Like so many in South Africa, Koos Pretorius has faced hardship in his life, however, he has not let this get him down and he has persevered to inspire others.
The NEWS caught up with the 47-year-old when he was recently spotted cleaning the intersection at the R24 Eastbound offramp.
Armed only with a second-hand grass broom and a plastic tray, Koos keeps the intersection clean by sweeping litter, debris and dirt out of the intersection and onto the tray.
A sign on the pavement near him explained what he was doing: “Good day [this is a] voluntary clean up, all or any donations will be appreciated. God bless, enjoy your day”.
Not one to shy away from hard work, Koos has been a firm believer in the philosophy of “if you don’t sweat then you won’t eat”.
He said growing up in Edenvale is where he learned how to work.
“There are some people who don’t want to work and who would rather beg but I am not one of them.”
Before lockdown, Koos would gather recyclable materials from which he would earn a living.
Koos said the decision to clean the intersection stemmed from the idea of Edenvale being his home town and important to him.
He is assisted by his nephew Daniel.
“Edenvale is not only my hometown it is my spiritual house, it’s important to build and look after your spiritual kingdom first and then look after yourself.”
He explained that reactions from the community range from thankfulness to ridicule.
“Some community members will see what I’m doing and give me donations of money, food or even clothes while others will laugh or make fun of what I am doing.”
Growing up
Although he sleeps where he can in Edenvale, Koos, who has also lived in Primrose, was originally born in Vereeniging in 1973 on Christmas Day.
At the age of two, he was placed in foster care.
Although he spent several years separated from his biological parents, Koos was reunited with his family when he was almost 12-years-old.
By that time Koos’ father had acquired a job working at Norman House (present-day Don Mattera Child a Youth Care Centre).
“At first it was strange returning to my family, I had been away from my parents for so long so I didn’t recognise them.”
Once reunited with his family Koos stayed with his parents at the family home, a property near Don Mattera provided by the government because of the work Koos’ father did.
As a young teenager, Koos would wash cars behind Eden Mall for R2 each earning anywhere between R60 and R120 a carwash session.
As he got older, he worked at the Meadowdale Checkers Hyperama on Fridays and Saturdays where he earned R220 a weekend.
Koos said most of the money he earned was given to his parents.
Koos said the family lived there until his father was unfairly dismissed and the sheriff of the court evicted the family out of the property.
“My father was so upset by what happened to us that he told the sheriff of the court he would burn the family’s belongings if we were thrown out the house.”
Koos said once the family was evicted his father kept true to his word and burnt some of the family’s belongings in front of the home.
Shortly after the family was evicted, Koos’ brother was able to get a loan for a home and bought a property in Maroela Road in Primrose where the family lived until 2013 when Koos’ mom sold the property.
Homecoming
“After the family home was sold, I moved around. I was in the Cape and I was in Port Elizabeth for a while but I could not find work.
“One day God told me I must return to Edenvale because the people there need me.”
In 2015 Koos returned to Gauteng and started living in Primrose. There he was approached by a stranger who asked him where his family was and told him his mother was in need.
Koos explained that because the man was a stranger, he didn’t think much of it and didn’t take action.
The man returned to Koos two times thereafter offering Koos money to go to his mother and then warning Koos a final time to take action and contact his mother.
Upon hearing the final warning, Koos decided to act and seek out his mother.
He came into contact with Mike, one of his father’s old school friends, who invited Koos to move from Primrose to Edenvale.
“I was alone, I didn’t have any friends but while walking to Edenvale I met the family of my brother’s ex-girlfriend who gave me his number. Through my brother, I was able to contact my mom and when I asked her what was wrong, she just started crying.”
Koos’ mother was involved with a building development that had run into problems.
He said although the matter put immense stress on her it was resolved before Koos’ mom died in 2018.
Appeal for assistance
Koos is appealing to the community for donations of garden equipment such as a spade, rake, broom and wheelbarrow.
When the NEWS spoke to him last, he was working at the intersection of the R24 Eastbound offramp.
