UNABLE TO MOVE FREELY
‘Ijustwantasafeplace’
UNATHI OBOSE unathi.obose@novusmedia.co.za
Life has becomeextremely difficultfor a 58-year-old woman, Lindiwe Dyalivane, from Nkanini informalsettlement in Khayelitsha aftershe developed lymphedema nearlynine years ago.
Lymphedema is achronic conditioncharacterised by swelling, usually inthe arms or legs, caused by abuildupofprotein-rich lymphfluid whenthe lymphaticsystem is damaged or blocked.
As aresult, Dyalivane is now unable to move freely as her legs continueto grow bigger daily. She says her living conditions arenot suitable for her situation. “I can’t walk properly.I use crutches,and my legs become painfulwhen Iwalklong distances. Ispend most of my time lying inbed.Even stepping down from the bed isamission on its own.I don’tbother going outside anymore. Ijust stayindoors,” shesaid.
Leftalone
The soft-spoken woman shared that what troubles her most is living alone, fearing that anything could happen to her.She previously lived with her late sister’schildren, whomshe raised after hersister passedaway. However, they eventuallyleft her “I don’thave children of my own. Iraised my sister’schildren after she died along time ago. But their behaviour started to change, they became disrespectfulwhen Iasked them to help around the house. Eventually, they left me in December last year,”explained Dyalivane. She now struggleswith basicdailytasks suchasbathing and cleaning hershack With only adisability grant, she has to pay for assistance.
Disabilitygrant
“With the little money Ireceive from my disability grant, Imust paysomeone to helpmebathe, cook, clean theshack, anddomylaundry. Istopped going to the
clinicfor check-ups because Ican’t afford transport. It costsabout R250 to getto MichaelMapongwana Clinic.Evenreachingthe main road is ahugechallenge. It cantake me up to two hours to walk there,” she said.
She addedthat when she needs medication,she relies on others to buy it forher atthe pharmacy.
Dyalivane also said she cannot stand for long periods due to severe knee pain.
Saferlodging
Allshe wants is asafer placetolive. She says it does not have to be aformalhouse, buta fullyservicedsite would make asignificantdifference. She fears that if afire breaks outinthe settlement, she would not be abletoescape.
Reflecting on how her lifechanged, Dyalivane saidher condition began suddenly in 2017.
“Igrewuplike anyoneelse. Iwas healthy andable to work. When Imoved here (Nkanini) in2012, Iwas sewing clothesand goingdoor-to-door selling them. But one day in 2017,Iwokeupwith asharp pain in my waist. My waist became stiff, anditwas difficulttowalk,” she explained
As the pain worsened, she waseventually forced to stopworking.
When asked about her relatives, she said shedoeshavefamily members, but they rarely visit or checkuponher.
LindiweDyalivane (58), from Nkanini informal settlementinKhayelitsha,who is living with lymphedema, is appealingtogovernment authoritiesto provide her with asafer placetostay.
PHOTO:UNATHIOBOSE
Th dand badofAI
A urno’s ice
nathi
swabakarhulumente olu qhankqalazoluyakibuzoemininzi, ukuba kqalazo olunyanisekileyo phenjelelwa lulonyulo luge abantu abaphambili aphuma kwiphondo ikondo elolidumekakhulu intlanga khalozabo ziyavakala,
Obosekodwauhlobo abaqhubangalo luyakrokrisa Umbuzoumile, ingaba ezinkokheli zikhokhela oluqhankqalazozixhaswa ngubani?Ziyithathaphilemali yokuhlazisenyuka kulamaphondo?
Eneneni kuyacaca ukuba bakhona abantu ababaxhasayo kuyoyonke lento bayenzayo. Ukuba nyani kunjalo, ithilonto badlala njengemvakalelo zabantu ngokwenza ngokungathibalwela ilizwe kanti bafezekisa iimfuno zabo.
Ngoba kwa olu qhankqalazolugxile kakhulu kubantu abamnyama bodwa. Andikababoni betshutshisa abantu abamhlopheokanye ama-China angene ngokungekho semthethwenikweli Mhlawumbi ithi lonto bonaabayongxaki ukodlula aba bamnyama basuka kumazwe aseAfrika Akwaba urhulumente angakhawulezisa angenelele kwa ngoku phambi kokuba kubekubi.
NyangawelcomesEtafeniopenday
UNATHIOBOSE
Excitement was in the airinNyangaas residents sangand ululatedat an Open Dayhostedbythe Etafeni Centreon Wednesday 29 April.
