Law enforcement shatters homeless man’s dreams

Kenneth Oramula has been staying on the river bank for over three months. He said law enforcement officers (he does not know from which agency) destroyed his shelter and took some of his belongings.

“These people, they just come and destroy, telling us to move because we are not wanted here. They do not tell us where to go, but they act in a very angry manner as if we were harming other residents by being here,” says Oramula.

“I have handmade crafts to sell and I am thinking of having a store near the river park where people sit and relax. I see the area as a business place for me and I look at myself as a potential business person.”

He excitedly shows a sizeable collection of animal wood carvings, which he describes as his ticket out of poverty.

Kenneth Oramula shows a few pieces of his collection of animal carvings. Photo by Shadi Garman.

Oramula describes living by the river as comforting; he feels at peace with nature here and believes his soul is being restored.

He sleeps in a shelter made of wooden boards and a few dirty sheets. Inside the shelter there is only enough space to lie down. He uses clothes, blankets and other materials to form a makeshift bed.

Oramula said that when it rained heavily the other night, he needed to rebuild his shelter. He said law enforcement had also destroyed his home twice in two weeks.

Outside the shelter, he has made a space for a kitchen fire, pots and other cooking utensils. When GroundUp visited it the first time it was neat and swept tidy and Oramula was cooking beans and sweet potatoes in a tin on the fire. There was also a ginger cat which lives among the homeless.

Oramula said that on Tuesday night the strong winds had scared him. But in the morning, his heart was still beating, he says, describing his relief to still be alive. He says he felt okay and ready to make the best of the new day that was given to him.

“Now I have to clean up the mess that was made by the officials because when visitors come, they will think we are making the place untidy. I am a very neat person.”

“I have dreams and I am going to succeed and progress in life. This is not where I am going to end. I was not born to stay in such a place, but because of my transgressions, I am paying the price,” says Oramula.

Oramula at his shelter on the river bank. Photo by Shadi Garman.

Oramula was reluctant to say where exactly in Africa he came from, but he did say he came to Cape Town in 2004 looking for a better life. Life changed after he was arrested for drinking and driving.

“When I came back [from prison], I had lost everything — my flat, friends, my car and everything else. I had to start a new life. I had no choice but to stay on the streets, since I had nowhere else to go.”

“I sold things at the robots and made a small business for myself. But people kept on stealing my money … Since my arrest, I have not drunk alcohol. Sometimes people take advantage of me and ask me for money,” he says.

Oramula says that he will have to leave the area because he doesn’t want to get into trouble with the law.

“Before people misjudge the homeless they should at least try to understand why they are homeless, because everyone has a story and most have dreams. Some don’t choose to be homeless, and when they are forcefully moved and their belongings are destroyed, those plans are shattered,” said Oramula.

Oramula’s shelter on the Liesbeek. Photo by Shadi Garman.