Mamelodi voice 2013

UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

July 2013

The

Mamelodi Voice Learn how to go green ■ PAGE 10

Bikers ride for change

Meet the local animal hero ■ PAGE 16

■ PAGE 9

Know enough to care? p15

Nomonde Zikhundla, a fourth year Audiology student at the University of Pretoria, shares a laugh with John Pitsi, a child with cerebral palsy

Photo: MELINA MELETAKOS

Unite against abuse Natalie Ryder

F

ourteen organisations have united to launch a community coalition to uplift Mamelodi.

“The more we come together the better,” said Malashi Mabunda, the driving force behind the initiative.

The organisations’ first battle was against rape and gender violence.

They came together during the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Campaign at the Stanza Bopape Community Hall in Mamelodi East in June.

The campaign aimed to mobilise the community and educate rape survivors on what to do and where to go to get help after an attack.

At the event, Mbuyiselo Botha, government and media relations man-

ager of the Sonke Gender Justice Network, called on men and boys in the community to change the way in which they relate to women. Botha said this would help to prevent sexual abuse.

According to Botha, none of the perpetrators of rape were born violent but have been taught from an early age that they can solve their problems through violence.

“Until we deal with how boys are raised, the problem of rape will remain,” he said.

His sentiment was echoed in the testimony of rape survivor, Lerato* aged 24, who was attacked in Mamelodi in June 2010.

She said she would like to see men being men.

“To not hurt women, but to protect them.”

Meleney Kriel, co-founder of Viva Village, explained some of the practical steps a victim can take after a rape attack. She said rape survivors need to be taught that they have to preserve evidence to help catch the perpetrator.

“Resist that shower, [that] urge to wash that trauma away, that pain,” said Kriel.

The committee currently consists of the following organisations: Sonke Gender Justice Network; LifeLine; City of Tshwane Department of So-

cial Development in Mamelodi; Department of Health and Social Development in Mamelodi; Tshwane Metro Police Social Crime Prevention; Community Police Forum; Viva Foundation; Meetse A Bophelo; Field Band Foundation, Urban Fellas; Mamelodi East Police Station, Thuthuzela Centre; OUT Well-Being; the Church Council and Mamelodi community members.

According to Mabunda, the work they are doing together is still in its early days. They are not yet clear about the future of the committee.

Mabunda hopes to get it involved with the 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence World Aids Day.

“It is not our last project, we are going to tackle other issues,” said Mabunda. *Identity withheld to protect the dignity of the victim

If you would like to get involved with this committee contact Malashi Mabunda on malashil@yahoo.com or 082 960 9796.

■ Read more about the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Campaign on page 14.

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

“

With this R800 the government expects me to buy food, clothes and cover school expenses for him. –Ma Vezi

Aimee Delagey

”

Susan ’Ma’ Vezi embraces her foster son, Dimpho Ntsoane, at their home in Ikageng.

Photo: ANDREW BWALYA

Abandoned baby thrives with new ‘mom’ Andrew Bwalya

S

even years ago, Dimpho Ntsoane was dumped as an infant by his mother. Thanks to his foster mother, Susan Vezi, he is still alive and has big dreams for his future.

“I want to be a soldier when I complete my education,” he said.

Then he positioned his small hands like he was aiming at an imaginary target with a gun. After the demonstration, Dimpho grinned and dashed off to play with the other children outside the foster home in Ikageng, east of Mamelodi.

“I was very upset when I first heard that he had been dumped, but today I am happy that Dimpho is part

of my family,” said Vezi, known locally as Ma Vezi.

In the early hours of 22 December 2006, Dimpho was found crying on the doorstep of a deserted house in Mandela Village, an informal settlement east of Mamelodi.

“The neighbours heard the cries and came to the rescue of the baby,” said Ma Vezi.

The residents of Mandela Village reported Dimpho’s case to the police.

The police briefed the social workers, who then contacted Ma Vezi for placement for the boy.

“I received a telephone call from the social worker asking me to take in the abandoned child. I accepted,” said Ma Vezi with a broad smile.

“It was my birthday present.”

The following day, the child was taken to the Mamelodi Hospital for medical checkups. He was in good health. The doctor estimated that Dimpho was born on 8 December 2006 and was subsequently issued a birth certificate.

Ma Vezi discovered the reason for Dimpho’s abandonment five months after he arrived at her home. It was a case of unplanned pregnancy and poverty. Dimpho’s real mother, a young woman in her twenties, was forced by her parents to return the child to her boyfriend.

She took Dimpho to her boyfriend’s house with the hope that he would find someone to take care of the baby. When she arrived, he was nowhere to be found. She left little Dim-

pho on the doorstep of the house.

Days after she had dumped the child, she learnt that her boyfriend had relocated to another place without him.

Dimpho’s mother discovered that he had survived and was in Ma Vezi’s care. She visited him three times. It was during those visits that she told Ma Vezi why she dumped him. She has since passed away.

Dimpho is now in grade one at Mohale Primary School in Mamelodi East. School progress reports indicate that he is doing well.

“I like mathematics and Sepedi,” he said.

Dimpho’s teacher, Maju Salamina Motjele, describes him as a nice, quiet boy.

“He passed all his subjects in the

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first term. I see a good father in him if he does not change his current behavior,” she said.

Lucia Puleng, a helper of Ma Vezi, shares similar sentiments.

“I wish him to grow. He understands when you instruct him. He can be somebody in life,” she said.

Apart from Dimpho, Ma Vezi takes care of nine other children. She opened her home as a place of safety to orphans and vulnerable children in 1996.

She receives a government foster grant of R800 a month for Dimpho and an additional grant for each of the children in her care.

“With this R800, the government expects me to buy food, clothes and cover school expenses for him,” she said.

According to Ma Vezi, the money is not enough to cover the running costs of the house as well as medical expenses. For this reason, donations come in handy.

Lerato Jacobs, 68, known as Ma Lerato, is the founder of a home in Mamelodi East like Ma Vezi’s. She is acutely aware of the prevalent phenomenon of child neglect.

“There are a lot of vulnerable children who need help. We should open more orphanages for them,” she said.

The police in Mamelodi East collaborate with the township’s orphanages in caring for children.

“We value those institutions because they take care of neglected and sometimes abused children,” said Warrant Officer Mike Mbewe.

“We cannot work without them.”

According to Mbewe, the police station’s victim-friendly facility caters for vulnerable children and victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, the facility can keep victims only on a temporary basis, particularly cases that are reported during the night.

The police not only refer victims to places of safety for permanent residence, but also support these shelters.

“Through an informal women’s network in the community we do donate clothes to the orphans in the area,” said Mbewe.

On occasions such as Mandela Day, the police visit such homes in Mamelodi East and volunteer themselves for charity work.

“Keep it up, hang in there,” is Mbewe’s advice to people like Ma Vezi.

Besides providing orphans and vulnerable children with a home, Ma Vezi hopes they can be educated. She believes this is the key to a future.

“Then they can help themselves.”

Courts grant grannies access to foster care funds Aimeé Delagey When Tenbai Ndlovo’s daughter died three years ago, she went from supporting herself to also supporting her two grandchildren. The R300 a month that she earns selling vegetables is used to feed the whole family. She is

Illustration: KATLEGO MOTAUNG

unaware of the foster care grant that could change their lives.

On 12 April, the South Gauteng High Court ruled that grandparents who are their grandchildren’s primary caregivers are now entitled to foster care grants. This means that, instead of

surviving on the child support grant of R290, they can now receive a foster care grant of R800.

The High Court overturned an earlier ruling by the Children’s Court in Krugersdorp that a grandmother caring for three grandchildren did not have to be formally defined as a foster parent if she had some means of supporting them, such as a pension. However, the Social Assistance Act that regulates administration and payments of grants firmly states that a foster parent qualifies for a foster care grant regardless of their income.

The judgment will help remove a key obstacle that has blocked grandparents’ access to foster care grants.

The court further provided guidelines for children’s courts to follow when interpreting the law. The law states that a child requires care and protection if they have been abandoned or orphaned and are without any visible means of support.

Before the High Court ruling, grandparents did not always qualify for the foster care grant because it was assumed that they could provide sup-

port and protection.

“There is an expectation that if you are a family member you should be looking after the child,” said Leanne Wieruszowski, a social worker at the South African Woman’s Federation.

There are 3.9 million orphans in South Africa and 500,000 children in foster care.

At 47, Ndlovo is too young to receive a pension. While she takes care of her grandchildren, her brother’s family enjoys the child-support grant as the registered caregiver. But as he is part of her family, she refuses to report it so that he won’t go to jail.

Jared Burchell, manager of the Virtual Adoption Programme at nonprofit organisation Viva Village, is pleased with the ruling.

“Just the fact that I have this information and can impart it to the gogos can help a lot. Through helping the gogos help themselves, we will be able to help other families that are not getting an income,” he said.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there are 3.9 million orphans in South Africa and 500 000 children in foster care.

“The foster care programme was primarily for abused and abandoned children,” said Lynne Cawood, the director of Childline.

“The HIV pandemic has resulted in many more requiring this service.”

According to Cawood, the service is overloaded, currently buckling under the weight of around 544 00 children.

“It requires greater resources to ensure that every child is legally placed and able to receive state support,” said Cawood.

The foster care grant will enable Ndlovo to put her grandchildren back in school.

“I will be okay, because I can buy some food and clothes for the child.”

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

3

Mamelodi men take fossil casting to Cradle of Humankind Simisola Jolaoso

I

Bongani Nkosi holds a fossil cast.

Photo: SIMISOLA JOLAOSO

n a pioneering project, a group of young men from Mamelodi are teaching fossil casting to communities in the Cradle of Humankind.

Bongani Nkosi, 25, never imagined that he would pursue a career in fossil casting.

“I was staying in Mamelodi and I was planning on going to school and do art,” he explained.

Nkosi now works as a fossil casting technician at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). He and his teammates are currently preparing the Marapo and Stones Project.

Professor Bonita de Klerk, a leading paleoanthropologist from Wits said the project will be launched in July.

“We’ve taken locals from the community, taught them how to cast, so they’re currently making that so they can sell replicas to tourists and schools.” said De Klerk.

Paleoanthropologists study the origins of humankind with the help of fossils.

The project involves making skeletal casts of fossils and showing them to the communities around the Cradle of Humankind.

“We realised people come from all over the world, to look at the caves and study the fossils, yet the people in the community have no idea on what’s going on and they’ve lived there all their lives,” said De Klerk.

Fossil casting involves making intricate, detailed replicas of bones and fossils, some that date over three million years old.

Mduduzi Nyalunga, 20, one of Nkosi's colleagues, said it is a combi-

nation of arts and science really. “It takes an artist’s artistic skills to get the exact details right.”

Nkosi said they make the casts because the original fossils could get damaged, broken or the DNA could change if care isn’t taken.

According to Nkosi, an interest in the origin of fossils prompted him to enter the field.

“I started respecting nature and the fossils, our environment. It’s important that we conserve it so we can learn more about it.”

After matriculating, Nkosi joined the Ifa Lethu Organisation. The organisation led 56 of its artists to receive training in fossil casting at Wits. Only Nkosi and fellow Mamelodi resident, Boy Louw, were offered work and further training at the university’s Institute for Human Evolution.

One of the most exciting projects Louw and Nkosi have been involved with is Karabo, the two million-yearold remains of a juvenile Australopithecus sediba.

The discovery of these fossils have provided scientists with valuable information about the extinct species of hominid from the early Pleistocene age. It was found by the then 9-yearold son of leading Wits paleoanthropologist Professor Lee Berger. The name “Karabo” means “the answer”.

De Klerk said: “He is the answer to many questions we have about ourselves. He belongs to the people.”

For Nkosi working on Australopithecus sediba is very interesting.

“Most of all touching these fossils made me feel so special because I

Learn how to make a fossil cast 1 Clean the fossil with a

soft brush to make sure you remove all the excess dirt and debris.

container with modelling clay, until the fossil is completely covered. Allow to dry.

2 Place one strip of card-

5 Use the cardboard strip

board inside your greased plastic container and fill half of the container with modelling clay. This will be the base of the mould.

