Stephan Hugo loves Table Mountain so when his dream job opened up, he realised his lack of teeth would get in his way. But a community group made sure he got his smile!
Stephan Hugo has been using the Water Shedding Western Cape Facebook group to spread his love for Table Mountain for over a year. The group is filled with thousands of Cape Town-loving Water Warriors who equally love Table Mountain as much as Stephan.
When he realised his dream job was up for grabs, he knew his lack of teeth would stop him from getting the job. You see, Stephan lost his teeth due to gum disease. He decided to ask for help and boy did he get some!
“My motivation for doing this post is to let you know that there is an employment opportunity at the Table Mountain Cableway which I oh so desperately want to apply for. By now many of you must know my love for this mountain, one of the most beautiful reasons for me to stare from my kitchen window in Manenberg, one of the poorest of poor areas on the Cape Flats each day. Its beauty has no words, it’s just a view that needs to be observed and appreciated. It’s more than just a token of natural beauty to me… more a sign of hope, hope in a belief that we all have beauty in us.”
Group admin Andrew Sokolic shared Stephan’s story and created a crowdfund on BackaBuddy, encouraging the water warriors to help fund the R15,000 needed to buy Stephan a set of dentures.
“Stephen doesn’t own a phone, yet he posts photo’s of his beloved Table Mountain every day, and his dream is to apply for a job at the Cable Way next week, but he needs a confidence boost as he lost his teeth. We’ve created a crowdfunding effort, and I’m happy to report that in one day, we’ve reached more than two-thirds of our target.
Tonight is the night that we reach the target. We need one final effort tonight to reach our target so that Stephen can confidently go into his job interview. Today he tried his best to get to an Internet Cafe to update his CV, in anticipation of him getting this job.
He lives at home with his mother in Manenberg and takes photos every day from his kitchen window. I’m hoping that any money left over from this fundraising effort will enable him to buy a phone with a nice camera, and perhaps some work clothes he can wear when he gets the job.” – Andrew Sokolic, Water Shedding Western Cape Facebook group Admin.
They did it and then some! The group raised a total of over R24,000. This all happened back in late June but then two days ago, Stephen posted his first ever selfie to the popular group, showing his shiny new teeth and a dashing smile to boot. (See it above)
He thanked the group for his brand new smile and people were overjoyed by the post. Some even said if he didn’t land his dream job, he should take up modelling.
He applied for the Cable Way job on the 29th of June and is holding thumbs he gets the job. Hopefully, the people at Table Mountain see his determination to work there and reach out to make his dream come true.
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