In the same city, called CPT, under the same sun, two men woke up this morning. One looked out from his mansion in Plattekloof, counting R18 million in monthly income. The other, in a wendy house in Heideveld, stretched his pension of R1,600 to cover the month. They breathe the same air, walk the same streets, and yet live in two completely different worlds. But wealth and poverty are not the whole story - what matters most is what each man does with what he has.
The Retired Golfer
A retired elite golfer from America decided to retire in Cape Town, in Plattekloof, with a monthly earning of $1,000,000. His monthly total earnings in Cape Town came to R18,000,000 with the dollar exchange at R18/$. He decided he was going to visit Lion’s Head, then walk over to Clifton and relax there for the day. On his way, he realised that the Waterfront was around the corner. He wanted to have a bite at a place called Grand Africa. From his research, Grand Africa was well recommended for their beach views of Robben Island and for selling amazing food. He decided to reserve a section, invite some friends over, and have a good time.
The Pensioner
Earlier that day, a pensioner from Heideveld went to withdraw his R1,600 per month from SASSA. He stayed behind his daughter’s place, still received his wife’s pension of R1,600 per month as she made money selling food to the community, and didn’t pay any rent to their daughter. All that money was his to spend. He told his family that he was taking a few of the kids from Heideveld to hike Lion’s Head that day, then they would grab a bite and eat afterwards somewhere in the Waterfront.
The Meeting
Late that morning, the golfer bumped into this pensioner on the way up. He heard and saw the pensioner with 11 kids, educating them about the city. The golfer decided to ask him how long it would take to get up. The pensioner answered, and when they got to the top, the American questioned him about Cape Town and where to go and visit. The golfer became excited about the conversation.
It ended with them both having to head down. The pensioner mentioned that he had to feed the boys before they got miserable - they were going to the Waterfront. The golfer was comfortable enough to ask if they would like to join him. He was new to Cape Town and had heard that Grand Africa was a nice place to visit and eat.
The pensioner was surprised the golfer mentioned Grand Africa. Grand Africa had always been a preference for the pensioner. He used to keep those streets clean when he worked there back in his days and always admired taking his wife there once a year. Anyway, they agreed, and the golfer was amazed by the stories of this pensioner and the history of Cape Town.
Sharing Stories at Grand Africa
They got to Grand Africa, and the kids had a great time. Pizzas and cold drinks were ordered. The retired golfer and the pensioner carried on talking, and the pensioner asked him why he decided to retire in Cape Town.
The retired golfer mentioned that he had always been a fan of Cape Town over the years and enjoyed visiting during the off-season. He didn’t settle in any steady relationships or have kids and wanted to start travelling Africa from Cape Town once he was settled. The pensioner listened in and then shared where he was from.
He went on to say that he brought his kids with him for the day because, in Heideveld, these kids have to look at survival every single day when they leave their house.
“This is why I do what I do - it gets them to see a different part of their city”. “Me”, said the pensioner, “I stay in a wendy house behind my daughter, who is married and has 6 kids. They all take care of me. My wife goes with the grand kids to their sports games, and on odd occasions, I join. But with my pension, I take my son-in-law’s 1996 model caravan, I put R400 petrol in for the day, I spend R300 on snacks for us all, 1 x 2L Oros, 10L water, 5 packets of spookies, R50 loose sweets, then I use the change when I need to pay parking. Sometimes we go to Clifton to swim, sometimes Llandudno, sometimes I bring R500 boerewors and then we braai at Oudekraal, or we go to Kromrivier, to hike by the rivers and eat simple sandwiches. Then we talk about how people with money have the same things we have - a bed, a toilet, a bath or shower, a kitchen, and a roof over their head.
The biggest difference between the expensive toilet and the cheap toilet? Both flush government water. People with money go to the same spots us pensioners can go to and enjoy Cape Town. But the difference is always experiences. This is why I take them to experience Cape Town.”
The golfer was interested in the pensioner’s teaching and then started to share his view and experiences from sitting at the top in private circles.
“It was a lot of sacrifice, and yes, you get to sit at the highest floors in skyscrapers - even though I had a fear of heights, you could never show that side. But that busy life consumed my time, and I didn’t have a chance to enjoy family. I was always on the road or flying. If I could go back and change anything, I would have included my own family in my success. I now sit alone in my R25,000,000 home. On odd occasions, friends from America visit. It’s beautiful, but sometimes it can get lonely. I enjoy the views, and sometimes I invite acquaintances over to celebrate new experiences, but most occasions, it’s lonely.”
The pensioner awkwardly burst out laughing, not to be rude, but apologised and mentioned that it was funny how he and his wife, who share a 2-bedroom wendy house in Heideveld - the size of maybe the golfers bathroom - drive around Cape Town, looking at those houses and saying how beautiful it must be to stay there.
“To hear your story, it’s really shocking,” the pensioner said. “My brother, not to be rude… when I lift my head, I have a cupboard separating my room from my sister-in-law’s room, and we hear everything. Behind our wall is our other cousins, who moved here from Atlantis. Next to the other wall, I have nephews who stay with us. We are about 20 people on our property, which is 200 sqm. I was caught off guard when you said you felt lonely with such a big place. Do you know 11 cards?”
