Creative beggars take to Cape Town streets for charity

One of the solutions to a creative challenge set to the new Vega students in Cape Town. The purpose: to break the ice between them, to get to know the city, and to start living the Vega promise: Wisdomwithmagic. The brief: "You have a morning to raise money for an unknown charity, and all you have is yourselves and your creativity. Busking, street art, well written beggar-boards or whatever. And keep it legal". Ten teams took on the challenge like it was any other of life's daily intrigues, and then took to the streets.

The takings, they'd get to choose later, would go to the Table Mountain Fund. The solutions were astonishingly varied: From practical assistance with a corporate re-positioning and re-naming promotion to begging becoming demanding, becoming comical blackmails, to a F1 pit-stop team who checked tires, windscreens and the hydration levels of drivers, and cashed in with half full oilcans. A very red-faced (seemingly shy) post-graduate asked for funding for sun-screen, a well built male second year asked for money for steroids, and another brave student begged for funding for the second half of a sex change, and showed the physical dilemma with accurate precision. A Xhosa speaking student begged for funds to "save the Stormers". A team selling "grass for charity" (freshly mowed kikuyu and buffalo grass in bankies) brought in the most money - a substantial amount coming from amused and confused policemen.

Then there was the entertaining Somerset Derby team: Jockeys on stick horses racing over the pedestrian crossings, with cheer leaders, commentators and debt collectors in suits and ties, whips and all. Determined. But what seems to have stuck to the minds of Capetonians, though, was the "rich-kids" team who begged for help against addiction to breast reductions, Ferrari's and Diesel outfits amongst others, but now and then turning the boards to state that they are "collecting for legitimate needs". And the team selling shade with umbrellas and other heatproof objects, strategically in tune with the context.

It all ended at La Med in Camp's Bay. The year had started for the students, the Table Mountain Fund (WWF South Africa) R7500 richer, the Tygerberg Children's Hospital R885.80 more empowered and everyone in gear to take off, always to make a difference.