Fowzia Veerasamy’s love for her community started when she was just a little girl reading for her grandmother.
Her grandmother was unable to read, and later in life her activism was kick-started by doing exactly that – reading for seniors.
Now she serves on multiple community structures. These include the Gatesville Neighbourhood Watch, the Ward 46 Committee, the Women’s Forum, Youth Club, Seniors’ Club, the Business Forum, the Community Police Forum, Friends of the Rylands Library, she also assists at a feeding scheme, and is involved with a furniture recycling project.
Ms Veerasamy assumes all these roles, despite having a disability.
At the age of nine, she was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a condition that left her in a wheelchair for two years. Some of the symptoms include the loss of co-ordination in the arms and legs, and the curvature of the spine.
“Initially I would get upset if people made fun of the way I walk. It was while at Eros School that I accepted who I am. My family, teachers, counsellors, and everybody associated with Eros School laid a solid foundation for me. They never made me feel like I am different. Now I love to walk, even if people say I am constantly drunk because of how I walk. Instead of getting upset, I now joke with them. I walk sometimes from Gatesville to Mowbray,” Ms Veerasamy said.
She considers herself a “connector”, as many people approach her for assistance, whether it is to report missing drain covers or potholes to the City of Cape Town.
Her mother,Ruwayda Veerasamy joked that their home is almost like “social services”, as so many people knock on their door looking for help.
“Everybody has a purpose, and I think my purpose is to connect people. My greatest achievement was being able to connect people across class – whether they are renting or ratepayers. I know my community very well. I know who the ratepayers are, who is renting, who the business people are, and who the homeless people are. And I treat them all equally. The homeless people are part of our society and we must reach out. If you are not a people’s person, and you are judgmental, then you can’t be a community worker. You have to respect everybody across religions, class, politics and race.”
Her community work has also given Ms Veerasamy an opportunity to travel to Germany to learn about housing issues, as part of the non-profit organisation, Development Action Group’s (DAG) entourage.
Although her days are full, she makes time for her family, and she jokingly said her children knows they must join their mother in a game of dominoes. She also likes to bake and sew, and her love for reading never faded.
“I’m especially passionate about our seniors, they are our custodians and I will fight for them. I know the processes involved when reporting matters to the local government, and hence they come to me for assistance. They had to give up their freedom, so that we can enjoy it,” Ms Veerasamy said.