'Homeless' Mark Gillman

2001-05-18 12:42

Johannesburg û The adrenaline junkie of radio and his breakfast team recently spent two nights and three days on a cold Johannesburg street corner.

Mark Gillman, 5fmÆs breakfast radio DJ spent three days on the corner of Republic Drive and William Nicol Avenue with Reuben Goldberg, Kevin Fine and The Prophet as part of an awareness programme, The Homeless Highway Patrol. Not only did they experience first hand the suffering of homeless people, but they also broadcast the programme from the street corner.

"Homelessness is an ever-increasing problem in Johannesburg," Gillman said. "We want people to realise how difficult circumstances are for those who are living without a home and on an empty stomach in the middle of winter on the street. Hopefully listeners will become more aware of the plight facing the homeless."

The only luxuries Gillman and his team had access to were sleeping bags and portable toilets. They had to beg in order to survive and rely on the public for food.

The project follows on two successful fund raising projects presented by the Mark Gillman Show. The Old School is Cool project raised R60 000, for among other causes, a feeding scheme for senior citizens. He collected a further 50 000 teddy bears through his Teddy Bear Patrol project for the police child protection unit.

- Beeld