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People’s Post
SEA POINT
Homeless keep beach clean KAYLYNNE BANTOM KAYLYNNE.BANTOM@MEDIA24.COM
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ou won’t find an empty packet, glass bottle, plastic or even shells on Rocklands beach in Sea Point and that’s all thanks to Cornelius Lewis (68) and Raphael Felix (36), two homeless men who devote their time to keeping it clean. It’s a task the duo enthusiastically takes on daily from 06:00, seven days a week, free of charge. Lewis says the initiative began five years ago when he found himself hungry and looking for something to eat. He ended up at a petrol station in Green Point where he met a man whom he only knows as Daniel. “I asked him for something to eat, and he went into the garage and came out with a pie and a cup of coffee for me. I was so grateful. He asked me if I have done any work for the day, I said no. So, we went to his flat and he came out with a refuse bag and told me to go clean the beach.” Lewis says without hesitation he followed Daniel’s orders and in no time, this became his regular routine. “I love the people and the environment. Every morning I walk from the shelter where I stay in Woodstock at 04:45 so that I can be at Rocklands Beach at 06:00. I walk with my shovel and my water boots,” he adds. Lewis says circumstances led him to the streets. “I used to be married and I have four children. But my wife and I divorced eight years ago. I lived with family members for a while but that didn’t work out,” Lewis says. He adds that life on the street is not easy. But he is content cleaning the beach. Felix says he joined Le-
wis in his cleaning venture more than a year ago. “I was sitting on the rocks and I saw Cornelius cleaning the beach every day. I decided to go and help him because I saw my dad in him,” he says. Felix, who says he was an A-student at school, explains that his life took a turn for the worse when he was 18. “I used to be good at school and got more than 90% for maths. But in Grade 11 I decided to leave school. I then got mixed up with some wrong friends and I ended up going to prison,” he recalls. When he was released in 2017, he says he found himself on the streets. “That’s when I started coming to the beach quite often and met Cornelius. He took me under his wing and now we clean the beach together,” he says. Felix, a father of two, says he is determined to turn his life around and hopes to finish his matric soon. The pair says keeping the beach spotless makes them feel positive. “We explain to people the importance of caring for the environment,” says Felix. Kevin Alexander, fieldworker at Project H.O.P.E (Homelessness Outreach Prevention and Education) an initiative created by the Sea Point, Fresnaye, Bantry Bay Ratepayers Association to assist homeless people, says the men are passionate about what they do. He explains that a crowd-funding campaign has been created and the proceeds raised will go toward the outreach programmes for homeless people as well as fund transport for people who would like to leave the streets. The pair says they hope their efforts will inspire others. “There are eight beaches along this stretch here on the Promenade. So, there is work to be done,” says Lewis.
Cornelius Lewis (68) and Raphael Felix (36), two homeless men, devote their time to keeping Rocklands Beach clean. PHOTOS: KAYLYNNE BANTOM