At seventy seven years old Rooiland “Ginger” Nangu is full of fascinating stories about his past and the years he spent all over South Africa. When he came to Grahamstown he worked for a man named Mr Mentz in a tannery, Grahamstown Skins and Hides.
When Mr Mentz left the country and returned to East Germany, he left the tannery building to Rooiland. Rooiland lives alone in the big building which still stands but is in bad repair.
Rooiland keeps a number of dogs at his house however they frequently get poisoned and die so he now has only three. He keeps one chained up because he knows that if it wanders out of the yard it will get poisoned.
Rooiland pours water into an old tyre for the dog he has chained up. He manages to feed himself and his three dogs, often feeding them his leftovers.
Mr Mentz also left a herd of cattle to Rooiland. He sprays them to keep them free of ticks and chases them out of their kraal early in the morning.
Although he lets them wander unattended during the day, his herd of cattle are his pride and joy. He takes great care of them; here he treats one of the herd for worms by feeding it aloe juice.
Rooiland uses cow dung to wash his hands. After massaging the dung into his hands, he rinses it off and dries his hands on a bush.
Just outside of Rooiland’s plot of land is a tap which provides Rooiland and his neighbours with their water. At 77 years old he still has the strength to carry these heavy containers filled to the brim with water.
Rooiland leans over to adjust his radio, his most treasured possession, finding the correct frequency to accompany him as he potters around his property. He keeps up to date with South African weather, news and politics and is eager to tell anyone who will listen about his political theories.
Rooiland cleans his pot and spoon in the garden while keeping a beady eye on anyone who may want to get the better of him. He is surrounded by neighbours who are actually family members but he is convinced that his family are stealing from him and destroying his property.
By doing various odd jobs around town, Rooiland procures all sorts of payment, including this chicken soup. Here he decants his soup into a smaller container to make it easier to hide.
Rooiland stirs a pot of mielie meal while glancing suspiciously outside to see what his dogs are barking at. He buys flour, rice and maize meal as his staple diet which he eats and also shares with his dogs.
Rooiland cooks over an open fire in the middle of the tannery building in which he lives. The smoke quickly fills the room which is covered in a thick layer of black soot.
After cooking his breakfast Rooiland sits on a stump and enjoys his food while listening to the radio playing outside.
Rooiland’s sister’s family live closest to them and although Rooiland still talks to them, he is highly suspicious of them. He is convinced that they are jealous of his money, his property and his possessions.
Paranoid about thieves, Rooiland does not even trust banks not to steal his money. Instead he keeps his money in numerous plastic packets, hidden beneath a pile of bricks behind his house.
Although Mr Mentz left Rooiland money in a bank account, he does not use it but rather makes do with the money he receives as a pension grant from the government. He is determined that all his money and possessions should go to the youngest of his seven children, Andephile, but for now he collects his small change to give to the little boy.
The dark corners of Rooiland’s sooty house are the perfect hiding place for all sorts of treasured possessions such as his radio, his, food, and his clothes. But every time he leaves his home Rooiland is worried that he will come back to find something else broken or missing.
Not content with hiding things in his house, Rooiland wraps up a bundle of clothes in plastic packets and wanders through his garden, waiting for his neighbours to lose interest in him so that he can hide his stash in a tree.
Having hidden his possessions, Rooiland heads down Fitzroy Street on his way to town. After many years in Grahamstown, Rooiland has many friends and acquaintances that he stops and catches up with along the way.
In Beaufort Street, Rooiland checks out the different shops to find the best value for his money. He warns the shopkeeper that he knows her tricks of putting the old stock out and he will not fall for it.
Rooiland wheels his monthly supplies across town from Market Street to Fitzroy Street where he offloads his purchases. He is too afraid to take his food back to his house for fear of it getting stolen so he leaves it in town and returns every week with plastic packets to take a little home for himself.
Rooiland frequents the dell below the Graeme College sports field to collect firewood for himself. As winter approaches Rooiland makes his trips more regular so that he can keep a fire burning in his draughty cold house.
Rooiland heads home with a pile of wood in his wheelbarrow to last him the next few days. Despite his spiteful neighbours and resulting paranoia, Rooiland keeps himself busy, happy and strong. “I am content. I am fresh like a fish in the water,” he says, laughing.