RUTV 3

 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.

By Andisa Ndlovu and Shanel Pillay

West Hill, a peaceful suburb in Grahamstown… although many say the crime in this area is minimal the residents here still feel the need to protect themselves from crime.  Jessica Weaver, an exchange student from America, shares her views on the differences in security.

By Andisa Ndlovu and Shanel Pillay

A light-hearted how to emphasising the importance of what to do if your home has been broken into.

Quite simply,
* don’t touch anything (you don’t want to destroy any evidence they may have left behind)
*phone the police and wait for them to arrive
If you suspect the person is still in your home, wait at a neighbours house or somewhere safe until they arrive.
Once the police have arrived they will take over from there, detailing what has happened, what has gone missing and what the estimated value of these items are.
Remember to keep the local police number (046 603 9512) as well as the emergency 10111 number in your phone at all times.

These are two women of vastly different ages who give an insight into their thoughts on crime and how it affects their community. This respose came after virewing a document, titled “Taverns at Tantyi” which showed how they are a hot spot for crime in the area. The community came with many ideas about how crime could be solved in the community, with the young and the old getting involved. What was important was then feeling as though their opinions did matter, and that what they had to say was valuable. In that regard, civic journalism is important because it is journalism ultimatley made by the public., They are the news, they matter. With a sensitive issue like crime, a sensitive approach is needed. It is difficult because you are essentially opening up old wounds for people and asking them to revivist painful memories. But what was interesting to note was that the kind of neighbourhood meeting we had, allowed for a safe space where people did not need to feel intimidated or afraid to share their stories and opinions.
-A story by Grethe and Sbosh-

As part of our Critical Media Production course of 2009 we decided to, in our work, take on our Group’s name, Masisebenzisane (Let’s work together) in a literal manner. This translated into a collaborative approach to making a TV doccie in which the ‘subject’ become more than a ‘subject’ – rather a stakeholder in his own story. This was our interpretation of citizen journalism in the sense that we wanted Mzwakhe to be able to tell his story unmediated by us as journalists. In this way, he was able to shape his own story while drawing on our journalistic experience.

We didn’t want to simply sweep in as journalists hungry for a story. Instead, we spent a lot of time with him at the Egazini Centre, in his home and his community. We met his parents, his nephews and his friends. We asked him to take on the role of reporter – as you can see in the intro of the final doccie. At the showing of the doccie at the community meeting, at which Mzwakhe was present, he was proud of the piece and felt it truthfuly reflected his story. Other community members commented that it was a good representation of the youth in the Joza community and the role that Egazini plays in keeping the youth off the streets and away from crime.

Watch this short clip of Mzwakhe and his nephews helping us carry our equipment. This is a rite of passage to all journalists.

Watch this clip to see Mzwakhe and Jess, our reporter, taking some time out to get to know each other.

Listen to this sound clip to hear Jess and Mzwakhe discussing how Mzwakhe would like to word his standupper for the beginning of the doccie.

mzwakhe-intro