When days are dark, friends are few!

MHALA cops in Thulamahashe, Mpumalanga, rescued a frustrated and hungry young man, Nkosinathi Mthimkhulu (19), from the streets.

The devastated Nkosinathi, who's been struggling to balance life after passing matric in 2022, said he's originally from Orange Farm, Gauteng.

He arrived in Bushbuckridge with a friend and four others selling bed linens, perfumes and car sprays, but it ended in tears when the crew he came with turned against him after he couldn't reach the target. 

Nkosinathi was then kicked out of the rented rooms to the street before the team moved back to Gauteng.

He had to struggle alone in the streets for days until cops at Mhala Police Station came to his rescue and circulated his photo on Facebook, and his family quickly came forward.

"I was very happy when my friend asked me to join them in selling perfumes in the streets around Bushbuckridge. I thought it was a blessing in disguise that I would help to support my family with the money I'd be making. My mother is a domestic worker, and the money she receives is too little. We were hardly working on the first few days after arrival here in Bushbuckridge, but things turned ugly when I didn't reach the target a day after another," he said.

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"The team started rejecting me, and they didn't even give me food. Later, they kicked me out of the rented rooms to the street. I had no place to go as I didn't know this place. So, I kept praying to God to save my life until I approached the police station, and the cops received me with open, warm arms along with their victim support centre. 

"They gave me food and a place to put up, before introducing me to their support programme. There, I learnt and gained a lot of skills, such as starting my own small business as young as I am, as well as how to manage myself, job searching and cooking. So, I am grateful for the police's generosity. May God bless them." 

Warrant Officer Abigail Nxumalo said they were touched by Nkosinathi's situation and raised more than R700 for his taxi fare to go home after communicating with his family.

"We managed to locate his family in Orange Farm. His mum, Hazel Mthimkhulu, was happy to hear her son's voice on the phone. We also bought him meal for his trip back home. We're very thankful to Malik Supermarket and businessman Charlie Mngoni Malamule and others for their contributions," she said.