Beggar’s mum tells sad story

How does an intelligent young man, brought up in a loving home, end up a dead tramp on the city streets?

Cindy Crouse, mother of the beggar tragically killed in Empangeni’s main road last week, shed some light on why Raymond Charles Croft ended up down-and-out.

‘Raymond was an intelligent man who had a good job and led a normal life until September last year when he was involved in a motorbike accident’. Owing to his injuries Raymond was declared unfit to work on machinery and lost his job.

‘He suffered from bad seizures and was also on high blood pressure medication’ said Cindy, sadly.

‘But he met a woman, fell in love, and moved to Durban to marry her.

‘Things did not work out and he moved back to Zululand but unfortunately made a choice to stay with friends instead of with me.’

‘After a few weeks the friends kicked him out and that is when he ended up staying on the streets.’

Even though he refused to return home, he visited his mum regularly and would sit and tell her stories of how his life on the streets.

He said he earned between R20 and R30 a day, mostly from the black community, and was regularly beaten up by gangs.

Cindy tried to encourage him to change his life but allowed him to continue living that way in the hope that he would learn a lesson and turn over a new leaf.

After recognising Raymond’s bag and blanket from the picture published by the Zululand Observer, Cindy was shocked to realize that her son was dead.

‘It was his time to go, and I am glad in the fact that his death was quick.

‘My son did not suffer and I did not have to go looking for his body’ she said.