Meet Paul Martins, an avid reader of the Herald
The 62-year-old from Toekomsrus walks from Toekomsrus to Homelake every Tuesday to fetch a copy of the Herald for himself and other elderly community members.
Toekomsrus resident Paul Martins is an avid reader of the Randfontein Herald newspaper and collects a copy for himself and his community every Tuesday without fail.
Martins, 62, has been doing this for decades on end and is loyal to the Caxton brand.
Born and bred in Krugersdorp, Martins moved to Randfontein years ago and has been a die-hard fan of the weekly newspaper ever since.
He collects his copy and five extra ones for members of his family and the elderly citizens in his community.
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He walks from his home in Toekomsrus every Tuesday to the Herald office in Homelake and carries a bottle of water to quench his thirst.
Speaking to the Herald in an interview, the elderly citizen said that he enjoys reading news about Toekomsrus and takes a liking to hard news as well.
“I leave my house at 08:00 every Tuesday and walk past my brother-in-law’s house which is near the Herald’s offices. I also walk past the NG church in Greenhills before coming to the Herald offices and I always make sure to carry a bottle of water with me, because the walk can get very long and I tend to get thirsty,” said Martins who added that his hobby is reading.
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He added that the people he takes the newspapers to are in their 70s and 80s and can’t walk but have people who look after them.
“I love reading about accidents and people as well as crime news. I also like seeing a lot of faces in the newspaper and that’s one thing I would change about the Herald,” said Martins.
Meanwhile, Martins went to night school when he was 16 years old to learn how to read and write.
He couldn’t see what was written on the board at school and this was when he realised that he had a problem with his vision.
He has since made use of two pairs of glasses to read his favourite newspaper, as well as the Daily Sun.
He also feels that Caxton should keep on printing newspapers because he together with other elderly citizens still enjoys consuming news on a hard copy.
Martins added that he together with other elderly citizens doesn’t have access to the internet where they can read and navigate the Herald’s content.
Asked how he felt about being approached to feature in his favourite newspaper, Martins said he was very happy and excited to see himself in a copy of the Herald.