3 Place one strip of card-

board at the edge of one side of the clay and push the fossil hard into the modelling clay. Make sure it does not touch the strip.

4 Fill the top half of the

to help remove the fossil out of the mould.

6 Mix the plaster of Paris

(it typically comes as one part water to two parts powder).

7 Let the mixture set for

9 Remove the cast (made from the plaster of Paris) from the moulds.

10 Allow the cast to dry. It should not happen too quickly. The cast will be completely dry in a few days.

Simisola Jolaoso

11 Clean off the remnants

about five minutes.

8 Pour the plaster of Paris

12 Stick the two halves of

into the two separate moulds that you have made

‘Incubator’ trains local artists, scientists

with the clay. Let it set for at least one hour.

of clay from the cast with your brush. the casts together with glue.

know it’s the only one of its kind. I enjoy each and every moment.”

Nkosi and Louw have also been hard at work distributing casts at schools, particularly in townships.

Louw said they help children in science classes see what a real skeleton looks like.

“Therefore, helping them not only learn about our ancestors, but also about our bodies now and how the human body has developed over a long period of time,” he said.

The two artists displayed their work at the Creative Hands Incubator (CHI) two years ago, encouraging many youths to attend training there.

The CHI offers training for anyone interested in fossil casting or polishing their artistic skills.

According to Professor de Klerk, math and science are not necessary to pursue a career in fossil casting.

“People think of paleoanthropology as a science, but if you love exploring or discovering things, you could be a fossil tracker or excavator,” she said.

“Look at the artists in Mamelodi, they had no idea what fossil casting even was.”

Nkosi said he plans to visit Mamelodi this year “to motivate the youth and make a fossil casting.”

He would also like the youth of Mamelodi to get involved with the CHI. “It is going to keep the youth of Mamelodi out of the streets and off drugs. Come to the Creative Hands Incubator, you won't be wasting your time. You will benefit,” said Nkosi.

Skulls that have been fossil casted.

Photo: SIMISOLA JOLAOSO

The Creative Hands Incubator is an initiative of the University of Pretoria’s Mamelodi campus. The project falls under the creative entrepreneurship division and was established through a collaboration between the Ifa Lethu Foundation, the United States Embassy and the University of Pretoria.

Launched in 2011, the CHI offers training in entrepreneurial skills. The training is currently managed by the university’s Department of Business Development in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

“The Creative Hands Incubator is the most recent of our partnership activities,” said UP Mamelodi campus director, Edwin Smith.

“It is an attempt to develop the artistic and creative talents of youth and communities to provide them with the skills to produce market-ready quality products.”

According to Smith, the Creative Hands Incubator is empowering youths in Mamelodi by teaching them entrepreneurship and business skills, focusing mainly on creative arts and fossil casting.

“Local artists have also expressed an interest in using the Incubator, but this has not as yet been taken any further as we mostly focus on school going youth for now.”

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

4

No easy ride for commuters Jake Neethling

H

undreds of Mamelodi commuters were left stranded for almost a month during the nationwide Putco bus strike in April.

The wage dispute made it necessary for many commuters to use taxis as no buses were available.

This is just one of the struggles people regularly face when using public bus transport. Others include unexpected fare increases and route changes and even angry commuters disrupting transport themselves.

According to Tshepo Mputi, a bus monitor from Mamelodi who ensures buses run on time, the bus rank was “just empty” during the strike. “No buses, no people.”

Taxi fares doubled travelling costs for commuters, some of whom purchased weekly and monthly bus tickets before the strike.

Collette Mathle, who travels from Mamelodi to her job in Groenkloof, had to spend R66 daily on a taxi. A bus ride cost usually cost her R28.

Putco distributed a pamphlet after the strike telling commuters they would still be able to use the trips on the tickets they purchased for the strike period. However, Mamelodi residents still complain that they lost money because of the higher cost of

taxi fares.

Earlier in the year, angry commuters threw stones at Putco buses in Mamelodi and their drivers to protest against the 15% bus fare increase.

For Jacob Makueya, a Putco bus driver, this was a difficult time, but he still had to work. According to him, passengers were even fighting with each other.

The bus company explained in a press release that fare increase was due to higher fuel and related costs, combined with a low increase in government bus subsidies.

In the coming months commuters may face more uphill battles. Shortly after the strike Putco management announced that it was terminating 29 bus routes because of a lack of government subsidies. The routes affected are Mamelodi to and from Midrand, Monument Park, Groenkloof, Faerie Glen and Ga Rankuwa.

The implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) in and around Pretoria next year may go some way towards addressing some of these challenges. The BRT will include a bus line with 43 stations running from the inner city to Menlyn and on to Mamelodi. The system will be fully operational by 2017.

How did the strike affect residents:

“The strike affected us because we budgeted for the bus. Now we go to the taxi and need to pay with cash.”

- Robert Nkosi, shop assistant

“We bought bus fare for so many weeks...Then there is a strike and you have to go and borrow money for taxis.”

- Frik Disagoala, merchandiser

Quick train info on phone Commuters can now use their mobile phones to easily plan trips aboard metro trains.

The Go Metro app, currently in the first of two phases, provides commuters with easy-to-use metro train timetables, a fare calculator and trip planner. General information like route maps, terms and conditions of travel, and conditions of carriages is also available. The final phase will provide real-time, up to the minute train schedules and associated platform changes.

Commuters can access information on Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal train schedules.

In addition to being a mobile transport app, Go Metro also provides value-added services, through news links, entertainment and media channels for commuters.

Go Metro will work on both smart and feature phones with internet access. It is also available as a Mxit App. Visit www.gometro.co.za.

“I was late every day. Some people even lost their jobs.”

- Elizabeth Sibanyoni, domestic worker

Transport fares between Mamelodi and commuter destinations Illustration: ANTON MEIJER

Mae Jemison Science Room one of best in world Neil Pretorius

High-school learners read books in the Mae Jemison US Science Reading Room. Photo: ISCHKE DE JAGER

The Mae Jemison US Science Reading Room on the Mamelodi Campus of the University of Pretoria has been selected as one of seven leading science centres in the world, by the Smithsonian Institute – the biggest museum in the world. The Reading Room is the only centre in Africa to be chosen for this honour.

The US State Department, through its embassies, creates “American Spaces” to interact with local communities and support them with education – especially in science.

Edwin Smith, Director of the Mamelodi Campus, says to be chosen as one of seven model American Spaces, out of 850 across the world, is a great achievement. He says this may open up possibilities for additional grants for the Reading Room’s projects. However, the recognition itself is the ultimate prize.

Mark Dobson, the American Embassy Library Director at the Reading Room, says that although the concept of a “model American space” may be vague, it generally refers to learning centres that not only possess high-end learning materials, but utilise them in such a way that learners are adequately equipped for a career in the field of science. “Many of our learners have gone on to study at places like UP, the

University of Johannesburg and the University of the Witwatersrand,” he says.

The Reading Room is a joint partnership between the United States

“

The recognition itself is the ultimate prize.

- Edwin Smith

”

Embassy in Pretoria and UP. It is named after the first AfricanAmerican female astronaut, Dr Mae Jemison. Since its inception in 2008, the Reading Room’s main aim has been the education of students in the local community in the field of science. It provides students (mainly local high school learners) with academic reading material, homework facilities, access to the Internet and structured academic programs.

It currently accommodates about 60 learners, houses about 3,000 books and has three sections: a reading room, exhibition space and an audiovisual auditorium.

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

5

Residents feel neglected Anton Meijer

R

esidents of Extension 11 in Mamelodi, who struggle to communicate their grievances to the Tshwane Municipal Council, say ward councillors are failing them.

Extension 11, which includes wards 97 and 10, makes up a large part of eastern Mamelodi.

The area is crippled by poverty, but also neglected when it comes to service delivery.

According to the DA‟s Proportional Representation Councillor in the area, Peter Millar, the residents of Extension 11 are the forgotten people of Tshwane.

“Many of them have been living there for 20 or more years and little has changed in that time,” he said.

Residents in the area are still without basic services like water, waste removal and electricity.

However, the MEC of local government in Gauteng, Ntombi Mekgwe, said residents do not make use of the available resources to make complaints.

“People must get used to engaging [ward councillors]. As South Africans, that‟s a key strength that we have.

Unfortunately people are not utilising the available avenues,” she said.

Several residents in the area feel otherwise.

“I don‟t even know who my ward councillor is,” said Aubrey Matabane, 48, who has been living in Extension 11 since 1997.

“How can I complain about the water or the dirty roads if I don‟t even know who to call?”

Residents who raised their issues with their ward councillors never heard back from them.

“We complain, but they don‟t listen. We are still without a water tap near the house,” said Lesego Skosana.

However, ward councillors can only facilitate and make suggestions on what services to spend money on.

Millar believes that the councillors do not speak out about issues in their wards because it may put their jobs on the line.

Mekgwe did not comment on the communication gap between the residents and ward councillors, but raised the issue of the gap between city council and ward councillors.

“Local government must come up with a program to implement the needs of society, and at times there‟s a gap in there,” she said.

“If there‟s a gap, the government officials must inform their councillor.”

Several ward councillors may try to avoid the spotlight after an ANC NEC task team found that some councillors manipulated the selection processes in their favour for the 2011 local elections.

According to their report, three of the nine councillors who should not be in their positions currently operate in Mamelodi.

However, service delivery in the city is hampered by more than just a communication gap and possibly corrupt deployment.

Millar said that the residents‟

problems are a result of poor budget allocation.

“When you travel to other areas, especially the northern areas like Soshanguve and Mabopane, huge amounts of money are being spent on providing and upgrading services.

“Mamelodi in general is neglected,” he said.

He suggested that changes should be made to the Tshwane Municipality Integrated Development Plan so that service delivery in Extension 11 could be improved.

Mekgwe said it is not a problem of

budget allocation, but rather of shortages in the budget for migrants who move to Gauteng.

“The more we deliver, the more people come to settle in Gauteng.

Unfortunately, with the resources that we have, we cannot cater for everyone.”

Mekgwe said her department had instructed the municipality to engage more with the residents to avoid service delivery strikes.

“We are not saying it is right, but let‟s work together to solve the problems,” she said.

Smart way to report service delivery issues Anton Meijer The social networking site Mobilitate aims to stem the tide of poor service delivery and to point out poorperforming ward councillors.

Founder and CEO of Mobilitate, Lionel Bisschoff, said his aim with the service is to improve the collaboration between citizens and government.

“The problem we have at the moment is that politicians use service delivery issues for their own political

gain,” said Bisschoff.

“They seldom do something about the issue but make noise around it. We need more politicians that do more than just talking.”

The purpose of Mobilitate is to stimulate transparency in local government service. The site provides information on service delivery disruptions and also scores municipalities based on their service delivery.

Users of Mobilitate can report problems with the existing infrastructure in their wards, and can also suggest ideas or services that are needed in the community.

“In Mamelodi for instance, residents can put pressure on local government to lay tarred roads if there is enough people asking for it on Mobilitate,” said Bisschoff.

“The free service is a platform for

all South African citizens to report basic service delivery problems, crime reports, social causes and local news.”

Mobilitate also allows municipal officials to register and respond to members who have posted problems.

The service has received mixed reaction from municipalities.

“We receive a lot of cooperation from the City of Tshwane, but we are struggling in Johannesburg to get our

message over.”

Despite this, Bisschoff still has high hopes for his service.

“If we as South Africans stand together against corruption and poor service delivery, we can actually make a difference.”

Mobilitate is easily accessible and applications can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Android Play Store on your smartphone.

Burst pipe fixed by council The installation of a new main water supply pipe to Mamelodi East is underway. This comes after last year‟s pipe burst which killed two children and damaged several shacks.

The engineering firm MIS has been contracted to lay a pipe connection that runs 115.5m, said site agent Deena Pillay.

The pipes will have two chemical spray linings both inside and outside to protect them against rust. It should last 50 years.

Photo: ANDREW BWALYA

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

The lioness of Mamelodi

Brigadier Lungiswa Tshayana, known as „the lion‟ to her colleagues.

