ONE of Denis Hurley’s Street Lit book vendors, David van der Westhuizen, has been selected to chair a selection committee for eThekwini’s Library Department.

Street Lit facilitator Illa Thompson was invited to be part of the ‘One City, One Book’ panel, and she suggested to the organisers that one of the Street Lit vendors be included, too. David van der Westhuizen, well-known at the coffee shop at KZNSA Gallery, joined Illa on the panel. It was the first time he had been part of such a process.

The ‘One City, One Book’ Campaign is an initiative of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit of eThekwini Municipality to promote a culture of reading among the citizens of Durban, urban and rural. Each year, it encourages people to read one new book by a South African author and engage with the content and message of that book across the municipality’s libraries and Sizakala service centres.

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The panel was tasked to select one book from a shortlist of four novels and present their preferences at a formal meeting. Panellists were given time to read and critique the books and then met to debate, at length, the virtues, merits and shortcomings of the four – working within selection guidelines.

Moreover, the panel also had to elect a chairperson from among the group to present their findings and be a source of feedback to the Library Department heads over the next few months. And they unanimously chose Van der Westhuizen after being really impressed by his input, ideas, preparation and suggestions.

It is quite possible that this is the first time in South Africa that a member of the homeless community has been elected, on merit, to chair a formal city structure that is not about homelessness.

According to Raymond Perrier, director of the Denis Hurley Centre, Van der Westhuizen is one of the project’s triumphant success stories and most popular vendors. “A building contractor by trade, he found himself living on the streets when he moved to Durban and job opportunities failed to materialise. Through the support of the Street Lit project, he gradually moved from sleeping rough, to living in a shelter, and he now rents a room in a Glenwood apartment block. He is known as a fast and critical reader, and the vendors often defer to his incredible knowledge of books and literature,” said Perrier.

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Van der Westhuizen was chuffed and surprised to have been chosen to lead the panel. “I am very honoured to be on the committee and to be a part of something like this. It feels really good to be respected, and it is a huge ego boost to be involved. I really didn’t expect to be chosen as chair!”

“While we encourage you to use your local library, we especially encourage you to buy books from our Street Lit vendors as they operate in various locations around Durban. Follow their Facebook page for an update on where you can find them,” said Perrier.

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