Wanda Shezi finds new life after years on the streets
After losing everything and ending up homeless Wanda Shezi’s life turned around when he found faith and support at a local foundation in Alberton.
Wanda Shezi has lived through more than most people his age.
From growing up in Soweto to sleeping on the streets of Johannesburg, his story is one of pain, survival and finding hope again.
Wanda spent the first 15 years of his life in Soweto, where he lived like any other child. He enjoyed going to school and watching his favourite cartoon, Dragon Ball Z. But everything changed when his parents divorced. He was sent to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to live with other family members.
Moving from the city to a rural village was difficult for Wanda.
He said that there was no time to watch TV. After school, he had to look after goats, cows and sheep.
Even with these challenges, he finished matric in KZN.
In 2011, he returned to Johannesburg to look for work. At first, he survived by doing small jobs through family connections. But when those jobs became harder to find, he began making bad choices.
“I wanted to go to the studio to make music, but I didn’t have money. So I joined friends who were into crime,” he said.
In 2013, he was arrested and spent a year in prison.
When he got out, he went back to KZN to try and start over, but life there was still hard.
He returned to Johannesburg during the Covid-19 years, only to find that his family did not want anything to do with him.
That was when Wanda ended up on the streets.
“The first night, I had no blanket. I just lay down and closed my eyes,” he said.
Wanda began drinking heavily and smoking marijuana. He lived by recycling cans and bottles to survive.
“I felt like I was dying slowly every day,” he said.
But his life changed when a friend introduced him to a church in Germiston. The church gave him hope, but the streets in that area were dangerous. He later moved to Alberton, and that is where everything began to change.
There, he found Life On The Streets, also known as #LOTS, a centre that helps homeless people with food, shelter and life skills.
“They helped me a lot. What I love most is how they pray and believe that people can change. I knew about God before, but now I understand who I am because of Him,” Wanda explained.
At #LOTS, Wanda learned how to manage his anger and focus on his art and self-growth.
He helps with chores at the centre and takes part in training programmes. He also gets to meet and support others going through similar struggles.
“I remember on July 17, someone tried to start a fight with me. Before, I would have fought back, but now I’m in a better place. I just walked away,” he shared.
Wanda said that he has not worked a proper job in over 10 years, but he no longer feels empty.
“I may not have money, but I have peace in my heart. Every day, God provides through the people around me,” he said.
It is with the greatest pleasure that we announce that on August 6 the Alberton Record received a call from a member of #LOTS, who told us that Wanda got a job the day before.
