A stranger came across an old woman who had been roaming the CBD. They’d proceed to run into each other at odd hours in the cold. Eventually, he worked up the courage to find her story. Instead, he found kindness in an unexpected place.
Cape Town, South Africa (09 June, 2023) — Shaun Warner came across ‘an old transient lady’ wandering through the Cape Town CBD. They’d crossed paths a few times, usually at odd hours, almost always in the cold. Soon, she became more than a face of the streets to the writer as he wondered, “Why are our aged roaming the streets of the CBD at night?”
Shaun went to leave her coffee one night, gutted to find out she wasn’t there. He felt a rush of worry, speculating whether she had gone home; if she had a home to go to. He waited until his cup was empty, but the woman did not come back.
Then, their paths crossed once again, this time with more success and a cup of tea that made Shaun’s heart beam, inspired to encourage others to follow in the kindness he witnessed and got to be a part of.
An Old Woman in Need, a Stranger and the Kindest Cup of Tea
In Shaun’s words:
Last week I wrote about the old transient lady roaming the CBD…She never asked for anything. She quietly sat or stood wherever I saw her. Stoic. A sense of pride. But cold and out of place.
Last week I worked up the courage to get the two of us some cheap coffee so I may know her story or at least her name but when I got to the square and the corner she wasn’t there. We experienced a cold weather snap and no person, let alone an elderly woman should be outside, overnight in such inclement climes.
I had thought the worst.
Tonight she was on the square and this is where things became real hopeful and I need you to follow:
I already had a cup of coffee as is my routine before shift. I asked her if I could get her some tea. Without hesitation and with the authority only a proud older woman could master she replied: “Yes please. Not rooibos. Three sugars and warm milk.”
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I went across the street to Coffee Cocktails. A startup. I ordered the tea. Liam (the barista/owner?) and I got to talking. He asked why two cups. I said the tea is for someone and pointed toward the square. He asked if it was for the old woman. I said yes.
He refused to take the cash. He said he won’t charge a cent for it if it’s for her. Now I have no illusions about our godforsaken country. It’s real bad out there. For everyone except the ANC elite.
We’re reeling amidst a ghastly economic meltdown and a degradation of leadership in government. ( Putting it mildly) With Liam refusing money for the tea he instantly restored my belief in South Africa’s capacity for Ubuntu, which is not a word I throw around lightly.
This is a start-up business still canvassing for regular customers but he did a thing. He paid it forward and it is beautiful that we can still care for each other in this way.
Eish but this story…
This story is about an old woman and young man on opposite ends of the ZAR spectrum. About a woman near the end of her life, out on the streets. It’s about the human capacity for fellowship and kindness without want for reward.
This story is about goodwill and outreach. And love.
She did nothing but sit there. Sometimes with a forlorn look on her face and sometimes offering what little she had to a fellow transient person. She never asked me for a thing.
Please. My appeal is this:
Bring her warm blankets. Bring her a warm coat. Bring her a flask and tea. Some toiletries and a notebook and pen. Bring her some food and give her something practical to make this Cape winter on the streets bearable. Hope. Bring her hope.
Don’t do it through me.
You can find her on the square in Plein Street. Or late nights at the flower sellers site in Adderley Street, sleeping there. Or at the Universal Church in Darling Street praying.
Liam and James from Coffee Cocktails kicked it off with a simple cup of tea. May they be abundantly blessed and supported and may their business grow one hundredfold. Find her. Help her.
Her name is Anne and my heart is both full and broken tonight.
Capetonians, we all know how cold this winter is. If you find yourself wandering the CBD or the above-mentioned areas, keep an eye, a tea idea or an act of kindness in your back pocket for Anne and anyone else in need of heartwarming this winter. You can support the kind people at Coffee Cocktails by popping in at City Chic at The Piazza on Church Square.
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