of their worth, and if I can help provide that through the resources God has given me access to, I’ll do anything not to miss that opportunity.”