Lifestyle/Community
Family living in car gets help and Shabbat invitation
After three years of living in their car in Cape Town, Jolene Erasmus and her Jewish husband and son were given more than just R20 when they crossed paths with Gary Meyers. They were given a lifeline.
The family – Erasmus and Itzy Diamond and their son, Hymie Diamond – had survived a farm attack and were facing certain destitution when they met Meyers.
“What started as a small gesture of R20 has now grown to approximately R22 000 to R23 000,” said Meyers, a South African architect who moved to Australia and has been in Cape Town for several months doing long-distance charity walks.
Meyers first noticed an old car parked on the side of the road while walking towards Hout Bay in March. Towels hung from the windows, making it appear that someone was living inside. A few weeks later, outside a nearby coffee shop, a young woman approached him and asked if he could help her find a job. Jolene Erasmus was living in the car with her husband, Itzy, and their 11-year-old son, Hymie, with Itzy sleeping outside in a sleeping bag and Hymie on the back seat – even in the rain.
“At the time, I thought to myself, well, this is South Africa, everyone is struggling. I honestly wondered whether it was just another story,” said Meyers. “I normally don’t carry cash with me when I’m walking, but this time I had a R20 note and I gave it to her.”
Afterwards, Erasmus handed him a handwritten note thanking him and explaining her situation and that she and her husband were not looking for handouts but rather jobs so they could get back on their feet.
Erasmus said that since she and her family had survived a farm attack in 2023, they had been living in their car in various spots along the Cape Town coast.
“We ended up living in our vehicle. We get work from time to time, but we do not get permanent work. We’re still staying in our vehicle. We are looking for work, a stable home, and a roof over our head. We have slept in other places, where we’ve moved around because people are not happy when we sleep near their houses. We’re currently sleeping at Cosy Bay and have been here since March. It’s very dark out here. There are no street lights,” she said.
Meyers was concerned about the family’s vulnerability. “I walk a lot in Cape Town, particularly when I’m training for my long-distance walks. I’ve walked from Station House in Sea Point all the way towards Chapman’s Peak and back, sometimes returning in the dark. That road can be completely unlit. Cars fly past at 100km an hour. I’ve seen how dangerous it can be. And suddenly, I was looking at an 11-year-old child living in a car, while his father was sleeping outside in a sleeping bag, in those conditions. I couldn’t just walk past. I remember thinking, I can’t do this. It’s not right. It’s not godly. It’s not human.”
He phoned Erasmus to say that he wanted to help them in any way he could, and started a GoFundMe page on 18 June, which has since raised more than R20 000.
Meyers has also given the family clothes when possible, but more importantly, he has given them a sense of dignity.
“Since we’ve been living in our vehicle, my husband has been able to buy some of the car parts we’ve needed to keep it on the road. There are still things that need to be fixed, but unfortunately, it costs a lot of money. If we don’t receive enough money at once, we can’t fix everything, so we have to repair the vehicle in parts as the money comes in,” Erasmus said. “There are still a lot of things that need to be fixed. We’ve managed to get our child to school and put food on the table, but we’re looking for anyone who can help us find work – honest work. We’re not looking for handouts. We’re just looking for a roof over our heads, somewhere safe where my husband can start looking for work and we can have some stability.”
In addition to financial and material help, Meyers invited the family to join his weekly Friday Night Club. Despite their situation, they always turn up in their best clothes with something in hand.
“Each Friday night we go to his club, we pray over the bread and the wine, we light candles, and we participate in the Hebrew prayers,” said Erasmus.
After Itzy shared his story at an evening gathering, Meyer’s friend, Biscuit, helped him secure work as a boilermaker.
But for the family, this was a chance to build a community.
“We’ve been here for three years, and nobody has ever invited us even for a cup of coffee. So when Gary invited us, it was an absolute blessing to have somewhere that felt homely, where we could sit, talk, and connect with people. Gary and his team continue to help us where they can, and it means the world to us to know we have somewhere to go on a Friday night,” Erasmus said.
“It feels very family-oriented, especially because most of the people are Jewish. My husband and son are Jewish, although I’m not, but being there makes us feel like we have somewhere to go and that we are part of society again.
“It’s an absolute blessing. Living in our vehicle, we don’t have friends, and nobody really reaches out to us. Every Friday night, we look forward to putting on some nice clothes, going to Gary’s suppers, meeting new people, and simply having an outing,” she said.
Simon Berg
August 20, 2026 at 4:50 pm
Is that the best the community can do? We all know that the line of poverty is endless. However, here is a family the community has gotten to know about. To place them in a secure environment, including schooling for the 11-year-old, is easily within the reach of many Jews in Cape Town. People were able to raise hundreds of thousands for those made homeless by the fire in High Level Road. As desperate their situation is, it is still incomparable to this destitute family. Warm fuzzy feelings do not sufice.
SMON bERG
iSRAEL
Gary Meyers
August 20, 2026 at 8:00 pm
https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-smith-family-nowhere-to-live
It’s been my absolute pleasure to help.