Community members wereinvited to learnmore about the services the centre provides.
Etafeni is amulti-purpose facility that empowers thecommunity.
Established in 2001, it initially, it focused onlyonearly-childhooddevelopment (ECD), but it has expandedits programmes over the years
Mandy Tshinyama, facility’sfundraising officer,said it was the first time theyhad hosted suchanevent.
“The centre was established in 2001asan ECD facility,” she explained.“It hasgrown over theyears, and now we offera range of projects, includingsewing, foodsecurity, after-schoolcare, programmesfor girls andboys, training and awareness initia-
tives, and so on.Everyone is welcome to joinus. Many communitymembersare not well informed about whatthe centre does. Theythink it focuses only on children,but we want to tell them aboutthe otherprojects we offer.”
Shesaida yearafter its establishment the centreintroduced asewing projectfor peopleliving with HIV/Aids, describing it as a form of therapy.
“At thattimethere wasalot of stigma
Many people were afraid to speakopenly abouttheirstatus. Etafeni becamea safe spacewhere they couldgather andshare their experiences.”
Resident Nolusapho Mbindela, who is involvedina food-gardening project, praised Etafeni forits work.
“When Istarted my garden the centre provided me with allthe seeds. NowI also havemyown small garden at home. Ino longer need to buy vegetables for cooking, andsometimes Ieven sell my produce to the community.”
Etafenifundraising officerMandy Tshinyama says the centreisopen to everyone
Some of the residentsseeking information from from on of Etafenistalls. PHOTOS: UNATHIOBOSE
Some of theEtafeni volunteers sewing the clothes.
Fireleavesover 100homeless
UNATHIOBOSE
Scores of fire victims from the SST informal settlementinTownTwo spent achilly weekend withoutshelter after their homes were destroyed by a fire on Thursday30April.
Over 40 shacks were ravagedbythe flames,leaving more than 100 people homeless. The cause of thefire is stillunknown. Fire victimAyandaNgwenze saidhelost everything in the blaze.
“I am left with only the clothes I’m wearing. Ihave no place to sleep and I’m currently staying with afriend. Idon’tknowhow I’m going to rebuild my shack becauseI don’t have money to buy buildingmaterials.I’m unemployed,” he said.
Ngwenze, who survives by collecting scrapmaterial, said he was away when the fire broke out.
“I was in Blackheath collecting scrap when the incidentoccurred.WhenI came back,myshack wasgone. Because Idon’t havea phone,I only heardfromone of my neighboursasIwas approaching Town Two Clinic that my shackhad been destroyedbythe flames,” he explained.
Another victim, NontombiMaqokolo, saidlife has been difficult sinceher threeroom shack wasgutted
The mother of three said they are currently stayingwith her cousin. “I lost almost everything. Ionly managed to take out ablanket and abag withmychildren’s clothes.Mychildren and Iare stayingwith my cousin, while my boyfriend is staying with afriend.” shesaid.
She added that all they need isbuilding material to rebuild theirshack
SST, SouthAfrican NationalCivic Organisation (Sanco), chair Lubabalo Msutu appealed to humanitarian organisations to assist thevictims. He said some people are struggling to rebuildtheir shacks
“Notall of them have been able to rebuild their shacks. Besides the City’s officials, only the Gift of the Givers Foundation has come through,providing food,blankets and sanitary towelsonSaturday2May. We are stillwaiting forthe South AfricanSocial Security Agency (Sassa) to come. Some of the fire victims have no food,” said Msutu.
The City’s Fire andRescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse confirmed thatthe City’s department received acall at 13:30 on Thursday, 30 April
“Severalcrews were on scene, including an Incident Management Team (IMT)Type 5tocoordinate. By 16:30, firefighters had extinguished the blazewhich, according to initialassessments, destroyedmore than 40 structures andleft 100 people displaced,” saidCarelse.
He addedthat no injuries were reported andthe cause of the fire remains unknown
Some childrensitting around afire
Ward38opensmulti-purpose courttokeepchildrenoffstreets
UNATHIOBOSE
In abid to keep children in KTC awayfrom the streets anew multi-purposesports facility has been constructed.
Thefacility,which features abasketball andnetball court, afive-a-sidesoccer pitch andanoutdoor gymwas unveiledbyWard 38 councillor Suzanne Zumana last week
She said the projectwillensurelocal children do not have to travel longdistancesto play their favourite sports.
