Community rallies in support of Jabu and Patti

MY editor once said a journalist’s duty is to effect change, call me the eternal pessimist, but I never truly believed that until a chance meeting with Jabu Dume and his dog Patti.

As a homeless man, Jabu only had one possession that he truly cared about: his dog, Patti. He slept on the beach and Patti would often lie next to him shielding him from the cold sandy wind. They spent all of their time together and he always made sure she had food, even if he didn’t have any himself.

After last week’s story in Northglen News about the lifelong companions, there has been an outpouring of support for the duo. When I met with Jabu this week, he rushed up to me and shook my hands elatedly and he simply said ‘Thank you my brother’.

He told me a day after the article hit the streets, an uMhlanga resident had come to him with a number of items, including food and blankets but the same person had also offered him a job in uMhlanga.

“He came to me and said Jabu I can’t offer you a place to stay but I can give you a job. He said he would drop me off and fetch me everyday,” Jabu said.

‘I’m so happy Jabu’ was my response to which he succinctly said ‘not as happy as me my brother’. Since then more than 15 residents have called in to offer Jabu and Patti whatever help they have needed.

“I know Patti can’t speak but there’s a new energy in the way her tail wags. I’m so grateful to all the residents who have brought food for her and for all the help given to me. My life is changing in ways I never dreamed,” he said.

Jabu who has lived on the street since he was 16, washed cars and survived off the scraps he found in trash cans, said his life changed the day he met Patti.

“There were days when I wouldn’t eat but I always made sure Patti would. Now being able to work and having the help of the community has meant I can provide for not only myself but for Patti and my friends,” he said.

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