Photo: ABIGAIL JAVIER

Abigail Javier

A

police officer walks across the floor of the Mamelodi East Police Station towards the office of the brigadier.

“Why don‟t I often see you here?” asks Ina Simon, secretary to the sta-

tion‟s brigadier. “Because you are near the „lion‟,” replies the police officer.

The lion is actually a lioness.

Lungiswa Tshayana has headed the Mamelodi East station since September 2012. She is short and petite in

stature but her colleagues describe her as strong and courageous.

“People might think she is too small, but she is really having the initiative,” said Simon.

Tshayana is one of the increasing

number of women in a powerful position in the police service.

“In our province, we have a provincial commissioner. He has six deputies and four of them are women,” said Tshayana.

Her predecessor was also a woman. According to Tshayana, the community has responded well to women in power.

“People respond to the person [regardless of gender]. But I find a lot of people who are coming here, appreciate speaking to a woman because of the feminine touch that the woman has.”

Tshayana has received a number of accolades, including being honoured as one of the pioneers of the Lifeline Project in the Eastern Cape which consults on and aims to reduce serious crimes. Tshayana is also the senior head of her cluster of the SAPS Women‟s Network, a support structure for women working in the police force.

Community Police Forum Chairperson Eddie Nguni said the working environment in the station has improved since Tshayana‟s appointment.

“There is unity within the workers, community relations have progressed and discipline in the station has been reinforced,” said Nguni.

Tshayana was born in the former Transkei in 1961. She grew up with seven siblings and was raised by strict Jehovah‟s Witness parents. After completing her matric at Nyanga High School in 1979, she wanted to become a nurse.

Having lived in an impoverished family, she knew that she needed to work in order to help her parents. During the 1980s, there was also a need for police men and women in her area.

“Police officer?” thought Tshayana, “Let me give that a try.”

Tshayana feels that her job is rewarding. “But it‟s a job that has a lot of pressure. It needs passion, patience and perseverance. You also need tolerance and to be firm with what needs to be done.”

Her colleagues think she is very organised and big on procedure.

“She is easy-going, self-sacrificing and never loses her temper,” said Nguni. “But she is a tigress. No one can cheat or fool her.”

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Apart from her police duties, Tshayana is a single mother. Having never been married, Tshayana raised two daughters, Sinazo, 24, and Saneze, 21, by herself. Their father lives in the Eastern Cape.

Both daughters are pursuing careers quite different from their mother‟s. Sinazo is a fashion designer, while Saneze, a student at the University of Pretoria, wants to become a writer.

According to Saneze, having a mother who is a policewoman is interesting, but scary at the same time.

“I‟m very proud of her. She‟s strong, committed and sets a high bar for me to look up to. She‟s a good cop,” she said.

With the busy schedule Tshayana has, it is not easy finding time to spend with her daughters.

“We try to make the effort to at least eat dinner together,” said Saneze.

“Last weekend we had a girls‟ night in, and just hung out and talked on the bed.”

Tshayana is also an aspiring longdistance runner. “I‟ve been trying to run the Comrades Marathon, but until now I haven‟t,” said Tshayana.

“

It’s a job that has a lot of pressure.

It needs passion, patience and perseverance.

- Brig Lungiswa Tshayana

”

She has qualified twice but could not make it to the race on both occasions. When asked if she would try again, she replied with a smile: “Hopefully one day.”

What keeps Tshayana motivated is seeing the difference she can make in women‟s lives.

“Seeing women getting in the police station, crying and getting out of the police station smiling and with their tears dry, that‟s what keeps me going ̶ that at least we are making a difference in women‟s lives.”

Law clinic offers community affordable legal support Buntu Mawu The Mamelodi Law Clinic is helping residents who struggle to afford expensive legal fees gain access to justice.

Reginald Sebolai, an attorney at the law clinic on the University of Pretoria‟s Mamelodi campus, noticed that the majority of people who appear in the Mamelodi Magistrate‟s Court do not understand the legal system. They rely solely on the legal representatives appointed to them by the court to explain the legal processes to them.

“Most people in the Mamelodi area living in poverty are barred from looking for justice due to the cost of and time of travel to distant courthouse, fees charged for filing claims or lack of free quality legal assistance,” said Sebolai.

The Mamelodi Law Clinic helps people who cannot afford legal advice by charging reasonable fees. The clinic deals with minor civil cases such as suing for damaged property, injuries, as well as criminal cases involving theft, drunk driving and assault.

More serious criminal offences such as armed robbery, manslaughter and homicide are referred to higher courts.

“People who are poor and illiterate

According to Advocate Anna Brendeman, a state advocate at the Mamelodi Magistrate‟s Court, more needs to be done to educate people about the legal system and their rights.

“If people don't know their rights, they can‟t enforce them,” said Brendeman. *Name changed for legal reasons

Where to find legal aid

The magistrate‟s court in Mamelodi West. are incapable to claim or realise a whole range of human rights, or challenge crimes, abuses or violations committed against them,” said Sebolai.

According to Sebolai, an illiterate person that has been issued summons often cannot read and make sense of what is required and ends up in default. For many, court rooms are far, slow and unaffordable.

Photo: ABIGAIL JAVIER

The illiterate and poor are vulnerable and thus more likely to face problems accessing justice institutions.

Waiting outside the court, Mamelodi resident Bongani* said that before he was on the wrong side of the law, he just did not see the need for him to understand the complicated legal system. Now Bongani understands the need to be informed.

According to Daniel Thulare, the head of the Mamelodi Magistrate‟s office, legal aid and court services in Mamelodi are free of charge and the process of getting legal support is no different from other institutions.

The Mamelodi Magistrate‟s Court is situated in Mamelodi West and is the only court in this area.

According to Thulare, the court has a close relationship with the University of Pretoria‟s Mamelodi campus Law Clinic and Legal Aid South Africa.

“The University of Pretoria helps a lot in this court, espe-

cially with child law cases. You find a lot of students representing these cases,” said Thulare.

Legal Aid South Africa provides professional legal advice and representation to those who cannot afford it.

It also runs programmes that teach community members about their rights to legal aid.

Lawyers.co.za is another source of legal aid.

The website provides instant access to legal professionals and allows users to view different profiles in order to select the best person to assist them.

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

7

Life as a refugee in South Africa

Somali-born Abdi Wahab Ali owns a shop in Mamelodi.

Photo: KOKETSO DLONGOLO

Koketso Dlongolo

W

ith no money or passport and just the clothes on his back, 17-year-old Abdi Wahab Ali raised his arms in surrender as he walked across the South African border from Mozambique to a new life.

That was nine years ago. Today this 26-year-old Somalian runs a small tuck shop in Alaska, Mamelodi East, selling everything from hygiene products to tinned food and chicken feet.

Ali left his mother, three brothers, two sisters and wife in Somalia with the hope of having a better life in South Africa.

According to Stats SA, 2.2 million foreign nationals live in South Africa.

Over half a million Zimbabweans make up most of the foreign population, while Mozambique takes second place with just over 300 000 nationals.

When Ali arrived in the country, he sought refugee status. This means that he has the protection of the South African government and cannot be forced to return home until it is deemed safe to do so. He has to renew his asylum permit every six months.

Ali travelled to South Africa from

Somalia via Mozambique on a huge wooden boat that transported more than 90 men. He estimates that it took them about eight months to reach the country. The boat relied on wind power to drive it, which meant it could easily lose direction during strong winds and storms. Ali vividly recalls all the men praying fearfully to their god. “We thought we going to die and we pray, all of us we pray,” said Ali. The Somali conflict began 18 years ago following the demise of the Siaad Barre government. The civil war rages on between the militarily weak Transitional Federal Government forces and their supporters on the one side, and al Shaabab and other fundamentalist groups on the other.

“If I stay in Somalia I go to war and die, so I come to South Africa,” said Ali. Once in the South Africa, Ali lived with and worked for Ali Mohamed Amin, a fellow Somalian who lives in Limpopo. Amin owns a tuck shop in one of the townships. Ali worked for him as a shop assistant and earned R1200 a month. Over the next four years he learnt how to be a successful businessman. He taught himself how

to speak and read English by reading books and speaking to locals.

“After four year I leave Limpopo and come to Pretoria and start shop,” said Ali. Amin gave him R50 000 as start-

“

If I stay in Somalia I go to war and die, so I come to South Africa.

- Abdi Wahab Ali

”

up capital. He suggested that Ali should move to Pretoria because Johannesburg was saturated with businesses from foreign nationals. When he arrived he lived with a fellow Somali in Pretoria West for five days.

During this time, he bought all of his merchandise to start his new shop.

“I live in Mamelodi because fighting in Soshanguve too much and business not nice there. Attridgeville business is better but fighting too

much,” said Ali. At first, settling in Mamelodi was very challenging for Ali as he had to gain the trust of the locals.

He built a small side room in his shop where he slept until he could afford to install security gates. The locals gradually began to support his business as he was the only shop in the vicinity.

“I not make a lot of money because people is very poor here, so I buy little stock,” said Ali. Ali makes about R15 000 a month.

With this money he buys stock and pays rent for the shop and his flat in the Pretoria inner city.

Ali has managed to save enough money to buy a van which he uses to transport his merchandise and rents out for extra income.

“To live in South Africa is better than my country because there is fighting in my country,” said Ali. “There is peace during the day, peace during the night. One day is going to be peace in Somalia and I go back because everybody love his country.”

In 2011, Ali asked Amin, who has a passport, to fetch his wife in Somalia. At this point, Ali had saved

enough money to bring her by plane.

He spends four days a week at his shop and the rest of the week in the Pretoria CBD with his wife and oneyear-old daughter.

“Is very safe in South Africa, nothing happen for me or my family.

Sometimes you see criminal and robbery but that‟s everywhere, even in America,” said Ali. Pakistani Mos Hassan, 22, shares Ali‟s sentiments. “It was not my intention [to come to South Africa], we are leaving my country because of those civil war,” said Hassan.

“So we looking for place of safety where we can make living. When I come here I was not looking to stay here but we check locations and we stay in South Africa. Slowly, slowly I like it.”

Hassan arrived in South Africa as an asylum seeker.

He obtained a diploma in commerce before he came to South Africa.

Ali believes that the civil war in Somalia will end and that he will be able to go home and reunite with his family.

“If war stop in Somalia, I go back,” he said.

Tuks honours Madiba, donates books to local schools Melina Meletakos and Dominic Skelton

Professor Cheryl de la Rey, vice chancellor of the University of Pretoria speaks before donating a book.

Photo: DIKGANG KEKANA

Three primary schools in Mamelodi will benefit from the 1000 books collected for the University of Pretoria‟s (UP) Faculty of Humanities Mandela Day Project.

The initiative aims to give the annual global movement, which sees communities donating 67 minutes of their time to charity, more sustainable and long-term benefits.

This year the Humanities Faculty plans to establish reading rooms for Mogale Primary School, NwaVangani Primary School and Dr IM Monare Primary School in Mamelodi.

Before donating a book to the project, UP Vice Chancellor and Principal Professor Cheryl de la Rey said the initiative will have an impact on the lives of every child who goes to these three schools.

“Those who learn to read are also likely to read to others, particularly younger brother, sisters and family members,” she said. “There is a bigger impact. By creating libraries in schools and encouraging the act of reading, the ripple effect is quite significant.”

Professor Norman Duncan, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, said it was vital to dedicate more than just 67 minutes of time to projects such as this one.

“The 67 minutes, I think, is a good idea on the whole, but I think it should be a precursor to an ongoing and lifelong commitment to being part of communities and to assist communities,” he said.

Leti Kleyn, a lecturer at the University‟s Unit for Academic Literacy, is involved in transforming the run-

down classrooms into bright, colourful and inviting rooms for children to use during their reading periods.

She has previously erected three reading rooms and says it‟s important that they cost no more than R5000 because people are expected to make donations to the project.

“It should be very simple, it should be inexpensive to do, and it should be highly entertaining for the kids. It must be something that they want to come to,” she said.

Kleyn said the most important aspect in making a library readerfriendly is to make sure the books are age-appropriate for the children who will be using them.