Forseveral years Ward 38 childrenhad to travel to Zolani Centre, oppositethe Nyanga Bus terminus or Gugulethu Sports Complex, afew kilometres awayfromtheir homes, to access sporting facilities, Zumana said.
Thenew facility, at KTCCommunity Hall in KTC, willgive the childreninstantaccess to sport without dangers of crime.
Theproject,which began late lastmonth, was completedbythe middle of this month.
In an interview with City Vision Zumana expressed jubilationwith the project, labelling it a“breath of freshair” She related howyoung people of the area
hadbeenstruggling for alongtime.
“Our childrenhad nowhere to go.Mostly theyplayed at the Zolani CentreinNyanga or Gugulethu Sports Complex. Thenew facility includesfacilitiesfor basketball, netball, five-a-sidesoccer as well as outdoor gym equipment,”said Zumana Shesaid there previously hadbeenno playgroundinKTC andsome childrenhad been robbedwhile travellingtoother areas to play.
“Westartedthisplaygroundfromscratch Theoutdoorgym equipment was installed lastyear.
“We’re hopingthe childrenand community will protect it.”
Meanwhile,the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco)has welcomed the move.
Committee memberLumkile Msiladescribedthe construction of the multi-purposerecreational facilityaspartofbroader community development.
“Weare preparing ourfutureleaders. Notall childrenexcel academically,soit is importanttogivethemopportunities to play.”
PHOTO:UNATHI OBOSE
Ward 38 councillorSuzanne Zumana hasurged the communitytoprotect the playingground.
PHOTO:UNATHIOBOSE
Event organiser and businessmanSello Mangwana urgedthe communitytogivethe youth asecond chance. PHOTO:SUPPLIED
Nyanga hosts big youthe nt
UNATHIOBOSE
Inanefforttoempow
piring artists, footballers thusiasts, localbusin wana hosted IVATI Mus Fashion Conference at ing in Maumau, Nyanga, Participants had th gageand ask question dividuals in various fields.
Speakers includedf Town player Mkhanyiseli Mangwana described second of what is plan nualevent.
“We are targetingyoung to make something of thosewho lose hope to crime. We aretrying motivate them to stay doing.Many young people
Sihlanutotreatsupporters with‘DearQamata’EP
UNATHIOBOSE
Nyanga gospel artist SihlanuTshaka is set to launcha brand-new extended play(EP) at the Presbyterian Church of SA,opposite the ZolaniCentre in Nyanga,onSaturday 30 May.
The three-trackEPisalready available on allmusic platforms.
The 41-year-old described hislatest project as a“special one”. “The title of the EP is Dear Qamata.The triooftracks in it were by me.I wrote about my journey, my experiences andthe things happening around me. To me singing is acalling.”
Tshaka said he started singingatayoung ageatSunday School andgrewupimmersed in music. He began recording music in 2004 with his friend JongiMagaba. Together they formed agroup called Jongi &Sihlanu andreleased five albums.
“Our first album, Sikelela Jesu,cameout in 2004,”Tshaka said. This wasfollowed by Makabongwe in
2010, Sibulela Wena Thixo in 2013, Umsindisi Uhamba Nathi in 2015, andour last album, Ungumhlobo,was releasedin2017.” Afterwards the duowenttheir separate waysand Tshaka made hiscomeback in 2023, releasing hisfirst solo EP entitled Qala Ngam Tshaka urgedhis supporterstoattend the event in large numbers.“Iinvite everyone to come andsupport the launchand to find healing for their souls through music,” Tshaka said
Nyanga singer Sihlanu Tshaka releases newEP Dear Qamata PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Boulders podium in travel rankings
KEANANHARMSE
Simon’s Town’s Boulders Beachrecently clinchedthe world’s topspotasone of CapeTown’sbest-known coastal destinations duringaglobal beachranking, placing the city firmly on the international tourism map.
According to Forbes magazine,long-haul travel specialist Travelbag has identified the world’s most popular,highest-rated and visually striking beaches, with Boulders Beach ranked first andCapeofGood Hopesecond.
The findings are based on acombination of userreviews, social media activity and online search trends.
Travelbaganalysed several keymetrics, including thenumber of Googlereviews, averagereviewratings, monthly Google search volumes and Instagram hashtag activity. These were then scored and combinedtodetermine an overall ranking AfricanPenguin
Boulders Beach is widely recognised for its resident colony of endangered African Penguin, offeringvisitors an opportunity to view thebirdsupclose from elevated wooden boardwalks. The sheltered coves,
framed by largegranite boulders,provide calmer waters compared to manyofCape Town’s more exposed beaches.
