Oom Johnny is no more.
Life is tough!
If you ad this saying to living on the street, then you know how tough it is.
Oom Johnny de Wet passed away between Sunday evening and Monday morning (29/30 January) in his Wendy house at St Peter’s United Church.
Oom Johnny became well known when he roamed the streets with a trolly and two little dogs. People were divided into two camps, those that wanted to remove the dogs and those that said he should keep them.
On May 2nd, 2019 The Bulletin posted the following terrible post:
A homeless man was assaulted at Secunda post office
Oom Johnny, a homeless man who lives in Secunda with his two dogs, was attacked at around 10:30 this morning at the post office parking lot (2 May).
The provincial EMS arrived to take oom Johnny to the hospital.
Currently, oom Johnny is in hospital with an alleged head injury but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
He has to be transferred to Witbank Hospital for further medical assistance but at this point in time no transport is available as of yet.
The attackers were never found. But Johnny de Wet had to cope with a severe injury. Johnny had a brain haemorrhage from the attack. On May 4 it was reported that Johnny was still unresponsive. It was a long road ahead.
Several people opened their hearts to Johnny and made sure that had good care. Andre Venter made sure that Johnny had food to eat and coffee every day. “I took food to him every day with a cup of coffee,” said Andre “I would then spend some time with him talking about anything before going home again.”
Johnny was placed in a home but didn’t like it, so he returned to the streets. About a year ago people reported that Johnny was sleeping behind a minisub near the St Peter’s United Church in Secunda. Someone reported him to the police. During this time St Peters United Pastor, Dalene Jordaan also responded.
Pastor Dalene Jordaan will be hosting a memorial service on Sunday 12 February at 10H00. That will be directly after the normal service at 09H00
She was challenged to do something from the church and she did. After a discussion with the leaders group it was decided to help Johnny.
The church had a little money towards a Wendy house and soon, enough was collected. Johnny had a home! A fence was erected around the Wendy house for Jock, his dog.
Dalene said to the Bulletin “We had no trouble with Johnny and he even attended church sermons.”
The church congregation had Johnny’s eyes tested and he received spectacles. He could read again.
Pastor Dalene Jordaan will be hosting a memorial service on Sunday 12 February at 10H00. That will be directly after the normal service at 09H00.
She invites everyone to join in either service or even both.
She thanked Langamed, SAPS and SSS for their quick response and support during Johnny’s passing as well as Higveld Funeral Services for their help.
Also read: ANIMALS 101 – IT IS CRUEL TO KEEP WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY (PART 2)
We never know where life will take us. We only know that God will be there all the way. Through all the hardships and difficulties, we are certain of God’s love.
This might be exactly what johnny experienced in the last year of his life. We don’t know yet what exactly caused his death but we know that his life was much more structured and had a little more purpose. While he might be forgotten by those that were supposed to love him he may now rest in peace knowing that in our hearts he will not be forgotten.