“If you have an inviting room but a child takes a book off the shelf that is not inviting, he or she is not going to come back to read it,” she said.

The Mamelodi Voice

The perks and problems of life in Mamelodi The Mamelodi Voice asked residents what they most liked or disliked about living in Mamelodi. This is what some of them had to say:

The

July 2013

8

Mamelodi Voice

Editorial Team 2013 Editor Melina Meletakos Managing Editor Andrew Bwalya Digital Editor Sungani Phiri Advertising Manager Natalie Ryder News Editor Catrine Malan Photo Editor Abigail Javier Graphic Editor Anton Meijer

“I love the people of Mamelodi.

They are friendly and welcoming.”

- Noma Makaya, financial advisor

“Mamelodi needs to be cleaned… and school kids need to respect their parents.”

- Joseph Moyo, metal worker

Content Editor Annine Dormehl Chief Copy Editor Dikgang Kekana Copy editors Lisa de Klerk Aimeé Delagey Koketso Dlongolo Tanya Tsitsi Nyathi Dominic Skelton Layout artists Bonita du Plessis Simisola Jolaoso Buntu Mawu Jake Neethling Neil Pretorius

Contact us:

“ I stayed in Soshanguve for almost three years but it was not the place for me.

Mamelodi, I love it … I was born here, it is the place for me.”

mamelodivoice @gmail.com

- Samuel Lebea, shopkeeper

@UPJournalism

The Mamelodi Voice

mamelodivoice.blogspot.com

“I want it to be clean and to see an end to crime.”

“It would be nice if people would stop illegal dumping.”

-Dolly Mtshali, street cleaner

-Raymond collector

Sedibane,

garbage

“The municipality should bring something like sports facilities. Like right now, there is an open place there that is perfect for something like a park. Kids can then play there.”

-Sam Rampahago, pensioner

We stepped into a different world T

Melina Meletakos

Editor

his is the third edition of The Mamelodi Voice I will have been a part of. First, as a timid second year, then as a slightly more self-assured third year and now, in my Honours year, as editor.

Naturally, when you invest so much time into a project, you become attached to it. This newspaper has become my baby, one I have had to feed and nurture over the last few months. Sometimes it has been necessary to step back and evaluate how I could be a better parent but, for the most part, I am incredibly proud of the finished product.

This edition of The Mamelodi Voice would not be what it is if it weren‟t for my incredible team. I hope when each of you hold a physical copy of this year‟s edition in your

hands for the first time, you will feel that all the long hours put into the paper will have been worth it.

There are a few people, however, who I am especially indebted to.

To the Layout Magician, Anton, I am so grateful that you are as much of a perfectionist as I am. You took my vision for this newspaper and turned it into something even better than what I pictured. Ek waardeer dit, en al die Afrikaanse lesse, baie.

Lisa, I am in absolute awe of the speed at which you work and the quality of what you produce. You‟re gonna go far, kid. Of that, I am certain.

To Abi, thank you for always staying in the dungeon longer than you had to, and for constantly volunteering to do the things that no one else would.

Marenet, your delicious baked goods provided us with sustenance when we needed it most. Thank you for always going the extra mile as our den mother.

Professor Green, I have learned so much through your unwavering guidance and support. I hope we have made you and Marenet proud.

Lastly, to the people of Mamelodi, thank you for sharing your stories with us. The best thing about being a journalist is that you get the opportunity to step into a different world with every story you do. This wouldn‟t have been possible if you were not willing to let us in.

I hope we did all your stories justice. If, at the very least, we have managed to get that right with this newspaper, then my job here is done.

Join the online conversation www.mamelodivoice.blogspot.com

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

9

Rally against rape Photo: ABIGAIL JAVIER Lisa de Klerk On 8 June, Mamelodi residents rallied around a spectacle of burnished chrome and growling motorcycle engines. Leather-clad and fitted in denim, the Urban Fellas Bikers provided the Sexual and Gender-based Violence campaigners with an eyecatching escort.

Urban Fellas is a non-profit organisation that fuses its members’ passion for burning rubber on the open road with their desire to give back to the community.

The organisation provides for underprivileged community members, orphanages and other nonprofits through funds raised at their annual Bikers’ Day Jol. Urban Fellas first pushed pedal to the metal in 2010. Ali Tseke and

Members of the Urban Fellas Bikers club.

A biker shows off his patches.

A motorcycle’s elaborate speedometer.

Florence Tshaya, now respectively the organisation’s president and public relations officer, loved biking but, because there were no biker clubs in Mamelodi, the experience fell short. They subsequently decided to start their own club.

More than 90 biker clubs navigate the country’s roads. Urban Fellas is the first of its kind in Mamelodi. Of its 38 members, five are women.

The mosaic of patches on their cuts share stories of goodwill, from toy runs to charity events.

Urban Fellas’ list of past beneficiaries includes the Mamelodi Old Age Home, as well as local children that benefitted from 100 pairs of donated school shoes.

Photo: MELINA MELETAKOS

Photo: MELINA MELETAKOS

Photo: ABIGAIL JAVIER

A biker performs a ’stoppie’ for onlookers.

Photo: MELINA MELETAKOS

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

10

GOING GREEN Sisulu centre brings environment alive

From left to right: Paseletso Mathebe, Katlego Kgaleng, and Terence Mashego, identify a tree.

Koketso Dlongolo and Annine Dormehl About 60 children sit on the edge of their seats, eagerly waving their hands for a chance to answer questions posed by the learning facilitators at the Walter Sisulu Environmental Centre in Mamelodi East.

Every day students from the community visit the environmental centre and learn how they can reduce, reuse and recycle materials to preserve the environment.

Today, the pupils are learning

about the different stages of recycling.

They gather in the main auditorium where they are divided into groups.

Each group is assigned a teaching facilitator who teaches them about recycling throughout the program.

Since its inception in 1995, the centre has become a learning haven for children from grade four to grade nine.

By spreading the message of green education, it serves 10 000 learners from 186 schools in the greater Tshwane area every year.

In partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education, the centre

makes use of key applications and resources for educators to integrate the environment into the Outcomes Based Curriculum (OBE).

The Jewish National Fund (JNF) has been involved with the centre for 18 years.

“I love it here because they teach us about how to save water and they teach us how to clean water. I don’t want to leave, I want to sleep here,” said Hlompho Gahle, a nine-year-old learner from Mahube Valley Primary School.

Programmes in the “waste room”

Photo: DIKGANG KEKANA focus on how to prevent waste and how to reuse or recycle waste.

Solomon Kutumela, a facilitator at the environmental centre, said the children really enjoy the program and have fun while they learn.

“Some children implement what they have learnt at the centre when they get home and at their schools,” he said.

In the waste room, learners are taken through a storyline that makes use of raw materials such as paper, plastic, metal and glass. The raw materials are taken through their respective

recycling channels and at the end, student see the recycled product.

The children are also taught about recycling through games with the use of illustrations and posters. They start with a story on the waste disposal cycle and how it works to create new materials. Learners follow the route of a resource to where it is disposed in the landfill.

For example, a person will buy a bottle of water and throw it in the dustbin when it is empty.

The dustbin collectors fetch the rubbish and take it to a recycling facility where it is sorted according to resources. The resources are then recycled and transported to various manufacturing companies that will use them for packaging. The resources return to the stores in their new form and are reused by people.

The little boys and girls beam with excitement and clear fascination. They all take part in the lessons and ask questions about each stage of the recycling process.

“We learn a lot and we play and we dance and we sing,” said 10-yearold Fortunate Mahloumula.

At the end of the day, the children are taught a song about recycling that summarises the most important aspects about what they were taught.

Generally, teaching the primary school learners is a great experience for the facilitators, but, according to Kutumela, high school learners pose more of a challenge.

“They think they don’t need to learn about recycling,” said Kutumela.

According to Magaret Sibiya, a grade four teacher at Mahube Valley Primary School, the centre makes a big difference.

“The children learn about the importance of recycling. Recycling is drummed into the children because we are doing it at school now and then they come to the centre and learn more about it practically.”

The program is free, but schools are required to provide lunches for their learners and to pay for their transport to get to the centre. The centre takes in a maximum of 60 learners per day. The programme starts at 09:00 and ends at 13:00.

‘Green choices’ start with youth ̶ Miss Earth SA Dikgang Kekana South Africa’s reigning queen of green is ready to take over the continent with her earth-loving message.

Miss Earth South Africa, Tamerin Jardine, has a passion for wildlife and the environment that was sparked by a love for animals that she shares with her mother.

The 26-year-old, with a BA Law and LLB degree under her belt, hopes to be an environmental advocate one day.

“I just wanted to give that love to other people and let them understand that we’re not meant to be afraid of [animals],” said Jardine.

“We’re meant to see them as majestic creatures and a thing that we’re meant to protect. They are here in this world for us to protect and preserve.”

Jardine came to understand that humankind’s quality of life was directly linked to the environment.

“Slowly I realised the importance of cleaning the environment. It affects the animals and affects us at the end of the day.” said Jardine. “It’s a lifelong lesson and I’m still learning and I’m loving the experience.”

Jardine’s day-job in South Africa consists mainly of visiting schools on environmental projects. She believes they are the future the country will be built on.

“This is where change happens: our conditioning, our education is what grows us to make those decisions, so if we get them to make green decisions at a young age, it’s going to be an easy step,” said Jardine.

“It’s not going to be companies having to go green – [the children are] going to start companies that are green.”

Jardine recently met Tereza Fajksova, Miss Earth International, at

a Cote d’Ivoire school in a fishing village to talk about taking care of their ocean. Having been to the Philippines and many parts of Africa, Jardine thinks South Africa compares favourably with other countries in terms of its becoming green.

“I think South Africa is making headway ̶ our government is researching how to go green on energy, we’re trying to be water-wise,” said Jardine.

Jardine said that despite the fact that Johannesburg is buying water from Lesotho, South Africa is a developing country that should not be compared with recycling heavyweights like France and Switzerland.

“They’re first-world countries in terms of recycling. But I think we have made incredible headway in terms of Africa and third-world countries,” said Jardine.

Reduce your carbon footprint 

If you’re not in your room, don’t use those lights.

Switch off your geysers at peak times.



Save water. Try to reuse it where you can. Try to use water from the bath and kitchen to water your garden.



Recycle if you don’t want to pay for your bin. There are always guys walking around

your area and they earn money from that. Get a hold of one of them, find out what they’re recycling and give your recycling over to him. 

Plant more trees.



Make greener and healthier choices in your food as well as your daily lifestyle. Try to buy organic, or to grow your own vegetables.

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

11

Wetland to make kids water-wise Miss Earth SA Tamerin Jardine, centre manager Christa van Schalkwyk and landscaper Piet Uys open the new wetland feature at the Environmental Centre.

Photo: DIKGANG KEKANA

Dikgang Kekana

A

new wetland feature was unveiled at the Jewish National Fund‟s Walter Sisulu Environmental Centre in May. An entire ecosystem will flourish around it over the next few years. It will include plants, insects and tilapia, an indigenous freshwater fish.

“It‟s a special day to be opening this wetland,” said Tina de Waal, who manages the gardens in the areas around the centre.

“It will grow really well and develop into something amazing.”

The wetland was developed as an education tool for the 10 000 schoolchildren from more than 70 primary and high schools who visit the centre every year.

It also acts as a natural filter that is

integrated into the water drainage flow in the area. Wetlands trap toxins in the water flowing through them, cleaning the water. They also slow down water to prevent flooding as well as soil erosion, and replenish the ground water that support diverse aquatic and wildlife.

Water is pumped into the system from an underground pipe powered by four solar panels. The wetland underground is lined with bentonite, a clay that holds in the water.

The new fixture was officially opened by Miss Earth South Africa, Tamerin Jardine, manager of the centre Christa van Schalkwyk and landscaper Piet Uys. De Waal said: “We‟re an educational and environmental centre. So

for us the whole aim of this wetland is to better our environment but also [to use it] as an education resource for the kids that come to the centre.”

Tamerin Jardine, speaking to an audience of Mamelodi high school

That one action “ by picking up your litter changes your world.