As Denzel Washington once said, one of the greatest privileges in his life is being able to give back to charity and to people in need. He described it as the most “selfish” thing he’s ever done — and I now completely understand what he meant.
There’s something incredibly rewarding about being able to help someone when they need it most.
So, good luck, Jolene, and let’s keep this going. I really hope more people hear your story and come forward to help.
Here’s the link to donate:
Donate to the Smith Family
It’s been my privilege to be able to help.
Gary ❤️🙏
Gary Meyers
August 20, 2026 at 8:15 pm
Hi Jolene,
It’s been my absolute pleasure to help.
As Denzel Washington once said, one of the greatest privileges in his life is being able to give back to charity and to people in need. He described it as the most “selfish” thing he’s ever done — and I now completely understand what he meant.
There’s something incredibly rewarding about being able to help someone when they need it most.
So, good luck, Jolene, and let’s keep this going. I really hope more people hear your story and come forward to help.
Here’s the link to donate: [LINK]
It’s been my privilege to be able to help.
Gary ❤️
Thabo
August 20, 2026 at 8:18 pm
The family can also get assistance from the provincial or national department of health. A social security grant can also be arranged for the child, and the parents a depravity grant. They can also approach the western Cape Public Service Commission to link them to services
Thabo
August 20, 2026 at 8:21 pm
I meant department of social development not health
Marlene Johnson
August 20, 2026 at 9:01 pm
God Bless you Gary…what an amazing story !!
Jessica Gardner
August 20, 2026 at 9:34 pm
I hope that people offer them more … I do not want them to die in the cold …
Berne
August 20, 2026 at 10:48 pm
My sister and have been there,also attacked and brutally assaulted and were nearly murdered on a farm of which I was the manager.They tried to chop my head open with my own axe and sister was stabbed multiple times on her head and shoulders.That is why will never go back to Cape Town. Not that it is much safer elsewhere. Thereafter we started to living in our vehicle constantly moving to various vercinities until we managed to leave the Cape.If we didn’t have the Bush Police who watched our backs, we would have been a goner as the thugs kept coming back for us.
Berne
August 20, 2026 at 10:49 pm
My sister and have been there,also attacked and brutally assaulted and were nearly murdered on a farm of which I was the manager.They tried to chop my head open with my own axe and sister was stabbed multiple times on her head and shoulders.That is why will never go back to Cape Town. Not that it is much safer elsewhere. Thereafter we started to living in our vehicle constantly moving to various vacinities until we managed to leave the Cape.If we didn’t have the Bush Police who watched our backs, we would have been a goner as the thugs kept coming back for us.
Helmut
August 21, 2026 at 12:21 am
God bless this little family.
Please give me a bank account I can contribute towards.
Thank you
Aubrey Trakman
August 21, 2026 at 8:57 am
Family living in car written by Lee Tankle.Please can you give me Gary Meyers contact details.
There is a yidisha woman Karin Eliason living in a dangerous area near Milnerton and in unemployed. The community in Cape not supportive.Maybe he can give ideas. Thanks Aubrey
GAIL LESLEY WILSON
August 21, 2026 at 9:19 am
Good morning, I have read Jolene and her husband’s story. My cheeks are wet with tears. I thank God for the wonderful family that helped them! That is what God wants! I am 80 years now and would like to make a donation. I’m not all that savvy with tge internet. Cannot do Back a Buddy. Is there an account that I can deposit into? My Gmail address is. gailgo711@gmail.com I have just moved back to Durban from Johannesburg. Thank you Gail Wilson
Linda Bushula
August 21, 2026 at 10:23 am
Morning angel, may The Almighty Lord bless you abandandly and protect you. Keep on doing the good job, caring for our people. This is a sad story indeed, you are a lifesaver.
Alan friedman
August 21, 2026 at 11:11 am
Such a brilliant Mitzvah
Anna
August 21, 2026 at 11:47 am
God bless you Mr Gary for taking care of Erasmus family.God will also bless the family and may both parents get the job and the roof over their heads.Smen
Clive Varejes
August 21, 2026 at 1:35 pm
How can we donate to this cause?
David Freemantle
August 21, 2026 at 1:55 pm
No details of the Go-Fund-Me bank account(if there is one) for Itzy Diamond are given
Can these be supplied please by email.
Peter Simon OConnor
August 21, 2026 at 2:06 pm
Its a blessing to give and its a blessing to recieve. May the Lord protect this family. They have already survived so much persecution in South Africa.
Sibusiso
August 21, 2026 at 7:23 pm
Very touchy
Nola Sello Wynne
August 21, 2026 at 7:35 pm
This beautiful family is in my prayers. God will open the right doors for you. I pray you will have security and joy again.
Martie Barkhuizen
August 21, 2026 at 11:42 pm
Good day, we are two Senior persons, nearly 80 and finding ourselves in the same sort of situation, after the Council broke down our House illegally without a Court Order.
We are running out of money and got a piece of land that we cannot live on unless we build according to the Home Owners Association’s rules, which we cannot afford at the moment.
We don’t know what to do and where to go.
Blessings
Martie
Antoinette Swart
August 22, 2026 at 9:33 am
Shalom shalom!