I have told parts of this story before, but never quite like this.
You might know me as Dr Mags from the radio or from hearing me speak at an event. You may even know that I was once homeless. It’s something I have spoken about over the years, but there’s only so much you can tell in a talk or an interview. This book has given me the space to go deeper and tell the full story.
My memoir, Reclaiming Dignity, is an honest account of my experience of homelessness and what followed. But more than that, it’s about what happens to our sense of dignity when life doesn’t turn out as we expected – and how we find our way back.
When I finished high school in 1991 with a good matric pass, I expected to go to university. Instead, by the following year I was 20 years old, unemployed and searching for work around Uitenhage, now Kariega. At first, I saw it as a temporary setback. But after months of hearing “no”, rejection slowly turned into shame.
My short-lived job as a barman in Kirkwood ended when I was fired for drinking on the job. With little reason to stay, I left in search of opportunity. Johannesburg was where I wanted to be, but I only had enough money for a ticket to Bloemfontein.
I was convinced it would be a brief stop on my way to something better.
It wasn’t.
What happened in Bloemfontein, and later Johannesburg, would change the course of my life. I experienced homelessness and some of my darkest moments. But I also encountered people who saw me when I felt invisible, and experiences I have carried with me ever since.
Those are the stories I tell in Reclaiming Dignity.
Writing them reminded me that the path from homelessness to hope was never a straight line, and it certainly wasn’t one I travelled alone.
I hope my story leaves you thinking differently about the people we pass every day, the struggles we can’t see, and what it can mean to have someone recognise your humanity when you need it most.
This is the story I have carried with me for more than three decades.
Now, I’m ready to share it.
Reclaiming Dignity is available to pre-order now. You can also download a free chapter.