The golfer looked surprised, as if it was the first time hearing about
this game. “No,” he answered.
The pensioner said, “Next month, in four weeks, invite us to your place.
I’ll bring my family to you. Everyone who stays with me - we’ll bring our own
food, karaoke, cards, dominos - then we throw a party at your place. If you’re
open to it, of course.”
The golfer was taken aback by the surprise in the question but answered
yes, almost shocked by his own answer.
The pensioner said, “Deal,” and called the waiter to pay his own bill.
The golfer stopped him and said he’d got the bill, considering he invited them.
The pensioner stopped him and said, “I might be poor, but I’m not broke - but
thank you for your generosity. Boys, let’s greet and start getting ready to
leave.”
The golfer was amazed by this Capetonian’s character and looked forward to the gathering. They exchanged numbers and finalised the date.
One Month Later
On a Saturday morning after 7 a.m., the golfer received a missed call.
The phone rang again.
Golfer: “Hello?”
Pensioner: “Slaap jy nog? It’s Saturday.”
Golfer: “I just finished my Pilates. I’m planning to shower and get
ready for you guys. You said you’d be here at 11 a.m., right?”
Pensioner: “Yes, but the kids were up early, excited to see the uncle’s
mansion. We wanted to know if we can come now?”
Golfer: “Uhm, I haven’t gotten done yet, still need to shower and get
the place ready.”
Pensioner: “Don’t worry, our water is off at home, so none of us
showered, but we are clean - don’t worry. My wife and daughter will help you
clean up. We’re going to have a good time.”
Golfer: Agitated but playing it cool. “Can we do 8 a.m.? I need
to freshen up.”
Pensioner: “It’s fine. I’m going to stop at the garage quickly, then you
can send me your location so long. Thanks.”
Golfer: “Sure. See you all soon.”
At 8 a.m., the golfer’s phone rang - the pensioner was outside. This was
all new for the golfer, but he played it cool. The pensioner got the family to
greet the golfer and honor him with respect.
“Hi uncle.”
“More oom.”
They all settled in. The golfer was welcomed by the energy of the pensioner’s family. He found their warmth and respect remarkable. They listened and followed his instructions. He told them where everything was and said they could make themselves at home, but asked them not to break anything, as the items were very expensive.
The pensioner smiled, knowing his family wasn’t worried about the things - they wanted to know when they could braai and start playing games. They brought their own mobile arcade machines and PC screen, cards, dominos, and snacks. The golfer was asked if he was happy to eat what they brought. Without hesitation, he said sure. They planned to make lamb and mutton potjie and warm akni they’d cooked the night before, for lunch. Food was sorted for the day.
They discussed their lives, exchanged stories, made jokes, and shared cultural differences between South Africa and America. Everybody had a great time. They taught the golfer how to play 11 cards, and he loved how competitive they were. Then came the dominos - the golfer didn’t realise how seriously this family took the game. The pensioner and the golfer were partners the whole night, and they kept winning, thanks to the pensioner’s skill.
The golfer found it different - and inspiring - that pensioners in South Africa lived on less than minimum wage, yet this family was so happy in front of him. There was energy, laughter, entertainment, and humility. It puzzled him.
They spoke about history, how the pensioner’s family ended up in
Heideveld, though they weren’t always from there. Forced removals had chased
them from central Cape Town to Kensington, then Bonteheuwel, then Heideveld,
and others to Manenberg.
“The Group Areas Act hurt a lot of our people, but we always carried
this culture of resilience on our sleeves. We know we don’t have a lot, but we
laugh a lot, and every night we sleep nicely. Our house isn’t big, but we have
so much love in our home,” said the family.
The golfer admitted he wouldn’t be able to stay with so many people
every day. The family smiled and said, “That’s your choice and your life, but
you also deserve to be shown love every day. You’d agree that having little
ones running to you now at this phase of your life would bring you much joy,
right?”
“Yes,” said the golfer.
“Now imagine us in our 80s, every day the house is alive with movement and noise, but we have order. If we get tired of each other, we book a trip to Langebaan or Knysna for a week or weekend to give each other space, but every day we have a lekker time together. School taught us something - whoever is in your class from Grade 1 will be with you in matric if you all pass. You’ll see them every day for 12 years, and in that time, you build strong relationships. That’s our home - we have strong bonds from everything we go through. Good times and bad times - we stick together. Our family keeps growing, and we’re happy. But our government wants to make things expensive so we can’t enjoy such things. That’s why our grandpa takes the boys in the community out - so they see what’s outside before it’s too expensive, and know that Cape Town has so much to enjoy.”
The golfer was deeply moved and made a mental note to research these Cape Town stories now that he had retired there. He wanted to do something meaningful.
When the night came to an end, he walked in from his balcony, which
overlooked Cape Town, and noticed the place was spotless. “Who did this?” he
asked.
The kids raised their hands. “Thank you, uncle, for having us.”
It hit him hard. He almost cried. He thanked everyone for coming and said, “You must invite me to your place sometime.”
They smiled and said, “Of course.”