There is nothing more disgusting then switching on the tap and some brown mud coughs out. Added to this is the fact that newspaper reports have gone out claiming deadly diseases and stating that Grahamstown water is not safe to drink. Well it is time to uncover the truth, so we went deep into the heart of the treatment works to try and solve the mystery. What are the problems? Where are the issues? What is being done? And what do the experts have to say?

 A four minute documentary on Mother Zelma and the Sistersof St. Peter’s Rectory in Grahamstown and how their lives and desire to help the needy has been adversely affected by crime

By Tamzyn Degoumois, Roza Carvalho and Vuyo Tshekela

Our community meeting was held on Sunday 18 October at the NG Kerk Hall, in Hillsview, Grahamstown. Through the various media we had created about crime in the Hillsview, Sunnyside and Fort England area we aimed to generate discussion around possible community solutions.

Some of the main points of debate were impersonal and isolated nature of the community and how community engagement and building on a daily basis might be desirable, but unrealistic. For example, while some community members mentioned that they would like to help the people who come to their doors, they feel unsafe doing so. However, perhaps the most interesting moment in the meeting was when a resident spoke about the issue of men, their frustration at unemployment and lack of skills training, and how this is a social cause of crime in the community. This spoke to a general feeling that men have been emasculated, often feeding into issues like domestic violence and other crimes. The possible solution proposed was a skills training programme and a possible community fund to pay people within the area for odd jobs.

The following clip is an excerpt from the resident’s response.

We have gathered together these three clips to explain our experience as journalists in the local community. We gathered the first clip on our ‘mapping the area’ exercise which stipulated that we needed to pin-point the main problems with regards to crime in the area. We found out from numerous sources that most of the crime has been committed by the youth. The man we captured on film was a victim of crime in the area and agreed with the general consensus that it was the youth in the area causing the crime.
We hoped to attempt this project by constantly referring back to the foundations of public journalism. In all our pieces of work we used the afflicted parties to represent the issue in the area. We sought to use our journalism as a means of assisting the community. By this we produces a self defence project which is to carry on in the community to empower members of sun city and outlying areas against crime and violence.
The next clip is taken three weeks later and is of two teenagers who wanted to speak on camera. Our presence in the community was known by then and the boys knew why we were there. They sarcastically expressed their views of how they wanted to stop committing crime and how they were ready to change. It was all said in jest and the one guy even tried to kiss Mahreen.
We felt as if our project wasn’t reaching the community but then our hopes were uplifted by Janet, one of the community leaders at our community meeting. She said that she was grateful our project had come into her community and alerted them to the problems and possible solutions available to the members of the community. We thought we’d achieved some sort of success by joining with the community to provide a product with relevant important information for the community.

See our Generation Join-Up blog for more info.

Ever wondered how the real ‘makoya’ hip hop dancers shook their tale feather? Well wonder no-more..I decided to take it back to the streets where I am managed to spot our very own local talent that was kind enough to teach us how ‘to roll with the big dawgs’…CHECK THIS OUT…AND IT GOES A LIL SUMDANG LIKE THIS….

By: Tamzyn Degoumois, Roza Carvalho, Kyla Herrmannsen & Vuyolwethu Tshekela

Despite the fact that this week marked child protection week, many children are still suffering in South Africa. We travelled to Extension 9 in Grahamstown to see how one community member is making a difference in the face of insufficient government assistance.

Nomalungelo ‘Margaret’ Ngcongco cares for twelve foster-children in her home ‘the Place of Joy’ in Extension 9.  She is providing for these children without the full financial and other forms of assistance that she should be getting from the Department of Social Development. Many of the children also come from abusive homes and backgrounds of neglect and have not received any counselling from Social Workers.

 Margaret narrates one of her foster children’s stories, with pictures of her and her foster children.

Photos by Kirsty Harcourt-Cooke

 

Eight of the children have been assigned to Margaret by Social Services in Grahamstown, while the remaining four are children of relatives. According to the Children’s Amendment Act of 2007, the legal limit of foster-children permitted to the care of one guardian is six. The act also allows for a maximum of six grants of R680 per month per child. 

Grant problems

In accordance with the law Margaret does not receive foster grants for two of the eight children assigned by social services. Margaret says the six grants are “nothing, you can’t do nothing with R680. The most of the money I used my money”.  She says the grants are quickly used in paying for school fees, crèche, food and transport and she often has to rely on the kindness of local businesses.

 

Click here to listen to Jill White, Manager of Kwikspar, Grahamstown speak about her link to ‘House of Joy’ [podcast]http://rutv3.ru.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/jill-white-new.mp3[/podcast]

 

Margaret also says that the Social Development Department does not provide the regular check –ups and reports on the children as required by the act. She says social services “dump the children on her like SPCA” with nothing “not even clothes”. The Department also do not give any extra assistance or counselling to Margaret despite the fact that at least one of the children is mute and four are HIV positive.

Response from Social Services

The Department of Social Development were unavailable for comment at the time of posting.

But Margaret is unfazed by the lack of support and financial assistance from the Department of Social Services. She describes her children’s home as “my vision and my ministry nobody pushed me to do this it just came inside my heart”.

Margaret’s story

Margaret began fostering children in 1994. She started by taking in an abandoned 3 day old baby girl. Since then Margaret has brought another eleven children into her house and has built what she calls “my family”. She adds that the children who stay with her are more like her grandchildren and that she cannot see them as orphans.

Margaret credits God for “giving me the strength” to do her work and provide for the children, saying that one has “to know God”. She also thanks her community for helping her fundraise and praying for her in Church.

 Despite her love for her children Margaret says she hopes that they will be re-united with their families so that she can take in and help others. She also hopes to expand to a larger property which would enable her to take in more children.

 

Margaret talks about her hopes to reintegrate these children and their families.                  [podcast]http://rutv3.ru.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/audio1.mp3[/podcast]

Margaret’s dedication and affection for her ‘children’ is self-evident and comes through in the way that she speaks about them.   

 

Grants made easy

Click here for detailed information on how to apply for a grant.

How-to-Apply-for-a-Grant