Former homeless barber Rhameez Jansen cuts the hair of Geraldine Rhode, who lives on the streets of Cape Town.
Image: Fouzia van der Fort
A former homeless barber is giving back by cutting people’s hair on a Cape Town city centre corner, close to The Service Dining Rooms (SDR).
Rhameez Jansen, who now lives in Observatory with his partner, says that cutting a person’s hair restores their dignity.
Having been on the streets for about 12 years, he said he knows firsthand about needing food, a place to sleep, and searching for the next drug fix.
For more than seven years, he worked with Streetscapes, a non-profit organisation dedicated to ending homelessness by building better lives, and has been sober throughout that time.
"It wasn’t easy, especially in the beginning. I was an outpatient at a rehabilitation centre. Money was at first a trigger, but now I've made peace with what I have," he said.
Rhameez Jansen gives Reverno Wilson a fade haircut on the corner of Roeland and Canterbury streets, Cape Town.
Image: Fouzia van der Fort
Mr Jansen has photographs of each of the 530 people whose hair he has cut since October last year. It is his goal to reach 1 000 people soon.
He has a mentor, with whom he speaks regularly to help him stay on track, and who also gave him the idea of cutting people’s hair for free.
Together they raised funds to buy spirits, handheld cutting tools like scissors, clippers, trimmers, and a small fold-up chair.
He has a uniform and a board, with a QR code that passersby can snap and donate for a haircut or whatever they can afford.
"When they first sit down, you can see they’re still not feeling lekker (good), and when I’m almost finished, they look up with a bit of a smile.
"A few of my guys went for job interviews and they got the job," he said.
He said people living on the streets would not spend money on a haircut; their money would be prioritised for the next fix.
However, he has cut people’s hair, which has given them the confidence to obtain their identity documents and go for job interviews.
"Me giving him that haircut gave him a boost to go and look for a job," he said.
The money helps maintain his machines, keep his scissors sharp, and procure a small chair.
He would like to start a community and wants to help make life a bit easier for people living on the streets.
"I would like to say to someone who wants a shower, come here and facilitate it for him or her," he said.
Last year, on Christmas Eve, he went to cut hair at shelters, and on Christmas, he went to Brooklyn Chest Hospital.
Geraldine Rhode, living on the streets, who survived a stroke, said that a haircut from Mr Jansen saves her from having to brush her hair. Her left hand is lame, and after a haircut, she can just take a wet face cloth and rub it over her head.
"Rhameez has done a lot for me. I am grateful. This haircut from Rhameez means there are people who care about the homeless," she said.
Janey Ball, operations manager at the SDR, said Mr Jansen is able to cut hair in their garage when it rains.
"We share his QR code and try to help drive donations to him and The Secret Love Project," she said.
The project includes people living on the streets selling heart-shaped stickers, proceeds of which are dedicated to helping the destitute and homeless uplift themselves.