Nearly three months after an accident, a homeless man who selflessly keeps Main Road clean and clear, is back at work.
Elias Cindi, who has been cleaning Main Road in Bryanston was involved in an accident, which left him unable to work and receive his much-needed income.
He described the accident – that left him with a broken foot – happened a few months ago when a car that drove into the yellow lane. As he was crossing the road, the vehicle hit his leg and broke his foot.
“I was on my way from the garage and was crossing the road when the car hit me. I broke two bones in my foot and was in the hospital for four days. The bones were sticking out.”
Cindi said he was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he stayed for four days, and after two days at a shelter in the city, he went back to living on the streets.
A resident in the area, Jane Badam of the Mill Hill Residents Association who coordinates the efforts between the community and Cindi said he was in plaster for a few weeks and when he was discharged, they organised a moon-boot for him.
“He was getting stronger and practising how to walk without crutches; this week he was able to walk without them.”
Badam said a resident, Grant Zoghby, also donated proper work boots for him. “The community has really come to support him and in this time that he’s been off, we have raised funds from the community to organise a food parcel for him every week.”
Badam said she assists Cindi with getting bags from Pikitup and also washes his clothes every week. “The entire community assists with various donations as and when they are needed.”
“He is able to store his tools at a guardhouse and the guards at the boom make him coffee.” She said the brush cutter has been paid off and he can fetch it whenever he is able.
“The residents and community have all really pulled together to assist Elias and thanks to them I have a little bit of a fund for him to continue to give him food,” said Badam.
She said the next project is to find him a home in the area because he is still homeless.
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