Nathan brings free walking tours to Simon’s Town

A former homeless man that has been working as a tour guide since 2018 has embarked on a new initiative in Simon’s Town - introducing free walking tours.

Nathan Festus, 56, also known as “Brother”, previously worked for City Walking Tours where he, along with a team of guides, led two tours, the historic city tour, and the vibrant Bo-Kaap tour.

He said he had completed the Cape Town tourist guide course in 2016 and paid for it himself with money he had raised while working as a car guard at Seaforth beach parking lot.

His work as a car guard, he said, had been made possible through the then Simon’s Town Community Police Forum’s (CPF) street people programme (“Nathan walks the streets with hope,” Echo, June 14, 2018).

He said he also received support from the late Cindy Dollery who had been the Happy Valley Shelter manager where he had been living at the time.

However, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Nathan found himself without work and had to make a plan.

He started a small business selling sweets, chips, fruit and cooldrinks to people who stood in long queues outside the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Labour’s UIF office.

“I did that for the duration of Covid but it was a very competitive job and there were more and more people doing it every day,” he said.

At the time, he had lived in a Backpackers in the City for R100 a day but the monthly cost for accommodation soon became too much for him to pay.

He realised he had to find an alternative way to sustain himself and decided to return to Simon’s Town to explore new opportunities there.

He initially moved to Simon’s Town in 2010 after becoming homeless in 2006 and spending nearly five years on the streets of Muizenberg where he became addicted to drugs.

At the time, he said, he had “a deep desire to see his life changed”.

He said his transformation was not just physical but had also been a spiritual one. “You have to commit to a change of lifestyle. It has not been an easy walk and there have been pitfalls, but now I have a greater sense of purpose. I want to share my knowledge with people and give back to the community of Simon’s Town that have been very kind to me,” he said.

After spending a week on the streets of Simon’s Town, he had identified that there was potential for him to use his experience as a tour guide to earn a living.

He said the free walking tour movement started in Berlin in 2004 and is currently available in 75 countries and 1100 cities across the globe.

The concept, he said, is simple: “Tourists and locals can join the tour at no cost, and at the end of the tour, they can decide what the tour was worth to them and can pay a gratuity accordingly.

“A gratuity or a tip is not an obligation,” he said.

He said a walking tour was the best way to kick-start a holiday and for locals to learn more about the history of Simon’s Town.

He would also like to engage with schools in the far south and to share his knowledge and experience, especially with pupils who are thinking about a career in tourism.

Tours are available from Wednesdays to Fridays and on Sundays at 10am, noon and 2pm.To book, call or WhatsApp 071 592 8698.

He said he spends a lot of time reading and researching and Simon’s Town has so much history to offer and it constantly changes with the times while retaining its quirky historic feel.

“Our current economic situation has forced people to become creative. It takes a lot of courage but it can be done,” he said.