Video: Coenie and Robbie united against racism

His landlord is black, and north, east, south and west of him.

A place rife with crime and poverty. But, also a place of great love, transcending race.

Four and a half years ago, he moved to Doornkop where he met Grace – oh the irony!

He moved in with her but, her children also hated the union, and chased both Coenie and Grace from her house.

Ever since, they’e been living in a caravan belonging to Robbie Msimango, the Scooters pizza deliveryman who, fell victim to a brutal assault at the hands of five youths.

Rewind to Friday, November 14, Helen Joseph Street 106, Dennesig – an affluent suburb, tall trees, manicured gardens, flashy cars, the works.

Robbie rushes to the address with five pizzas, ordered minutes before an attack which would leave him battered and bruised, his scooter written off, and not a cent on his name.

They emerged from an empty stand next to 106 when Robbie stopped.

They pulled him from his scooter, beat, kicked and humiliated him. Then they vented their anger towards his scooter, stole the five pizzas,

Robbies R800 takings for the day, and cowardly vanished into the night.

Now Coenie is the one looking after Robbie, who, four years ago, saved Coenie’s life when he was attacked by a bunch of thugs.

Robbie listened silently when his “brother” told his story to the Middelburg Observer on Thursday.

“I’m hated,” says the broken man, who forgave himself, but remains a pariah in the eyes of his family, and family in law.
His eyes moisten when he recalls the fateful night he collided with a car, killing his wife of nine years, while being under the influence of drink and dagga.

For this he served years in jail, where the boys who beat up his “brother Robbie,” could end up for their juvenile delinquency.

“I don’t hate them, I know how it feels to be hated. But, I want to bliksem them, so that they can learn manners, you know,” Coenie explains.

“I became a man in the African sense of the word at 14, when I was circumcised with my brothers in the mountains, my connection with them has always been there, in my family’s case its play with them, but don’t lay with them,” Coenie says.

He arrived at Doornkop with just a rucksack, after losing everything following his release from prison.
Robbie, makes extra cash as gardener for Mr Geoffrey Sill who, together with his wife Sam, made it a personal crusade to catch Robbie’s assailants.

Ironically, Coenie worked for Geoffrey’s dad at Collisen Engineering many moons ago.
“I look after Robbie, and Robbie looks after Coenie, it just show’s how connected we are,” Geoffrey remarked about the hushed racism, rearing its hateful head around braai’s and Sunday suppers after church.

At Doornkop there will be a different braai tonight.

Coenie and Robbie will feast on kilograms of meat, given to them by private investigator, Mr Lourens du Plessis, whose Guardian Protection team, arrested one of the alleged assailants on Wednesday night.

A true story riddled with irony!

Residents have denounced the attack. The only way forward now, is for all the role players to reconcile, forgive, but, not without compensation.

“I wan’t a new bike and new helmet and sincere apology, I’m still angry because my body is sore, and I cannot provide for my family over the next four weeks,” Robbie says.

“They owe him that much,” Coenie agrees, while clearing the spot where the peace fires will be lit, come sunset.

“Tomorrow is a new day, hallelujah!”.