Car guards who work tirelessly on the Camps Bay strip were treated to a heart-warming Christmas party at Makers Landing, at the V&A Waterfront, last Tuesday.

The party was hosted by the Ignisive NGO, whose mission is rooted in helping individuals transition from street life to self-sufficiency.

The event, which included transportation on the Red Bus, brought smiles and a sense of appreciation to the car guards.

Comedian Marc Lottering served as the guest of honour and expressed his gratitude to Iginisive.

He said he was moved by the event which was a reminder of the transformative power of compassion, resilience and community support.

“I did not know much about Ignisive but I figured out quickly that I was sitting amongst car guards, and in Cape Town, they are part of our lives. They are seen as a class below us, but we don’t know their story, where they come from, or what they are going through. We are all a paycheck away from homelessness, and I was moved today, it definitely raised my consciousness,” said Mr Lottering.

“I’m looking at the people, and I realised no one is born wanting to be on the streets; no one has that vision for their lives. But this has changed my thinking. It’s a few days before Christmas, so what a good time to have this event and to remind us of what we have and what we can be.”

Farouk Fourie, a former Ignisive employee now working for J&M Cleaning, shared his journey of overcoming homelessness with the help of Ignisive.

“I was living in the mountains and on the streets of Clifton when Ryan (Rudy) approached me, offered me a job, and told me Ignisive could assist me. He got me into a shelter, and that was about 18 months ago,” said Mr Fourie.

He urged those still living on the streets and those that are part of Ignisive to continue being resilient.

“I want to say to the street people that they have to persevere, they have to work hard when they get a chance. I have been destitute and on and off the streets for 21 years. There is support, there are people like Ignisive that can help.”

Camps Bay SAPS station commander Captain LJ Janse Van Rensburg commended their collaboration with Ignisive.

“We are involved with them closely, and it’s a pleasure to support them. These guys from Ignisive know they can approach us, and they do. They speak to us. They have prevented theft out of motor vehicles, so they do more than their duty, and we are appreciative of their services,” said Captain Janse Van Rensburg.

Ignisive co-founder Theresa Massaglia and Ignisive facilatator Ryan Rudy thanked the community stewards for being part of their life-altering project.

Ryan Rudy, a security officer turned Ignisive team member, spoke about his role.

“I speak to the people on the street daily. What I do is facilitate their move off the street. If they have family nearby, I’ll take them there. If they want to get off drugs or alcohol, I organise for them to get into a support programme, and we get them involved with a job as well,” said Mr Rudy.

“There are those that don’t make it as they are not strong enough mentally, but we do have plenty of success stories where they get a better job and their own place to live. At first, I didn’t want to join Ignisive because I told Theresa (Massaglia) that half of these guys are criminals, I know them, or at least I thought I knew. But it’s been an amazing journey to see them move off the streets and become responsible for themselves.”

Co-founder of Ignisive, Theresa Massaglia, reflected on the significance of the event and the support of community stakeholders like the Camps Bay and Clifton CIDs.

“Today was about celebrating and honouring the community stewards who have walked a tough journey and committed to moving away from street life. Inspired by our supervisors Cefas (Davids) and (Mpostolo) Sibeko, as well as Farouk (Fourie), who spoke of their journey moving off streets into shelter and eventually independent living. In Farouk’s case, he even transitioned into mainstream employment with J&M Cleaning, a partner of Clifton/Camps Bay CID. We’re so privileged to have great humans play it forward,” said Ms Massaglia.