By Karabo Ntanzi
Pastor Anthony Malan, founder of Mercy Family Ministry, did not have a stable home growing up because his mother disappeared when he was 6years old, because of forced marriage to a man in Lesotho.
Malan was left with family members who constantly told him to “go and look for your mother”. He ended up living on the streets of Beaconsfield, with torn clothes. One day an old lady, Miss Cronje (whom Malan affectionately called Ouma) saw him and said, “Son, how are you going to pray for me if you don’t have clothes on. A Pastor must be decently clothed”, reminisced Malan.
Ouma who lived with 13 other family members invited Malan to share her house with them. “Other members would often “forget” me when they were dishing up, then I’d end up eating with Ouma. But it was better than being in the harsh streets and at least I was attending school,” he added.
Due to the Group Areas Act Ouma attended Methodist Church in Moipolai Street in Vergenoeg. “She was deeply religious and instilled valuable lessons in me, like not being ashamed of my identity. She warned me to never return to the streets where I would rely on hand-outs”, he explained. Malan did gardening to cover his personal expenses.
When he was in Grade 7, sadly, Ouma passed on, but the night before her passing, she gave him a Bible and said, “you must never, ever believe in anything except God.”
Malan became homeless again. One of his uncles and his wife, who lived in Vergenoeg, fostered him and he continued his schooling at Floors High School. The couple did not have children of their own, although there were other children stayed with them.
“I was living under difficult conditions. I had to go to bed early to wake up before sunrise, do all the chores, then walk from Kesebaketse Street in Vergenoeg to Floors High School (next to AR Abass Stadium),” he remembered.
There were constant fights between the couple and this forced Malan to look for alternative accommodation. He plucked up the courage to discuss his situation with the then Principal, Mrs. McClaud at Floors high school, who informed him that the hostel was already full.
The Principal managed to secure accommodation for him at William Pescode High School Hostel, that’s where he met his wife, Sophie. He continued doing garden jobs to pay for his school and hostel fees.
The couple has been married for 26 years and is raising four children, two of their own, a daughter and a son studying theology. They are foster parents to two other children.
After matriculating, Malan and his wife relocated to Johannesburg in search of a better life. He worked at a factory, manufacturing car parts for five years. Unfortunately, the factory close down then he was retrenched. His wife was working at a bank, while he assisted with the domestic chores.
His wife reluctantly submitted his CV to the Human Resources department at the bank she was employed at. Malan was invited for an interview and was appointed immediately by the bank’s Supervisor
He started selling policies part-time while working at the bank. During this time, his cousin took Anthony and his wife’s IDs and registered Thuso Undertakers a funeral parlor business for them. The couple later, relocated back to Kimberley, where initially both worked for the bank. Again Malan was retrenched by the bank then he decided to focus on the mortuary business.
On his return, he amended all broken relationships with his relatives.Malan studies theology and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Biblical Counselling.
The “Be a Man” seminars, which were started by Malan, aim at encouraging men to take their rightful place at home and in the society.
Anthony Malan does not want to discredit his father because he does not know what transpired between his parents.
“On 2 January 2008, God told me that my mother was in Lesotho,” proclaimed Malan. He and his brother went to Lesotho where they found their mother and returned to Kimberley with her. She passed on after five years of being reunited with the family.
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