Dishwasher to Millionaire.... well, almost

In a country where unemployment is notoriously high and social security limited, people need to find ways to provide for themselves and their families. Without any skills to sell, South Africa’s poor are often forced to beg for money and traffic lights are their preferred place for it. After all, where else can you “engage” with a lot of people, who for a minute or two cannot get away? 

Unwashed, barefoot, dressed in rags and with desperate looks and gestures, Joburg’s beggars are a hard sight to get used to. And as harsh as it may sound, an even harder sight to ignore. When driving through town and seeing the same scene every other minute, you soon learn to keep your windows shut, gaze straight ahead and ignore the knocks on your window… Unable to talk to people, most beggars have messages on card board signs to encourage you to give them money. The most common one I’ve seen is:

“I’d rather die of hunger than steal. Please help with food, work or money. God bless”.

But every now and then someone comes up with a different message, which makes drivers laugh and more likely to hand over some change…
 
                               

 
         


     

Some beggars also try to entice drivers to part with some cash by offering them a service: they perform dance routines, wash your windscreen or collect rubbish. Moses Vilaphi was one of them. He first tried to tell jokes in exchange for a Rand or two, but after realising that people did not find him funny, he changed professions and became a teacher: In exchange for R1, Vilaphi offered to teach drivers a Zulu word.

The innovative and educational effort to earn a living quickly caught the attention of drivers and students, who made a video about him. After going viral on social media, a local radio station tracked him down and interviewed him. Two days later, the Johannesburg Academy of Sound Engineering offered him a bursary and radio listeners are trying to find clothing and accommodation for him.

It may not quite be "dishwasher to millionaire", but it certainly is changing the life of a man, whose entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to earn a living have made him stand out and shine.