Pretoria - While the Covid-19 pandemic shone the spotlight on medical and government experts, it is homeless man who rose to celebrity status after a live TV mishap led to him being labelled “Alostro”.

At the height of the pandemic, while the virus was novel on South African soil and politicians and health experts united under one mission to house and protect homeless people in Tshwane, Mahau Louis, 33, butchered the English language in an irresistibly funny fashion.

Journalists gathered around a group of homeless people from Tshwane to find out if they were happy with the shelters the government had arranged for them.

While one man was speaking, “Alostro” tried to chime in, but to this day, nobody can make out what he was trying to say.

The video has gone viral and the unknown word he mentioned, “Alostro”, became his celebrity name.

Today the word “Alostro” is recognised by Google Search Engine Optimisation and his videos pop up when it is typed on social media platforms.

In the infamous video, while one man was highlighting to the media that the tents were not enough, there was overcrowding and not enough food, and the risk of transmission was very high due to lack of social distancing, then entered … “Alostro”.

He said something like: “Others they gonna na, they are see others here, they have alostro. What is now?” And he would be pushed out of the crowd.

However, speaking to the Pretoria News, “Alostro” said that moment was not embarrassing. In fact, it has turned him into a current affairs commentary star. People love talking to him and he has made a lot of friends.

People from all parts of Tshwane townships make time to drive around Bloed Street Mall looking for “Alostro” to get his commentary. Almost everything he has been saying about topical issues such as the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial and the assassination of musicians like AKA, DJ Sumbody and Vusi Ma R5 has been trending on social media.

He claimed to have given Vusi Ma R5 his stage name. He said Vusi said to him that he smoked expensive cigarettes, but every day he gave him a R5. That was when he said, from now on you will now be known as Ma R5.

When the Meyiwa case was on everybody’s tongue, and some social media users accused his girlfriend at the time, Kelly Khumalo, of allegedly being involved in his killing, someone asked Alostro what he knew about the matter.

His response was that it was reported that Khumalo killed the then coach of Spanish giants Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane.

Alostro also claimed that DJ Sumbody killed himself.

Through hand gestures he suggested that the musician, who was clearly killed in a shooting in Midrand, overdosed on drugs he injected into his arms.

Although he has become popular, people take his comments as jokes and find comedy in them.

A lot of people know that “Alostro” does odd jobs in Pretoria.

The Carletonville-raised internet sensation said he had not experienced a significant change in lifestyle. He still lives on the streets and sleeps in one of the abandoned flats in the Pretoria CBD that is called mahala flat, meaning “free residency building”.

He said he had ambitions to find a job and would not be picky. He also believed he could become a comedian and entertain people.

“Making people laugh is easy. I can do it. I do it all the time here in town. People love to listen to me.

“I know I am famous now and my videos apparently trend on social media. Everything that happens makes people want to hear what I think,” said “Alostro”, who embraces the name.

Pretoria News