A short film on the life of Quintin McLaughlin, a former homeless person who at night found shelter outside the Masque Theatre in Muizenberg, will be screened at the same theatre on Wednesday 26 July.
McLaughlin has since put his street days behind him and today is sober, employed and has the keys to his apartment.
Phinius Sebatsane, the founder of the Rea Thusana Foundation and a volunteer at U-turn, says he met McLaughlin in 2018.
“Quintin used to be homeless in Muizenberg for more than eight years and we met while he was car-guarding.
“I come from Limpopo and he was one of the people who made me feel welcome and that I belonged in Muizenberg, so we became friends.”
A lot of people on the streets want to feel heard and not be treated like a project, he adds.
“So, my relationship with him was built on a person who had dreams.”
A big motivation for the homeless father was to get off the streets to be with his children.
“He grew up without a father but he had trauma to deal with and he needed the community to help so that he could eventually be reunited with his family and provide for his children.
“Then it was the matter of getting him off the street and into rehab in the U-turn programme.”
The short film Shelter at the Masque is 20 to 30 minutes long and will be attended by McLaughlin, his family and friends and the community is invited.
Sebatsane, who started his foundation during the lockdown in 2020, says he saw the trauma and addiction of many homeless people on the streets of Muizenberg.
“I grew up with ubuntu, where you take care of each other and my grandmother and grandfather used to tell me that the problem is usually the soil and not the seed.
“When I came to Cape Town, I realised there was a structural problem and I came from a journalism background, so I was curious about people. I realised that there was trauma in addiction, so I started to build relationships with the homeless and began the Rea Thusana Foundation where they can become rehabilitated.”
Quinique Jagers, brand and marketing manager at U-turn, says McLaughlin was part of their four-phase programme and graduated two weeks ago. “We focus on the social needs of making sure the person has a place to stay, a transitional home, while they are transitioning into independence.
“We heard that Quintin received employment around February or March and being sober he had a fixed home.”
While wanting to tell Quintin’s story they heard that he had once slept on the doorstep of the Masque Theatre.
“Usually, we share two minutes of their testimony, such as how they were homeless? How they found themselves there? We had a workshop and asked for advice on whether we are doing justice to their stories.
“We realised that people want to know more, more about the relationships and reasons. How a person ended up on the street, which is why there will be a short film.”
Meanwhile, talking to McLaughlin, he says that he is proud and grateful to be sober for three years and two months.
“I was addicted to drugs for 27 years of my life and I wasn’t welcome anywhere.
“So, I moved to Vrygrond in Capricorn, where I met my wife and we had three beautiful children, but because of drug addiction my wife kicked me out and that’s how I ended up on the streets of Muizenberg.”
McLaughlin says he used to sleep under the railway bridge near Checkers and then in the mountain and later, he ended up on the steps of the Masque Theatre.
“I was used to being kicked and sprayed by security companies and I had to move around a lot. It was hectic.
“At the time, I slept on the steps of the Masque Theatre, I would see many homeless people move in and out and they were older people.
“That stuck with me. I was tired of being sick and tired and did not want to be there until I was old and a pensioner.”
Shortly after this realisation, the Covid lockdown occurred and the homeless were moved to a camp in Strandfontein.
“We were all moved to Strandfontein and when we finished there, we went back to Muizenberg and to the mountain. Phinius gave us tents to stay in and we talked about rehabilitation.
“Recovery was most important to me and to reconcile with my children.”
The doors and box office at the Masque Theatre will open at 18:00 for a 19:00 start of the short film Shelter at the Masque on Wednesday 26 July.
Ticket prices are R100 per person and R85 for pensioners. The price includes refreshments, coffee and popcorn.