-Tamerin Jardine

”

students and members of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) that developed the centre in 2005, encouraged all to make a difference in the environment and find their power do so.

“That one action by picking up your litter changes your world. We have the power to make our future a greener life,” she said.

Although wetlands have many benefits, destruction and poor management continue to occur. The Department of Environmental Affairs announced in May that it will rehabilitate 105 wetlands around the country.

Benjamin Shulman, deputy director of local projects at JNF South Africa, said the JNF has been active in community projects. Walter Sisulu, the namesake of the centre, was also

very involved and had established a relationship with the Jewish community in South Africa.

His wife, Albertina Sisulu, opened the centre with Helen Suzman and grandson Shaka Sisulu eight years ago.

“There‟s a Jewish community in South Africa that wanted to contribute to what was around them. We‟ve worked for many years in South Africa [on] how can we take this knowledge and give it over in a way that‟s useful,” said Shulman.

“All religions basically say all things belong to God. If it belongs to God, we as humans don‟t have a right to destroy. So from a religious view you can encourage people to be more environmentally friendly.”

Free help with maths and science Students in Grades 10, 11 and 12 need to achieve marks above 70% if they want to qualify for the faculty and university of their choice.

The educational website mathsandscience.com offers mathematics and science learning materials for grade 10 – 12 students from free educational websites.

The site provides: 

Math and science lessons in text, slideshow, video and animation format



Previous preliminary and final matric exam question papers and answers



Three-hour Saturday workshops that train teachers in using different teaching media



Resource materials such as career and tertiary study guidance, study skills, bursaries and loans

Free registration is required to access the material at www.mathsandscience.com

Illustration: JAKE NEETHLING

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

Gladys Matomose works on a vegetable garden at the Stanza Bopape Development Centre.

12

Photo: ABIGAIL JAVIER

Here people learn to help themselves Tanya Tsitsi Nyathi

I

n an effort to improve the lives of Mamelodi residents, the Stanza Bopape Community Development Centre has created different business co-operatives. Locals are trained and taught various skills such as farming, baking, shoe-making, computer literacy, welding and sewing.

The project started in 1994 and most of the work is manual labour.

“We want to have an exit plan.

We don‟t want to keep piling people [into] this centre, so we train them so they can later be independent,” said Edgar Masuku, the centre‟s project coordinator.

Although established in 1994, the centre was officially opened in 1999. It

A woman demonstrates how to thread a sewing machine.

A selection of beadwork made by the women at the development centre.

focuses on four main skills: urban farming, cooking, baking and sewing.

Two of these skills were facilitated by the Department of Labour and the University of Pretoria. Masuku said that all graduates from these projects are earning a living through selfemployment and placement in various projects.

“We wake up as early as five

o‟clock in the morning to work here and the money belongs to us,” said Mary Makoea, a farmer at the centre.

The centre also offers youth and young adults short programs, which include bookkeeping, accounting and secretarial courses.

“The course runs for four weeks and we get free transport and stationery,” said student Anna Thaba.

“I hope to get a good job after this.”

The centre has recently partnered with community radio station Mams FM to make the community aware of its projects.

Masuku said the aim of the partnership is to call upon all the unemployed youths and adults of Mamelodi to receive free basic training.

Photo: AIMEÉ DELAGEY

Photo: ABIGAIL JAVIER

Women harvest Chinese lettuce.

Photo: ABIGAIL JAVIER

The Mamelodi Voice

1st prize: Busisiwe Molaudzi

July 2013

13

The life lessons of Mrs Maupi Competition: Choose your local hero

Phateng High School

The Mamelodi Voice invited grade 8 learners from Phateng High School and Gatang Secondary School to nominate their community hero. Each pupil had to write a short essay motivating why they admire their idol.

The winners receive vouchers from Pick n Pay and KFC. All participants receive KFC sponsored stationery.

Busisiwe Molaudzi from Phateng High School with her community hero, Violet Mampi Maupi.

M

y hero is Mrs M.V Maupi.

She started teaching at Boikgantsho Primary School in 1982 until 2013 March. I chose her as my hero because she was more than a teacher to me. She is like a mother to me, or maybe a granny, because we have only one mother but many grannies.

She is a true African woman who loves to be true to herself, not only herself but to everybody that she loves and cares for. She is always honest

with people. She never tells lies. She is always proud of who she is.

I was in grade 6, when she used to say that if I don‟t do my work “die poppe sal dans”. I didn‟t believe her, so I didn‟t do the work, she said if you didn‟t do my work, stand up, and she punished us.

Since that day my work was up to date because “time waits for no man.”

I also remember when I was in grade 7 and I was a TV presenter in my school drama and I was good. Mrs Maupi said

that one day I will be able to present my own TV show called DIVA & FRIEND or BOO‟C & THE DARLINGS. She taught us that “I am untouchable until I am 25 years old.” She also said that “never give up”, always believe in yourself. She told us to accept the way we are because God created us this way for a reason and we never question his doings because in his eyes you making a sin.

She taught us how to love people

Photo: ANDREW BWALYA and care for them. She always said love yourself before you love others.

A mother who punishes her children when they have done something wrong, that particular mother shows her children some love, but a mother who does not punish her children when they do wrong, that particular mother does not show children love.

She said we must obey our parents and teachers so we can live long.

She taught us to be clean and stay clean, she always said “sebodu e ya go

The entries were judged by:  Professor Andries Wessels, head of the English department at the University of Pretoria  Ms Kulukazi Soldati-Kahimbaara, a lecturer in the English department at the University of Pretoria  Anna-Retha Bouwer, an arts journalist at Beeld

motlhwa a tle o bo ne mokgwa wa ona go re otle o thlalefe, cleanliness is next to godliness.” She said you can be born poor, but die rich.

She is a mother, sister, daughter, wife, granny and most of all a loving teacher. She is my hero, your hero, our hero of today, tomorrow and forever. Superstars die and may be forgotten but although legends die, deep down in our hearts they live forever.

Thank you for lending me your ears, I thank you.

Our own Florence Nightingale 2nd prize: Joy Zwane Phateng High School

Miss Phumzile is a 28-year-old woman who is doing nursing science and medical studies. She is dedicated to her work and always keeps her patients happy and satisfied. She volunteers in community nursing, whereby she identifies residents in Mamelodi who are in need of health services. She has a non-governmental organization (NGO) where she educates the community about healthy living.

She donates food and other parcels to needy families in the community.

She also does home visits to pregnant women, to educate them about the healthy way of living during pregnancy. She visits primary schools together with her colleagues to vaccinate the pupils.

During her spare time and public holidays, she goes to old-age homes and orphanages together with her team where they present different games, gifts and food for the people. She never gets tired of helping people and she does her work wholeheartedly. Many

families have changed because of her hard work and love she shows to the community.

She is also into art and enjoys doing wood carving. However, with the workload she has, she hardly has time to focus on her art. She will rather spend her time helping people.

Her dream is to see her community educated about health so that they can live better and so that the spread of HIV can be reduced.

She says that she was inspired by

Florence Nightingale who was the first nurse who made a difference in the world.

It‟s amazing how she is so dedicated to helping other people. She would be the first one to enter the world where her patients are located, and be the last one to leave. Her hard work inspires me to be a better person. Not only for myself, but also for the people in my community. We are thankful to have a hero, a warrior, a legend like her in the community.

money. The government does not subsidise her, and it is hard for her because she has to pay workers who help or work in the orphanage. Nobody wants to work without getting paid.

Some companies volunteer to help her for some weeks, which means that her orphanage is known all over the place. She wants it to be better in the future, not thinking about the past but focusing on the upcoming challenges.

She has a bakery outside her yard, and also opened up a crèche/day-care so that the profits that they receive from the bakery and the crèche could be used to feed the orphans.

Up until now she is happy that she has touched and changed the other children‟s lives and the children have good behaviour towards their elders and that they are always happy.

She is now planning to open up or start up an old age for elders where they can take care of neglected elders.

Ma Lerato is our hero because she feels pity for others and is not selfish.

She wants elders and children who are homeless and neglected to have a sense of belonging. So she offers to help them by doing the best she can.

No one could do that except Ma Lerato - she is a brave woman.

Mother of hope for orphans 3rd prize : Elsie Phofie Phateng High School

Ma Lerato is a woman who started an orphanage named Ma Lerato, centre of the hope. Her orphanage is mainly for children who were abandoned by their mothers, and there are children who are HIV-positive and disabled. The orphanage also helps abused and homeless children.

The reason she adopted orphans and started her orphanage is because she grew up as orphan. She doesn‟t have limits, and she doesn‟t only adopt South African orphans.

She takes care for older orphans, not only younger ones. The children that she adopts are not only from

Mamelodi, but from Ga-Rankuwa, Soshanguve and Eastern Cape.

She took quite a long time to start up her orphanage but she didn‟t quit.

She always told herself that she wants to do something for the community and always remembered or quoted these words in her mind: “a winner never quits and a quitter never wins” Her orphanage started to operate in 1990. She is still continuing with her job even if she is old, she still has that love for parental care.

It‟s very surprising that she manages to look after the children in the orphanage by using their social grant

This competition was proudly sponsored by:

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

There is help after hurt

Members of the Field Band Foundation march during the anti-rape campaign.

Natalie Ryder

I

n June 2010, Lerato* was raped.

She did not know where to turn for help. Her aunt took her to the police station.

After being sent to the hospital, Lerato received medical attention and counselling, but the pain she felt ran deeper than a „quick fix‟ counselling session. The emotional scarring of the rape still remained, even after test results revealed that she was HIV negative. She needed more.

“They thought I was coping, but I was not coping,” said Lerato.

In November 2004, Malashi Mabunda‟s sister was fatally stabbed 13 times in front of her parents after she

tried to break up with her boyfriend.

“Seeing what is happening and looking at the result of this, I thought no, enough is enough,” said Mabunda.

He decided to take a stand against rape and abuse by starting the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Campaign.

The campaign aims to educate victims of rape and physical abuse about what to do after an attack. The campaign partners with organisations like LifeLine, Itsoseng Clinic, the Community Police Forum (CPF), Sonke Gender Justice Network, Izwelithini Community Development Project and community members who combine their expertise and experience to educate people in the community.

Lerato is part of the campaign‟s

Photo: ABIGAIL JAVIER

committee, as well as a community member who has been affected by rape. She did not know where to go to get the emotional help she needed. She tried to brush off the nightmare, but the pain always came back.

“When someone does something that hurts me, it all comes back,” she said. It was only ten months after the rape that Lerato found out about places in Mamelodi that help rape victims, such as Itsoseng Clinic and LifeLine.

“Enough is enough. It starts with me,” said Mabunda, who has made this the theme of the campaign. He saw that there are others like Lerato who have been affected in some way by rape and abuse, yet they do not

know where to turn for help.

Mabunda feels that rape victims need to be educated on things like not taking a bath after they have been raped, as this will wash away the evidence. Victims need to be told that HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases can be prevented if they get Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) within 72 hours of the rape. PEP is a treatment administered to someone after they have been exposed to a disease to prevent that disease from infecting their body. A rape victim needs PEP treatment of anti-retrovirals to prevent them from contracting HIV/ Aids.

“People who are raped, they feel ashamed and they lock themselves in their houses and three months later they come out. It is already too late,” said Mabunda.

“If they had known that they can go somewhere and get treatment to stop being infected, they would have maybe used the service.”

Lerato supports the idea of educating the community about rape and abuse, providing information about where people can turn to get help.

“When you are a victim of rape, it sort of consumes you emotionally; you become a very different person. You think of things negatively, you blame yourself, you don‟t love yourself anymore, you don‟t trust people,” she said.

“

Enough is enough.

It starts with me.

-Malashi Mabunda

”

Lerato found that talking about the rape helped her with the healing pro-

14

Malashi Mabunda, founder of the campaign.

Photo: MELINA MELETAKOS cess. She had her family and friends to talk to, but they did not know what to say or do. According to Lerato, places that are available to help rape victims really do help.

“At first I thought this thing of seeing a psychologist is crazy. What am I going to say to her?” she said.

