Student Experiences – Heidi-Maria de Gruchy: An Ordinand’s snapshot of South AfricaSeptember 9, 2009
‘To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedoms of others. ’
Nelson Mandela
Picture a world where our children have never seen real sheep or a cow, and would rarely have the luxury of eating an apple or a pear. Here in Wales, it would be highly unlikely wouldn’t it? These things are indigenous to our country, and as such are abundantly available for us to enjoy. Yet, for the small, predominantly Zulu children of Kwasa School in Springs S. Africa, whom I had the privilege of working amongst this summer on placement, this is an everyday reality. They, and their families scratch out a living in communities where housing is made of cardboard and corrugated iron, the streets; such as they are, run with sewerage in the dry season and swampy mud in the rainy season. The nearest standpipe for running water is at least half an hour’s walk away and decaying refuse is strewn everywhere; whilst, used needles and petty crime is commonplace. Welcome to Daggafontein, Dukathole, N17 and Vukuzenzale, these are the Informal Sett lements, (you are not allowed to call them shanty towns) in which they live. The children have never seen real lions, zebras or elephants, despite these animals being natural inhabitants of their land. The only animals they see are feral packs of dogs, dangerous and half-starved themselves, or, if they are lucky, they may keep a few scrawny chickens or even a goat! They rarely get to eat oranges, or bananas, or indeed any kind of fresh fruit, despite S.A. being a main exporter of these crops, since they are far too expensive for their families to buy.
The Diocese of the Highvelt runs many projects into communities such as these, with the aim to empower and enable these people to shape their own destiny. My own Diocese of Monmouth have established a link and a partnership with this diocese, and it was with this in mind, that I chose to go to S. Africa on my summer long placement. I wanted to look, listen and learn from Christians in another culture, especially one that had experienced conflict, prejudice and poverty, to see how Christ’s love for them had helped them to forgive and to overcome such obstacles, and also to see how restorative justice as opposed to retributive justice was being implemented within the daily lives of ordinary people. I was placed with Mother Sharron Dinnie, who is the Arch Deacon for East Rand, an area in the Highvelt, and it is through her boundless energy and tenacity that this project to educate the children of the Informal Settlements in the Springs are a has come to birth. Kwasa means ‘get up’ or ‘awake’, and it is with this sense of empowering even the littlest people that drives and motivates the project.
Poverty can appear more acute within a society that consists of both the ‘Developed’ and the ‘Developing’ Worlds, with all the disparity in standards of living that this brings. 1 st and 3 rd world interface together and the contrasts are stark. For many, discontentment is growing, with drug abuse, violent robberies and ‘car-jacking’ an ever-increasing problem. Fear is tangible in some of the more affluent, gated and predominantly white communities, who are the targets of these violent crimes.
Supermarkets and shopping malls reflect the prices we encounter in the West, but I was informed, that the average wage of those who live in the Informal Settlements is 250 – 300 Rand a month (the exchange rate is approx. 13 Rand per pound), and with oranges selling at around 5-6 rand each, it is no wonder that the children of Kwasa rarely eat fruit! The children of Kwasa School are aged 2-7 years and in the afternoons, older children (aged 7-14 years) come for extra help with their homework. The children are all fed breakfast (porridge), and lunch (mealy maize and bean stew), this was often the only food that these children had.
Nelson Mandela’s words (quoted at the heading of this reflection) preach an ideal that is as yet to be fully realised. But you may be wondering how this is possible, is it not true that S. Africa is a ‘success’ story? That forgiveness and reconciliation has triumphed over retribution and revenge? Beware; silence in news headlines can give a false impression that all is well. Peace and reconciliation are fragile ideals and attitudes that are still being resolved within the daily lives of the citizens of that land. The ‘Rainbow Nation’, diverse in so many ways, is having to learn how to bridge increasingly diversified gaps- not only of race, but also of class, gender, politics, economics and culture. These are huge mountains to climb, and the path, at times appears rather shaky.
But there is another spectre that threatens the inhabitants of the informal settlements; it is the tragedy of HIV. This is an illness that could be described as endemic amongst much of the poorer communities, and is responsible for wiping out huge swathes of younger adults. This leads to orphaned and sick children, a depleted potential work force and greater impoverishment. It is a problem that will not go away until attitudes change towards those who are sick and responsibility within sexual health and relationships is taught. The Church, along with the Health Service are doing as much as they can to help and educate, but funds are tight, receiving little governmental support, and they are frequently over stretched. Still, God can and does move mountains and the compassionate love and care displayed by the Diocese of the Highvelt, where I was on placement, deeply challenged and moved me. I saw Christ’s redeeming love in action, and the fruit of this love within the lives of the children I daily work ed with was sweeter the some of the fresh fruit which the children went without. The S. Africans have a word ‘ubuntu’ which means ‘I am because we are: my full humanity is dependent on your full humanity’, this interdependence is perhaps something that is still being formed within the nation of S. Africa, but these people have another word ‘isibindi’ which means courage, and what I witnessed whilst there with the people and most especially the staff at Kwasa School and Revd. Sharron Dinnie , from whom the vision for the school came, was courage and hope that perevails.
Heidi-Maria de Gruchy