An abused homeless woman living in Johannesburg without an identity document (ID) dreams of obtaining one to change her life and is pleading with good Samaritans for assistance.
Thandi Mahlangu, from Mpumalanga, described her difficult life, since her mother died shortly after giving birth to her, leaving her without ever knowing her father.
In a heartbreaking interview with IOL News, she said that when her mother died, she was raised by her grandparents.
“I was raised by my grandparents, and they treated me as lovingly as if they were my own parents.”
The 29-year-old said she grew up without an ID, and despite her grandparents’ efforts to help her obtain one during her teenage years, they were unsuccessful.
“My grandparents went to the department of home affairs offices back home, trying to help me get my ID, but they were turned away multiple times,” she said.
After her grandparents died, Mahlangu had no choice but to live with her aunt, who she claimed she abused her daily.
“That’s when my life started to change, as I had to live with my abusive aunt, who used to beat me daily over minor mistakes.”
She recalled how her aunt would pour cold water into a zinc bathtub, force her inside, and then beat her with a sjambok. Mahlangu broke down in tears recounting the ordeal.
“Even if I came home late, she would beat me without asking why, sometimes in front of the neighbours. I ended up sleeping at friends’ houses to avoid her,” she said crying as she recalled the ordeal as if it happened yesterday.
Wiping away her tears, she added, “Sometimes she would tell me to join my mother in the grave.”
After enduring relentless abuse, she reached her breaking point and moved to Joburg in early 2022.
She said she moved to the City of Gold hoping for a better life, despite knowing no one.
“I thought moving here would be better than back home, and I hoped I might find a job and be able to look after myself.”
However, things did not go as to plan, and she ended up joining other homeless women on Yeoville’s streets.
Mahlangu stated that after joining them, they taught her how to gather rubbish such as plastic bottles, cans, and cartons, which they sold to get money for food.
A few months after moving to the region, she was hit by a car while collecting trash and woke up at Helen Joseph Hospital.
She stated that the injury led in surgery on her left leg. She now wears crutches. Since her release from the hospital, she has not been able to go for check-ups.
“I have not been able to check if my surgery is healing properly because I don’t have the money for follow-up visits and there’s no one to take me,” she told IOL News.
She said one of her biggest dreams is to obtain an ID, hoping that it will transform her life.
“I would be thrilled to get an ID to prove I am a South African and find a job. It’s stressful because I can’t stop dreaming about holding it in my hands.”
Mahlangu said she would be grateful for any help from good Samaritans in getting her ID, which would enable her to live a better life and move forward.