But it was here that her healing started to take place, as she was able to speak to someone who she felt did not judge her for what happened and who knew what to say.

Caiphus Mokone, the secretary of the CPF, said that the campaign will be good for the community as crime is on the increase. He stressed that the community needed to be educated about the “hot spots” in Mamelodi so they can be avoided.

Lerato wants to help others through her experience. She first had to be emotionally supported before this was possible. She blindly felt her way through the healing process as she did not know where to go or what to do. However, this does not have to be the case for other rape and physically abused victims.

“I have learnt that behind every hurt, all the traumas and all the pain, all the angers, all the struggles, there was a lesson learnt. I am at peace now,” said Lerato. *Name has been changed to protect the individual.

Call to protect our kids better Catrine Malan The Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) organisation has called on the Department of Social Development to intensify the systems that are meant to protect children in South Africa.

The organisation feels that current systems, such as the child protection register, are failing the children they are meant to be protecting.

The child protection register is used to document the identities of people who have been accused of child abuse in order to ensure that they do not work with children in the future.

According to the WMACA, this is not always the case, as people who have been accused of rape in the past are still not listed.

“What it means is that people who rape children will continue to be working with children because their name is not on the register,” said WMACA spokesperson Vincentia DlaminiNgobese.

Such an example has been brought to light in a case involving a Mamelodi police officer who has been accused of rape for the third time. The latest charge involves a 13-year-old girl in Mamelodi East.

According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), it is believed that the officer took the teenager to a fast food outlet

before taking her to his house and raping her. She was allegedly forced to spend the night but managed to escape the next day and report the incident to the police.

The previous two cases date back to 2008 and 2009 and involved 12and 8-year-old minors respectively.

These cases were withdrawn when the witnesses failed to appear in court.

However, IPID has indicated that it is investigating the charges in light of the recent events.

According to IPID spokesperson Moses Dlamini, the directorate became aware of the previous cases only after the last case was reported in April. The matter was previously dealt with by the South African Police Service.

Dlamini-Ngobese feels that this specific case should stand as an example to those in power that they are not above the law and will be brought to justice.

To her it is sad that some people who are meant to be the authorities protecting our children are actually the criminals that children need protection from.

The officer, who cannot be named at this stage, appeared in court for his bail application on 5 June. The case has been postponed until July and he remains in custody.

Illustration: VIVA FOUNDATION SA With its Rape Response Protocol Initiative, the Viva Foundation hopes to address one of the many challenges that comes with rape: first response.

They want to make knowledge available that will assist rape survivors and those who come into contact with them, to understand the invariable processes that follows an attack of rape. In this way they hope to raise the percentage of successful and suitable verdicts, that is

directly linked to the survivor’s overcoming of the trauma and a reduction in incidences. The initiative is an information campaign consisting of:  The compilation, printing and distribution of a Rape Response Poster and brochure,  Networking and connecting with other service providers  Providing training to churches, schools and other community organisations and centres, in



the form of workshops, to raise awareness and make the material available, Raising awareness through the media.

The Viva Rape Response Protocol Initiative has received an initial ‘seed’ funding for the development of the material.

Funding to distribute and roll-out the programme across the country is still needed.

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

15

A mother’s love changes lives What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy (CP) broadly refers to problems with movement and posture due to weak or poor muscle control. It can result from brain injury or improper development during pregnancy or early after birth. There is no cure for it yet, but treatment options include:

A speech therapist during a therapy session with a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Melina Meletakos

W

hen Busi Hlongwane‟s daughter Siyabonga was six months old, she noticed that something was not quite right with her child‟s development. Siyabonga could not sit independently or grip objects. Hlongwane took her to the hospital.

They told her to wait and see if Siyabonga‟s condition improved. After three months without change, Hlongwane made another trip to the hospital. This time doctors did various tests and brain scans on Siyabonga, only to discover that she had Down‟s Syndrome as well as cerebral palsy, a form of brain damage that makes it difficult for children to control their muscles and movement as they grow and develop.

“I was scared,” said Hlongwane.

After receiving the news, Hlongwane started doing research, even doing a genetic test in an effort to better understand the cause of her daughter‟s condition.

“As I read lots and lots of books and information about the condition, I realised that it helped me to accept the situation and be able to deal with her,” said Hlongwane.

With this in mind, she started a support group for parents in the same situation. She would invite them to her house, make them something to eat and, most importantly, allow them to talk about their frustration in raising a child with cerebral palsy.

Hlongwane realised the value of providing parents who have children with cerebral palsy with comprehensive information. She teamed up with Pastor Titus Sithole, the founder of Bophelong Community Centre in Mamelodi East. Together they opened a centre to look after these children.

Three years later, Bophelong has blossomed into a haven for children affected with cerebral palsy. Hlongwane has also made a point of training parents on how to look after their children properly.

“If you don‟t know what is happening to your child, how will you

help yourself and how will you help the child?” she asked.

According to Hlongwane, the majority of parents who bring their children to Bophelong have not received adequate information from public hospitals on how to take care of their children.

A study for the SA Journal of Physiotherapy looked at the overall perceptions of caregivers attending therapy services at state hospitals. The authors found that one of the weaknesses identified by caregivers was limited explanations about their child‟s disability, possible treatment options and available services.

The study concluded that health

“

If you don’t know what is happening . . . how will you help yourself and how will you help the child?

-Busi Hlongwane

”

care professionals need to do more than just provide technical services to caregivers and children. Greater emphasis must be placed on environmental factors like the lack of resources such as schools and transport.

One of the authors, Gillian Saloojee, is also the Executive Director of Malamulele Onward, an NGO that provides specialised therapy services, equipment and caregiver training in rural areas in South Africa.

She said that caring for a child with cerebral palsy is not easy and so health-care providers should show caregivers ways of handling, moving, playing, dressing, undressing, feeding and positioning the child that makes their lives easier. If these children do not receive proper care, they will not reach their full potential.

“Although we cannot cure cerebral palsy, every child has potential to change and without early intervention and supporting caregivers, children can get worse,” said Saloojee.

Hlongwane has borne witness to the effects of inadequate healthcare with Siyabonga, now 14. Before she started Bophelong, Hlongwane worked full-time and left Siyabonga in the care of nannies. They were not properly trained and struggled to position Siyabonga correctly when she had to sit up or lie down.

As a result, the child has formed severe scoliosis, which means that her spine is curved. Hlongwane now has two options: allowing Siyabonga to have the high-risk corrective operation that could leave her paralysed, or allowing the scoliosis to cause Siyabonga‟s ribs to push upwards, thus affecting her breathing.

“You see? You see the necessity of these centres?” said Hlongwane.

Another focal point of Hlongwane‟s training is making the community aware of what exactly cerebral palsy is.

She said there is still a stigma around disabled children, who are taken to the inyanga (traditional healer) to be cured. Some parents are accused of being cursed, or of being witches themselves.

“It‟s not a taboo, these people did not sin. It‟s something that happens when you are pregnant. You don‟t know what you are carrying until you deliver,” said Hlongwane.

“They give you all these names so people choose to lock their loved ones at home and continue with life.”

Winile Ndebele-Mashinini, the CEO of Bophelong Community Centre, said that a great deal of pressure is placed on African women to give their husbands strong, healthy children.

According to Ndebele-Mashinini, if you do not have children or have children who are disabled, it is seen as a curse and the husband is encouraged to divorce his wife or find another one.

She feels that education is the solution.

“With disabilities, I have learned that there are so many loopholes,” she said. “There is so much stigma, it‟s

Photo: MELINA MELETAKOS worse than HIV/AIDS,” said Hlongwane.

Hlongwane plans on writing about her experiences, a handbook of sorts to help parents with children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

“I thank God that he has placed me here for a reason and I am going to work very hard. I have already started.”



Therapy: speech, language and behavioural therapy, and adaptive equipment, such as and nutrition counselling for guardians



Medications: laxatives, as constipation is a common complaint of CP sufferers, and antispasmodics to relax tight muscles and reduce spasms



Surgery: orthopaedic surgery for muscles, tendons and joints to increase range of motion and treat spinal curves or hip dislocation; cutting nerves in affected limbs for severe muscle tightness in the legs.

Grants for individuals with CP or related projects can be applied for from the National Association for Persons with Cerebral Palsy of South Africa at www.napcp.org.za or on (011) 452 2774

Government to step up fight against cervical cancer Catrine Malan The department of health has unveiled its plan to fight cervical cancer amongst young women who are not able to afford expensive health care in South Africa.

This makes South Africa the first country in Africa to subsidise one of the most expensive immunisations in the world.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced in May that a vaccine against the Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) called the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) will be made available those in the public health-care system.

According to the Department of Health, the vaccine reduces the chances of contracting the disease, which is responsible for up to 80% of cervical cancer cases each year.

Joe Maila, the spokesperson for the Department of Health, said the government aims to roll out the vaccine by February 2014 and that the biggest current problem is the price of the vaccine that ranges from R500 toi R750 a dose. According to the Mail & Guardian, the department of health is expected to settle on a price between R45 and R125.

According to Maila, parents will be able to take their daughters to the nearest clinic to get the more affordable vaccine.

Although the World Health Organisation recommends three HPV shots per child, the department opted for a two-dose regimen, with a third dose to be given after five years.

Certain groups disapprove of vaccinating a child against an STI out of fear that it could promote promiscuous behaviour.

It is, however, important to remember that, according to statistics, cervical cancer causes more than a quarter of a million deaths each year.

The vaccine was launched earlier this year and has received a positive response.

It is targeted at young girls from the age of 10-years-old and up because most girls of this age are not sexually active and have thus not yet been exposed to HPV. Cervical cancer is a common disease in the developing world and factors that increase a woman's risk for developing cervical cancer include early sexual activity, multiple sexual partners and smoking.

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

16

Chris Mabe: For the love of pets Lisa de Klerk

O

n a balmy Saturday afternoon, much of the community is out and about. Neighbours call cheerfully at one another from their yards as a colourful commotion begins to gather outside a small building in Mamelodi East. Young and old have arrived with their dogs for the monthly Community Vet Clinic.

A sign on the gate reads, “Chris Pets: For the love of pets.”

In 2011, Chris Mabe, 39, quit his job as an IT specialist for the South African Post Office to educate the community in pet care. He converted a house in Ramalia Street to accommodate his new venture.

“I saw that there was a lot of cruelty happening to the dogs. I realised that some people lacked a certain education about how to take care of their animals,” said Mabe.

Dogs were breeding unchecked as people were uninformed about sterilisation. The population increase was becoming uncontrollable and people began to complain about their neighbours‟ dogs destroying their yards and eating their chickens.

Concerned about the welfare of the animals and the community, Mabe decided to start a dog awareness campaign. He approached the SPCA and Gauteng Veterinary Services who agreed to help him. The real breakthrough occurred when he engaged the South African Veterinary Association (SAVA).

At the time, SAVA was looking for premises in Mamelodi to host one of their Community Vet Clinics (CVC). The CVCs provide primary health care to pets of owners who are unable to access or afford the services offered by private vets On selected dates, a private vet heads out to the CVC location and volunteers their services free of charge.

“Chris made an appointment with us and after meeting him we realised that there was a huge need in the community,” said CVC coordinator Dr Daleen Grundlingh.

“SAVA came in and said, „Chris, you know what? We want to open a CVC at your house.‟” And I said, „no problem,” said Mabe.

Transforming his premises into a CVC location motivated Mabe to expand. Along with an examining table and dip tank for the visiting vet, he opened a small pet shop, internet café and gym.

Mabe relies on the sales at Chris Pets to take care of his family and

Chris Mabe, Mamelodi’s ‘dog man’ with his Rottweiler, Rosha.

support the pets of the community at the same time. He does not have a sponsor. When pet owners cannot afford to feed their dogs, Mabe feeds them from his own pocket. He has been providing for one pensioner‟s dog for the past ten years.

“I rely on the goodwill of a lot of people,” said Mabe.

“Sometimes, if I need to transport a dog for someone and I charge R40 they will give R120. I then put the extra money away so that I can help other people out.”

