“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”.
These words by Randall Terry were bought home to me when I read this warning that was circulated on social media recently.
Why did the words and the warning affect me?
Towards the end of 2020, I noticed the seemingly homeless family mentioned in the Information Brief trundling around the Greenside, Victory Park, Linden area. Mom and dad pulling a trolley with a small girl perched on it. It was the girl that drew my attention to them, but as I was in traffic and they were headed in the opposite direction, there was no way that I could interact with them.
A few weeks later, on one of my morning walks, I noticed them once again. This time clustered around a tent pitched just below the Emmarentia Dam wall. Once again I was unable to stop and although I returned after my exercise, they had moved on and left no traces behind.
Weeks passed and they seemed to have left the area, but then as luck would have it I found them once again near the dam but they disappeared while I had been busy parking my car.
Just a few days ago, I found Mom and Dad again and I was able to stop and chat with them.
I introduced myself and asked their names, Dad was very forthcoming but Mom kept her eyes on the ground and mumbled her name. I did ask her three times to repeat it as she was speaking very quietly. Eventually, she turned away from me and her body language said that she did not want to interact.
Dad on the other hand was extremely garrulous and very well-spoken. He assured me that aside from dagga he did not do drugs and was looking to find his feet after having lost everything due to COVID-19.
When I mentioned that I wanted to do an article about their ‘plight’ he was immediately on board and was keen to have his story told.
It was at this point I inquired about his daughter and he told me that she had been put in a place of safety. True, but only partially so as I later was to find out. He had not placed her there, a court had!
He also mentioned at this point that without her on the trolley, their earnings had dwindled to virtually zero and that she had been the ‘bread-winner' of the family. He seemed more upset about the fact that he had lost their chief source of income, rather than be happy knowing that she was safe and had regular meals and a roof over her head.
We chatted for a while about how tough he had found 2020 and that his previous employer had closed the company and not paid him, but he did say that he was doing paid piece work on an irregular basis which gave them enough for food and airtime.
We parted ways with me promising to call and set up a meeting where I could write their story, but as I left I felt ‘guilty that I was going home to a meal and that they were standing on a street corner not having eaten for two days…or that was his story and I had no reason not to believe him.
I quickly visited a nearby supermarket and coffee shop and got them something to eat and coffee to keep them warm.
I walked away with their grateful thanks ringing in my ears.
During the final 2km of my walk home, I played the interaction over repeatedly in my head, trying to believe the scenario entirely, but at the same time, a small niggle of doubt was starting to creep in. The more I thought, the less I was inclined to believe Dad.
By the time I reached our home, I decided that I was going to do some research before writing the story. With Fake News being so prevalent and social media being what it is, I was in no mood to be trolled for the wrong reasons.
And then the CPF notice popped up. I immediately called the person responsible for the posting and we had a long conversation about this family and what the truth really was.
From what I can gather the following is true:
1] The child has been placed in a safe facility. She is 7 but looks 5 and had was emaciated almost to the point of starvation. She has been placed into a system where the parents/family will have no access to her. My fervent hope is that she eventually turns into a well-balanced woman that will go on to do great things…but I will never have access to her or her story
2] Both Mom and Dad are meth addicts who have checked in and out of rehab facilities on more than one occasion.
3] When they were checked into the most recent facility they were found to have a large amount of cash on them, all given to them by suburban residents, who, like me, had believed their story.
4] They checked themselves out of rehab recently to once again walk the streets looking for money and handouts.
5] Dad is so well-spoken and believable that I too was taken in. I was ready to write his story and pay him for it. He was also able to fool the social worker at the CPF into believing his story...for a while. And he eventually alienated both a Captain at the Linden Police Station and the Magistrate who heard the case when the daughter was removed from him.
I am grateful to all those who do great work at the CPF and their efforts to make our streets safe and ensure that those who are genuinely in need are taken care of.
UPDATE: In the week since our encounter I have kept an eye open for them to allow a right of response should Dad wish to comment, but as in the past, I have been unable to locate them.
