Subsection of homeless people in Cape Town, South Africa
Bergie is a term used for a subsection of
homeless people in
Cape Town,
South Africa. The word originates from the
Afrikaansberg meaning "mountain" – the term originally referred to the homeless people who sheltered in the forests of the slopes of
Table Mountain. The synonymous term stroller typically refers to
street children living a bergie lifestyle.[1][2][3]
They are
vagrants and
scavengers, sometimes begging, performing odd jobs or working as informal car guards for tips. Most of them are
Cape Coloureds who speak
Afrikaans mixed with a few
English terms, and are known for their sense of humour, vulgar language and alcohol consumption.[4][5][6]
Their lifestyle is portrayed in the 1987 novel The Strollers by
Lesley Beake,[7] the 1998 documentary film Pavement Aristocrats: The Bergies of Cape Town by
François Verster,[4] and the play Suip!, a
black comedy co-written and directed by Heinrich Reisenhofer.[8] Bergie, an award-winning short film by Dian Weys, depicts how a law enforcement officer removes people that are homeless in order to make way for a 10km fun-run.[9]