MES helped Tala (38) grow and excel
Zimasile Tala believes in committed prayer and working hard to get oneself out of challenging circumstances.
MES Kempton Park extended a hand of opportunity and growth to those who were sheltered at the community hall in Birchleigh during 2020’s harsh lockdown.
As such, another positive testimony sounded from the mouth of Zimasile Tala (38), who was born and bred in the Eastern Cape as the eldest of three children.
MES Kempton Park marketing assistant Luwanda Conco told Express: “When lockdown began, Tala was one of the street dwellers who were picked up by the Ekurhuleni metro police officers and taken to the community hall in Birchleigh for shelter.”
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Six months into the lockdown, the branch’s social auxiliary worker, Soul Malatji, visited the Birchleigh community hall where he assessed and interviewed males who would be eligible for accommodation at the MES shelter.
“Shortly after moving into the shelter, Tala joined the GROW (Grow Restore Our World) Job Rehabilitation Programme and became actively involved with both the life skills workshops offered and shelter outreaches,” Conco elaborated.
Tala came to Johannesburg in 1991 to stay with his aunt and attend school in Soweto. He completed Grade 11 in 1999 but had to leave school to find work due to his situation at home.
In September 2016, Tala found himself a job as a machine operator at Insimbi Plastics in Kempton Park, where he worked for almost three years.
“Unfortunately, he was retrenched in May 2019 due to the company going through restructuring. Following his retrenchment, he could not afford to pay rent for his accommodation and was left with no choice but to live on the streets of Kempton Park.
“To everyone who is homeless, I would like to encourage them to not become weary of seeking help or a shelter,” Tala said.
“While living on the streets, apart from being physically dirty and hungry, you never feel safe or at peace.
“Eventually that might lead you to start taking drugs to cope with the daily challenges. Be committed in prayer and working hard to get yourself out of that environment.”
Malatji is grateful for Tala’s contributions to the GROW Project.
“I have known him for eight months in my capacity as a social auxiliary worker and shelter supervisor at MES Kempton Park. I would rank him as one of the best GROW participants we have ever had. Tala is a very hard worker and a team player,” Malatji concluded.
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