Mabe also works closely with the Mamelodi Animal Health Clinic (MAHC) on the University of Pretoria‟s Mamelodi Campus.

Dr Jeanne Rudaman, who has recently taken over management of the clinic, stressed the significance of

Mabe‟s work in educating the community.

“He really does great work.”

Pet owners frequently arrive at Mabe‟s home with sick animals. As an unqualified veterinarian, he refers them to the MAHC. He also transports dogs requiring care to the clinic for a small fee.

Mabe believes that the key to educating the community starts with the children. He frequently gives presentations at local schools and sends the learners home with dog food samples.

Between 30 and 50 dogs visit Chris Pets on a CVC day. Mabe longs to acquire even more space to home sick and unwanted pets.

“I may not ever be rich, but loving animals, I am already very rich inside,” he said.

Photo: LISA DE KLERK

Tips from Chris for a healthy dog • Ensure your yard is fenced. If not, the dog must have a collar and chain of at least 6m and kennel for shelter • Sterilisation is key to reduce strays.

• Avoid dog fighting at all costs.

• Puppies should drink from their mother until at least 6 weeks old.

• Regular exercise is essential to relieve chain and kennel stress.

• Vaccinations and deworming reduce the spread of diseases among both animals and humans.

• Dip your dog once a month for ticks and fleas. The MAHC and CVC provide a free service.

• Do research before adopting a dog so that it is not later neglected or abandoned.

Church becomes a place of refuge Neil Pretorius There are two rows of barbed-wire fencing, extensive burglar proofing and two large dogs patrolling the perimeter of the building. If it were not for the sign bearing the words: “St. Daniel Comboni Parish”, it would have been easy to mistake this building in Mahune Valley, Mamelodi East, for a detention centre.

Welcome to a church under siege.

The church is surrounded on all sides by scores of shacks and rundown houses. The proximity of the Mamelodi East Police Station does not seem to make much of a difference to the prevalence of crime in the area. As a result, the church feels more like a prison than a haven.

“We get by on conviction and courage,” said Father Evans Kotoku, Parish Priest of the Church.

The church‟s security measures are not just meant to keep certain people out, but to keep some in. Pa-

Father Evans Kotoku Photo: NEIL PRETORIUS rishioners often spend the night inside the church during late-night services like Easter.

“We actually keep the parishioners in here overnight out of fear that if they return home after dark, they might get mugged or raped. It‟s unnatural,” said Fr Harold Gomanjira.

He added that fears of the dogs being poisoned or abducted means that even they are often confined. Fr Kotoku and assistant priest Fr Goman-

jira are in charge of overseeing the daily activities and maintenance of the parish. Fr Kotoku, 35, a Ghanaian, has been serving at the parish since 2010, while Fr Gomanjira, 35, a Malawian, has been part of the parish since 2012.

Since its inception in 2007, the parish has steadily grown both in membership and social activities.

“We like to think of ourselves as being in a partnership with the community, and so we reach out to them as much as they reach out to us,” said Fr Kotoku.

Most of the church‟s activities involve providing refuge and assistance to youths in the area. It is involved in HIV/Aids support initiatives, has its own choir, Izwi Lethemba („”Voice of Hope”), and also runs the Ithuteng Project in which it provides after-school care to children in the area.

“We try to provide a safe and peaceful environment for them because they often don‟t have adult su-

pervision or electricity at home,” said Fr Kotoku.

“

Social problems cannot simply be ‘prayed away’.

-Fr Evans Kotuku

”

Fr Gomanjira said that even though the Ithuteng Project has been successful, the socio-economic circumstances of the area still cause many youths to fall through the cracks.

Vulnerable families are targeted by crime and unsupervised children get caught up in drug use. According to Fr Kotoku, such incidences often go unreported.

“The parents feel ashamed by this,

and it has been my experience that they come to us to seek help instead of reporting their own children to the police, which is understandable.”

“Parents often come here and ask for us to pray for their children. They think that prayer alone will somehow solve all their problems.”

Johanna Kgwathla, a local resident, feels the church does a lot to assist the poor in the community.

“They often hold jumble sales and provide food for the people who are struggling here,” she said.

Fr Kotoku said a network of parishioners and volunteers identify poverty-stricken groups. Both priests agree, however, that the church cannot fill the role of supervisor, educator and protector all at once. According to Fr Kotoku, a partnership goes both ways.

“We would like people to show the same courage and conviction at home. Social problems cannot simply be „prayed away‟.”

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

This ‘stokvel’ paints the town red

17

Sungani Phiri

I

t is 7pm on a chilly Monday evening in Mamelodi and the Red Square social is well underway.

Some call it a stokvel, but it is not the regular kind.

This particular social is sponsored by alcohol brand Red Square and has grown in popularity over the past 11 years.

Red Square stokvels involve drinking, people openly smoking marijuana and participating in illegal gambling.

Traditional stokvels were a means for a group of people to collectively save money for purchasing cows on auction.

The concept of group saving still exists, but the working and running of a stokvel has changed.

Red Squares in particular have a membership of about 40 people. They meet three times a week and contribute a minimum of R400 towards their savings.

The host of the Red Square is tasked with selling alcohol and providing food for the people who frequent the social gathering.

During the social, the street is blocked off and lined with tables selling food.

There are two main tents at the

Red Square. One is for patrons to socialise and dance. A DJ spins the decks at the back of the tent.

“I enjoy making people dance, seeing them have a good time and just enjoying my set,” said DJ Mutsi, who has been entertaining crowds at the Red Squares for eight years.

The second tent is used for gambling. Men gather around two rows of four tables lit with candles.

The stakes are as high as R50 000 and the winner takes all.

“People who come here to gamble, they do not have jobs, they gamble to make money to support themselves and their families,” said Dumisile Setele, the headman at the gambling tent.

By 12pm many people are drunk.

Excessive drinking is one of the issues that the members of the social have a hard time controlling, as well as underage drinking.

“We are aware that things get out of hand when people drink too much,” said Magolego.

The event has built up a bad reputation over the years. There have been reports of violent behaviour, where people have been shot at or stabbed.

The police appear to be aware of

what happens at the Red Squares, but they do not get involved.

The spokesperson for the Mamelodi East Police Station, Warrant Officer Mike Mbewe, said that although the police do not go to the socials, they sometimes to receive reports of rape afterwards.

Johannes Makamela, chairperson of the Red Square, said the event organises its own policing through the Community Policing Forum (CPF) to help look after people‟s cars.

A patron who refused to be named for fear of victimisation said that the police know about the Red Squares and avoid patrolling around the socials.

“Things between the police and the head of the gambling tent are handled the African way; they are paid to turn a blind eye.”

Warrant Officer Mbewe said he was “shocked” by the claims.

In a statement, Mbewe urged community members to “to come forward and report so that necessary steps can be taken”.

He said that social gatherings are a lifestyle. Should they be associated with illegal practices they are “bound to be closed immediately”.

Gamblers gather in the tent.

Photo: SUNGANI PHIRI

A DJ spins the decks at the Red Square.

Photo: SUNGANI PHIRI

Plan to make Legae Laka ‘mecca’ for jazz lovers Dominic Skelton There is a sign in Hinterland Street that points to the Legae Laka Jazz Place, a jazz club in Mamelodi East. A new building is under construction next to the club.

On the bar, a pamphlet describes the club as an “entertainment mecca” for jazz enthusiasts in Mamelodi.

“The club is for dignified people and many jazz veterans from the industry have played here,” said Koos Sebelebele, the owner of Legae Laka Jazz Place.

Sebelebele‟s dream is to create a live jazz scene in the centre of Mamelodi, a place that caters for all jazz

lovers and is able to showcase both young and old jazz musicians.

According to Sebelebele, jazz music is still popular in Mamelodi. His establishment targets people who want to have a quiet drink after work and listen to some good music.

“I go to the club mostly for relaxation. It is a place where people my age can converge and discuss certain issues in the community,” said local patron Chicks Maroga, 52.

Sebelebele is part of the Tshwane Jazz Collectors, an organisation trying to keep jazz alive in townships.

“The Tshwane Jazz Collectors run

jazz sessions every three weeks,” he said.

The organisation includes members of the jazz scene from places like Soweto, Ga-Rankuwa, Hammanskraal, and Mabopane.

“I would like to improve Legae Laka Jazz Place so that it can host live sessions like this.”

The club currently plays music through a sound system.

Usually, Sebelebele features live bands for entertainment, but the club‟s ongoing renovations make it difficult.

Sebelebele is upgrading the club so that it can attract more people and

Saxophone

Vocalist

The saxophone is a monophonic instrument, which means that it can only play one note at a time. As a result it is usually used to play the melody of a song or a solo with its flexible tone.

Jazz singing requires the vocalist to match the instruments to their singing style through lyrics or “scat” singing.

help live bands in the future.

He wants to create a better platform to showcase musicians.

Jazz musician Rueben Nchabeleng explained how important renovations like this are for jazz as a music scene.

“As musicians we are worried that the jazz scene is dying. There are no outlets for jazz artists to use anymore.

Koos‟s plan to extend his club is very important. Without ample venues young up-and-coming artists cannot be showcased,” said Nchabeleng.

In 2006, the Legae Laka Jazz Place won an award for the Best Jazz Pub in Tshwane.

Seven years later, Sebelebele is trying to expand the venue so that it can be the best once more.

The venue works with the Gauteng Tourism Authority as many tourists frequent the pub looking to experience township life.

All that is missing is a stage for live bands to show their musical talent to audiences.

“I wish to make Legae Laka Jazz Place the best live club in Mamelodi,” said Sebelebele.

“The plans have begun and soon I will be ready to bring live jazz back to the people of Tshwane.”

Trumpet The trumpet has been an essential part of jazz through the years because of its tone. It is played by blowing air through closed lips into a mouth piece to create a buzzing sound .

Backstage with the band

Piano/Keyboard

Double Bass

Since the early days of jazz, the piano has been a central instrument of the genre.

Whether in solo or band performances, the instrument‟s role is diverse because of its many melodic and harmonic capabilities.

Bass sounds are the backbone of any jazz band. Double bass players need to stand to play it because of its size.

Guitar The Jazz guitar emerged from the use of electric amplification, used to increase the volume of traditional acoustic guitars. Jazz guitar playing uses a variety styles such as “comping” and “blowing.”

Drums As in almost every musical style, drums are central to jazz. A basic drum set consists of a bass drum, snare drum and cymbals.

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

En route to good food Bonita du Plessis Along Hector Peterson Street in Mamelodi, food vendors have set up shop to feed the community. Almost all seem to serve „Sphatlo‟ (bunny chow), but some have a speciality.

From Mama Zala‟s chicken dusties to the educated caterer who claims the title „Beef Stew Queen‟, in this community business is personal.

They cook daily and only enough, not out of fear for wasting food but to give other vendors a chance at make a living as well.

Mamrobi’s Monate Fast Food Nomsa Mabuza, 39, has been running her fast food joint for ten years. One look of her menu reveals the variety of food she offers her customers.

Her sphatlo ranges between R7.50 and R20 (depending on how you like it), and her special beef stew is R30.

18

Mama Zala’s Chicken Dusty Mama Zala, 53, has her speciality: „chicken dusty‟, a chicken braaied outside in the dust. Up and running for two years, she has one helper, 34-year-old Saquina Mahomed. “I like having a job,” said Mahomed. Mama Zala enjoys having Mahomed around as she brags about her pleasing manner. “She likes customers, always smiling,” said Zala. Mama‟ Zala‟s „chicken dusty‟ goes for R30 a plate.

After Bridge Fish & Chips

Photos: ABIGAIL JAVIER

Tebogo Makua, 35, wakes up early in the morning to feed her hungry taxi-driver customers. Her generous half-plate meal, which goes for R25, is enough to fill two girls‟ appetites. One can only imagine what her full portion looks like. Not only is she big-hearted in her food, but also to her fellow cooks. “Many people cook here, so you must give them a chance,” said Makua. Her half plate meals are a choice between her tasty chicken and wors accompanied with pap and colourful veggies.

