For the love of Edward, the Joubert family look for a brighter tomorrow

Living on the streets is no easy feat, especially when you have your daughter and one-year-old grandson to look after.

Peter Joubert found himself without home two months ago, after his father-in-law’s home in Harrismith was sold.

“We were living in my father-in-law’s house, but he had made so much debt and took out three loans on the house, so when it couldn’t be paid, the house was sold to pay for the debt,” he said.

Read: Homeless couple yearn to be reunited with children

Hoping to overcome his plight to care of after his daughter, Liza-Marie, and grandson, Edward, he made his way to Pietermartizburg.

“My brother lives there and I went to look for work. When that fell through, we made our way to Empangeni.”

He was able to set up camp on a farmer’s land, but the stay was short lived.

“We did not have access to clean water and Edward was constantly sick, so we decided to leave and came here,” he said.

The family of three arrived in Newcastle on Sunday, November 20, and set up their trusty tent in Trim Park.

“It is not too bad living like this, but if you are not prepared for the punch, you are going to fall hard because it is not easy.”

The most difficult part of leading a nomadic lifestyle, was seeing how it affected his daughter and grandchild, said Mr Joubert.

“It is not nice living like this with your family, as it can be quite dangerous and looking into Edward’s eyes and knowing he looks up to us, depends on us, is tough.”

Liza-Marie said the biggest struggle she faced was not having access to running water, ablution facilities and watching her son grow up like this.

“He is a little boy, so he wants to play and move around. But, we have to watch him so he doesn’t get hurt or lost. We try to let him play in the tent mostly to ensure he is safe,” she said.

While the family scrapes through, what helped them was Mr Joubert’s small pension, which also helped them move from town to town.

“It isn’t enough to live on, but it helps us through the days. We might be going through to Pietermartizburg again, where we will stay with my brother and I could possibly get a job as a security guard, which I am qualified for.”

Also read: MUST WATCH – “We drink to cope…”

This depends whether or not he can get a job and residence in Newcastle.

“A woman did stop and said she might be able to get accommodation for us, but we will have to see how that works out,” he said.

While admitting that living in Trim Park could be scary at times, Mr Joubert said he and daughter have seen another side of Newcastle.

“If there are too many people in the park, I do not sleep to keep my family safe. The people who come here, especially during the day and early evening, have left us shocked. I often wonder if these people are married to each other or if their spouses know where they are.”

As the family goes along with their daily lives, they are hoping that Newcastillians will take mercy upon them.

“We would really appreciate some food and water for us and Edward,” said Liza-Marie.

However, the family’s lifestyle has raised questions about Edward’s safety.

Child Welfare social worker, Farieda Mia said the matter would have to be investigated.

“We will have to go see them, investigate the situation and possibly intervene if need be,” she said.

If necessary, Ms Mia said Edward would be put into a place of safety until Mr Joubert and Liza-Marie found a proper place of residence,

KwaZulu-Natal Christian Social Service’s social worker manager, Grè Erasmus agreed that the matter needed to be investigated.

“The mother and child could be placed by the Crisis Centre, but the ideal situation would be placing them with family. We will investigate the matter fully, as we cannot allowed this with a little child.”

When Mrs Erasmus investigated on Wednesday morning, November 23, she was able to witness the generosity of Newcastle’s community first hand.

“While I was with them, a local family came to the park and offered them a place to stay. They also offered to send the Joubert family back to Harrismith.”

As the Joubert family are no longer living on the streets and Edward is safe, the family can remain together, moving forward to a possibly brighter tomorrow.