The beach remainsa populardestination forboth tourists and locals
Boulders Beachsecured the numberone position with more than 27 700 Google reviewsand an averagemonthlysearch volumeofaround110 000.
TheCapeofGoodHopefollowedinsec-
ondplace, recording 12 941 reviews andan even higher monthlysearch volume of approximately 135 000.
Whilethe study focused on English-language search data –meaning some destinationsinnon-Englishspeaking countries maybeunderrepresented –the results highlight the global appeal of the coastline World-classcoastalexperiences
Travelbag’sSouth Africadestination expert, SusanHorton, saidthe country offersadiverse rangeofcoastalexperiences.
“South Africahas an incrediblearrayof pristine beaches.Fromthe dramatic, penguin-filled shores of BouldersBeachtothe surf-friendly waves of JeffreysBay, South Africaoffersworld-classcoastalexperiences for everytype of traveller,” she said
Thebesttimetovisit the southerncoastline is betweenDecemberand March, when conditionsare idealfor swimming, surfingand other beach activities
In contrast, the CapeofGoodHopeoffers amorerugged anddramaticcoastalenvironment. Situated withinTable Mountain NationalPark, the area is known for its powerful waves,steep cliffs andsweeping ocean views
Efforts to preserve African penguins
The City of CapeTown marked World PenguinDay on Saturday25April with astark warning: the belovedAfrican penguin is facinga fight for survival.
Whilethe global event celebratesall 18 penguin species, local authorities saythe African penguin,the only species native to South Africaand Namibia, is nowamong the most at-risk populations worldwide
Followingits 2024 uplisting to critically endangeredonthe
International Unionfor Conservation of Nature RedList, the specieshas seen adramatic decline
According to Deputy Mayor and Mayco memberfor spatial planning andthe environment EddieAndrews fewer than10 000 breeding pairs remain “Withoutdrasticintervention scientists predict this charismaticspeciescould be extinct in the wild by 2035.”
Aspeciesvitaltoecology and tourism
TheAfrican penguin is considereda keystonespecies, playinga criticalrole in maintaining the balanceofmarine ecosystems
It is alsoamajor drawcard for tourism,with coloniesat BouldersBeachPenguinColony andRobbenIslandattracting visitors from around the world.
Theirpresencesupportslocal businesses,touroperators and the broader hospitality sector, reinforcing CapeTown’s reputation as anature-basedtourism destination
Officials saythe speciesis under pressure from acombination of environmental and human-relatedchallenges
Climate change is disrupting breedingand moulting patterns, with extremeweather events causingnestabandonment.
Foodscarcity, drivenbycommercialfishing of sardines and anchovies,isforcing penguins to travelfurther for food, leaving chicks vulnerable to predators.
Urbanpressures arealsotakingatoll,particularly in Simon’s Town,where penguins facethreats from domesticanimals, trafficand humandisturbance
Rangersonthe frontline
In response, the City hasinvested in adedicatedPenguin Ranger Team in partnership with TheSouthernAfrican Foundationfor the Conservation of Coastal Birds(Sanccob) andSouth African Nationa Parks (SANParks)
Theserangersmonitornests, collectdata on breedingsuccess andrespond to injured or distressed birds. Rescued penguinsare takentoSanccob, whichhas an 80% rehabilitation andrelease successrate. Theirworkincludesmanaging the delicate balancebetween humansand wildlife in urban coastal areas.
Despitethe challenges officials sayextinction is notinevitable. “The 2035 extinction prediction doesnot have to be ourreality,” says Andrews “Byworking togetherwecan protect these iconic birdsand preserve ourcoastlinefor future generations.”
As CapeTown marked World PenguinDay the message was clear:saving the African penguin will requireurgentaction andcollectiveresponsibility. Howresidents canhelp Residents andvisitors are urgedtoplayanactive role in protecting penguinsbyreportinginjured or distressed birds to authorities ratherthanintervening directly
TheCity encouragesthe publictosend aWhatsApp message with aphoto, description andlocation to the Penguin Ranger Team
Emergencycontactnumbers:
•City of CapeTown:021 480 7700
•Simon'sTown PenguinRangers: 064 844 9075
•Sanccob:021 557 6155 Support canalsobegiven through Sanccob's seabird ranger programme.
BouldersBeach secured the first position. PHOTO:SUPPLIED