Illustration: ANTON MEIJER

Tshisa Peri-Peri Chicken and Ribs It‟s hard to miss this vibrantly painted fast food stall.

Tshisa Peri-Peri Chicken and Ribs is owned by Hlahla Klha. Khla may be only 20 years old, but he‟s been in the business for five years. He is assisted by 24-year-old Lawrence Maposa. Amongst other varieties, he sells dikilana (kidneys) for R20.

Soul Food New kid on the block is 32-year-old Mary Maloti. Having opened on 5 June, she had only been open for two days when asked about her shop. A new customer, Mayor Madimatsoana, 32, enjoyed a plate of traditional pap and beef stew for R30. “I was here yesterday, I am here today,” he said. Playing in the background is radio station Thobela FM, adding soul to what Maloti puts into her food.

Lollo’s Fast Food

Mologadi’s Kitchen Mologadi Mashifane, 40, has a cart on the corner like most vendors in Mamelodi, but has a lot more to offer. She runs a catering business for weddings, birthdays and funerals. “I keep the ball rolling here. This is not money to take to the bank but from hand to mouth,” she said. Her speciality has dubbed her the „beef stew Queen of Mamelodi‟. It is served with either pap or samp for R35.

T.T.M. Restaurant Maureen Mathebula‟s well-established restaurant should be taken seriously. With a kitchen area and a covered space with a few tables to sit and enjoy a plate of maotwana (chicken feet) for only R20.

Not bad for only having opened two years ago.

Another favourite is mogodu (tripe) for R30, and, as do most vendors, sphatlo.

A day at school can build up any learner‟s appetite. Many learners hang at Lollo‟s Fast Food. 39-year-old George Mashaba has been the owner of the fast food joint for four years. His speciality is sphatlo, which is priced between R6 and R14, made with a fresh batch of slap chips and your choice of additional filling.

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

Ex-convict now a DJ, actor

19

Annine Dormehl

T

saka Se Pedi first appeared on stage in the Pretoria Central Prison. From his first role in a prison play, he has managed to become a local actor in TV shows like The Wild and Villa Rosa as well as a DJ at Mams FM. As the presenter of the Phola afternoon show on the community radio station, he advises his listeners to always use their natural talents, as he has used his.

Tall and lean, he will greet you with a firm handshake and a broad smile. The same smile does not seem to fade for the duration of the three hours he spends on air, interacting with the people of Mamelodi.

Tsaka aims to educate and inspire the estimated 40 to 50 thousand listeners of Mams FM. Despite his success as a DJ and actor, he has not yet shared the story of his imprisoned past with the many listeners of his weekday afternoon show.

What his listeners do not know is that Tsaka has managed to successfully rehabilitate himself from his criminal past with a new take on life.

Tsaka’s story Joel Tumakgole Modikoe goes by the name “Tsaka”, which means “mine” in siSotho. Tsaka and his two sisters, Bisako and Pauline, were raised in district four of Mamelodi West by their single mother who worked as a domestic worker.

After he matriculated at G Kekana

Secondary School in 1994, he resorted to crime to provide a better life for his mother and sisters.

“Due to poverty and starvation, I opted to crime. Then it was not wrong, because it gave me money to put bread on the table so that my family could survive,” said Tsaka.

At the age of 20, he was arrested and sentenced to prison for housebreaking and theft.

“I spent six years, six months, 16 days and 18 hours in prison. I counted it down to the hour, because I never want to forget how long I was in prison for.”

Tsaka‟s mother, Nancy Modikoe, describes the day her only son was sentenced to prison as the most heartbreaking day of her life.

“It was so painful, I did everything I could as a parent and I was strict, but maybe I did not have enough money to give to him,” said Modikoe.

Tsaka believes that the absence of his father, whom he has only met once, was one of the reasons he made foolish choices as a teenager.

“My father‟s absence cost me a lot. For me, he was like a sperm donor and that is it,” said Tsaka.

Modikoe believes that the presence of a father in her son‟s life could have saved him from the years he spent behind bars.

“After his arrest, there were people in the community who judged me, but why would any parent ever teach their child to be a criminal? Maybe my son could have been more disciplined if

Airwaves help to rehabilitate  Prison radio has proved to be a

 Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town,

successful rehabilitation and moral rejuvenation method for offenders all over the world.

was home to South Africa‟s largest prison radio station called Truth Radio.

 Inmates develop valuable pro-

 The radio station, which was

duction and broadcast skills while it also creates a culture that changes the lives of the prisoners by including offenders and ex-offenders in the process of producing radio programmes.

started in August 1999, initially broadcast to 1700 juvenile inmates in the prison using the intercom system. There were 24 presenters volunteers from outside Pollsmoor.

 It aims to address the negativity

 It later broadcasted to over

that surrounds prisoners by uplifting them emotionally and developing their skills.

7 000 trial awaiting prisoners but closed down in 2012.

his father did not disappear after the birth of his children.”

After his arrest in 1995, Tsaka spent more than six and a half years in three different prisons, namely the Matatshe, Nylstroom and Pretoria Central Prison.

He said that the years he spent away from Pretoria contributed tremendously to the hard time he had to endure in jail.

“Can you imagine, your family is based in Pretoria and then you get moved to Venda? I didn‟t even know anyone in Venda.”

His mother said that she prayed to God every day to help Tsaka and today she thanks him for her son‟s success.

“I thank God for the way he has touched my child‟s heart and I thank him for taking him from prison to where he is now.”

The start of a new life In 1999, Tsaka convinced a few of his inmates in the Pretoria Central Prison to allow him to play a role in a play they had written.

He said that they were hesitant at first, but later decided to give him an opportunity to act in a play about a woman who had been abused by her husband.

“To do something like this in prison, we had to beg to rehearse, there was no support from the Department of Correctional Services.”

With the challenges Tsaka and his inmates faced in prison, they still managed to stage the play and do something they were passionate about.

During this time, Tsaka realised that he could pursue an acting career, but his success as a local actor did not come immediately after his release in 2002.

“I first thought to be a taxi owner, but later auditioned to be a DJ at Mams FM and that is where the first door opened.”

Fionah Molomo, who has been Tsaka‟s co-host on the Phola show for two years, said that he has inspired her by the professional manner in which he does his job and through his determination to achieve more.

“As a colleague he is very supportive and because he has been through a lot there is so much to learn from him.

I‟ve learnt from him that we all get second chances. It does not matter where you come from or how old you are, your mistakes can be fixed,” she

Mams FM DJ Tsaka Se Pedi said.

One community member, Isaac Ratau, is a fan of the Phola show but said that he cannot listen to it these days because the store he works at has its own in-house radio station.

“I miss listening to Tsaka and the Phola show. Before I started working here I listened to it every day. It was always entertaining to listen to.” he said.

Tsaka is unmarried, but a father to two daughters and a son. There are many important life lessons he wants to teach them, he said.

“I will never turn my back on my kids. They must not go through the

Photo: PROVIDED things I‟ve been through in life. I will teach them to be good, kind and humble.”

As an actor, he dreams of progressing in his career.

“I have a goal and I am not there yet. My dream is to star as the main character in more than one local soap.”

Tsaka also promises that the story of his imprisonment will one day be told to his listeners so that they can fully understand the conversations he has shared with them.

“The day will come where I will tell my listeners about my past on air.

Listeners can then reflect on all the advice I gave to them.”

Mams FM wants to use ‘lingo’ to make a louder noise Bonita du Plessis Mams FM prides itself on being “the station with the Mamelodi lingo.”

Although the idea for the station was conceived in 1998, it has only been running since 7 March 2011. It acquired its licence from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) in 2010.

According to ICASA, using local content is a broadcasting regulation.

Mams FM was given a license on the condition that it would broadcast a certain amount of local content. Its website claims that it does, yet it provides very little local news online.

Technical and production manager Eugene Makhukhule said the station monitors its listenership according to the amount of callers in a show. Every caller represents 100 listeners. The South African Audience Research Foundation (SAARF) indicated a listenership of 44 000 in May. Mams FM broadcasts to a 60km radius that surpasses the boundaries of

Mamelodi, reaching surrounding areas. However, Makhukhule feels the station needs a stronger frequency.

They have applied to Sentech, the company responsible for signal distributions and network operations, to realise this.

However, signal and transmitters are ineffective if community members do not have electricity or radios to tune in to. This is most prevalent in informal settlements. If radio is a personal priority, residents will buy batteries for their radio to listen to music rather than a discussion of social issues on Mams FM. Even so, the station is not the first choice for music. It is Metro FM that residents will buy batteries for.

The Mams FM site presents a platform to submit music, not news or comments. Compared with community radio stations such as Voice of the Cape in the Western Cape, which caters specifically to the social needs

of the Islamic community, it appears that Mams FM is trying to imitate a commercial radio station.

Dr Tanja Bosch, a researcher in radio production at the University of Cape Town, said broad-spectrum programming formats that include music, documentaries, drama, sports, news and talk are a challenge for community radio stations.

“They find it difficult to compete for listeners and advertising with commercial stations that have more predictable formats,” said Bosch.

Bosch points out that sufficient training and staff as volunteers cannot be relied on. She agrees that community radio should give local communities a voice. However, there appears to be a gap between what the station is and should be doing.

“Even without funding, there are creative ways to produce entertaining and educational content beyond simply playing music.”

The Mamelodi Voice

July 2013

20

Softball advances education Aimeé Delagey and Buntu Mawu

A

local softball development programme is giving Mamelodi youths the chance to further their studies at tertiary institutions.

According to founder and development coach, Mmei Semono, the Mamelodi Softball Foundation propels its players beyond Mamelodi. The Tshwane and Vaal Universities of Technology (TUT and VUT) offer softball as a major sport at their institutions. Once students have completed their matric and enroll at TUT or VUT, they receive a softball scholarship during their second year.

“So far I‟ve already put about ten players into the provincial squad,” said Semono.

Four players have graduated from the programme, two are now part of the TUT softball team and two are on

Tuks students improve living spaces Aimeé Delagey Architecture, landscape and interior design students from the University of Pretoria have joined forces to improve the living spaces of residents of Alaska and Lusaka in Mamelodi East.

Jacques Jordaan, an architecture student, said it was important to consider the perspective of residents so that the students could provide what the community really needs.

The government‟s approach to upgrading informal settlements involves the building of RDP houses.

This results in residents having to move, disrupting the community‟s internal social network.

Programme coordinator Carin Combrink, said the students had to look at building on the existing networks within the community.

Destroying it would not benefit the community or break the poverty cycle.

“The aim was to give the community something that doesn‟t just provide but also enables them,” said Jordaan.

The harvesting of water and installation of bio-digester toilets for urban agriculture was also considered. Properties could then function as fuel cells where the toilets and rain water could be used for small-scale agricultural development.

Combrinck said providing housing improves infrastructures that allow people to develop a livelihood.

A few small-scale projects have already been identified.

The construction of a public plaza will begin in July.

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the VUT softball team. Another has made it onto the national squad.

The foundation was established in 2011 with the merging of the Springcos and Unicorn teams. That same year, the Mamelodi Softball Team was crowned champion of the Tshwane League. They took third place in the provincial league standings and received the Best Behaved Team Award.

Semono, with the help of Ukuthemba Project, also began a feeding scheme aimed at attracting the children to softball.

Dairy product company Mayo donates yoghurts for players to enjoy before practice.

“The child that is hungry does not even concentrate and the only way to assist this child is to give him food,” said Semono. Semono also ensures

that his players are keeping up with their studies. The team‟s training takes place on Fridays at Moretele Primary School. The coach encourages the children to bring their homework along for the weekend. He calls it “the weekend homework meeting”.

Their mission next season is to target high school learners and encourage them to take part in the game.

The senior team is affiliated under two leagues, namely the Tshwane Softball League and the Gauteng Softball League.

Mahlatsi Mawela, a player in the under-16 division, has big dreams for a future in softball. Mawela wants to graduate from softball to baseball.

“I would like play for the Red Scorpions in South Africa and the Red Sox in America,” said Mawela.

“Softball is going to take me places.”

Michael Schultz, in action for the South African u/23 softball side.

Photo: PROVIDED