TWENTY-two-year-old Thembelihle Ngcobo left the only home she knew in the South Coast in search of her mother.
Four years later, Ngcobo stands at the traffic lights in the corner of Westville Road and Blair Atholl trying to make a living by showing off her designs with the hope that someone will recognise her talent.
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The homeless aspiring young designer told the Highway Mail that her mother, Nokwazi Hadebe left her home in 2014 to work as a domestic worker in Westville.
“For two years, she would visit regularly and then in 2016, she just stopped visiting with no explanation,” sighed Ngcobo.
To make matters worse, Ngcobo explained that during the same year, her grandmother became ill and passed away.
“I was in matric, and those painful incidents resulted in me failing Grade 12.
“The happy, warm home I grew up in turned cold and bitter, I was only left with my uncle who was an alcoholic and very aggressive. In 2017, I decided to come to Westville with the hope to find my mother,” she said.
Due to being homeless, Ngcobo said she no longer has her mother’s picture in her possession as her items were stolen.
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“I do not drink or smoke, not everyone on the streets is an addict. Life’s circumstances led me here, I just want to find my mother and go back to school.”
When asked about her designs, Ngcobo smiled, looked at her board and said I have many others. “I have always had a drawing talent but unfortunately I can’t sew. By standing here I wish somebody would teach me how to sew so that I can design and make my own clothes,” she said.
The talented designer was able to secure a job when she first arrived in Durban. This allowed her to rent a shack in Clermont.
When the job ended she had to try and make another plan to make ends meet.
“I do not have any relatives or family around here, I don’t even know my father’s family. My mother told me that he died when I was a child.”
She said she survives by the generous handouts she receives from passing motorists.
“Some days are hard but I always try to stay strong and soldier on with the hope that one day things will change for the better. I am still very hopeful.”
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Speaking about the disappearance of her mother, Ngcobo said it is still very painful as she does not know if her mom is still alive.
“It’s always better if you know that someone is dead and you had a chance to bury them. You will know their resting place and then you can have closure,” she said.
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