CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Maqu Makhaye, South Africa, June 1998
THEME = SOCIAL ACTION
In a bid to curb the violence which has lasted for decades,
and has left many people homeless,
that has destroyed the once peaceful lifestyle in the rural areas,
the government has at last come out with a strategy
to assist those communities affected
No one can really tell when the violence actually started, but each year it takes a different turn and it's not over yet. The communities of Tsolo and Qumbu, towns in the former homeland of Transkei and lying along the national road linking the Eastern Cape with Durban, will receive a total of 27 million rand for development projects.
This was announced by the National Minister of Public Works, Mr.Jeff Radebe, who said the national government has set aside millions of rand for setting up a number of development projects for Tsolo and Qumbu. Late last year, Mr.Radebe said the cabinet allocated 85 million rand to his department for the implementation of the Rural Anti-Poverty Relief Programme, aimed at uplifting poor communities and increasing development.
Projects identified range from small irrigation schemes, dipping tanks, markets, storage facilities, fencing in grazing land and farm land, providing community agricultural equipment and small entrepreneurial training centres. Contractors as well as field workers are expected to begin with the projects immediately, so as to ensure speedy implementation of the Poverty Relief Programme.
These development projects will create 4,864 temporary and about 1,459 long-term jobs. Tsolo and Qumbu are amongst the poorest communities in Transkei, having no proper infrastructure and few facilities.
Most of the people, particularly the men, are migrant labourers in the gold mines in Gauteng and surrounding areas. The women are left behind to support their families and take care of the children. They wait for the husbands to send them money by mail, but sometimes the money never arrives as it has fallen victim to some light-fingered Post Office employee. When the money does eventually arrive in the form of a cheque, the women fall prey to local business people who ensure that a large percentage of every cheque presented to them for goods received or for encashment, falls into their pockets.
Some people lack the necessary identification documents, simply because they are illiterate. This prevents them from opening bank accounts, and so they turn to local business people to cash their cheques for them, with the results already mentioned. Even if they do manage to have bank accounts, the bank sometimes makes them wait seven to fourteen days before cashing their cheques, depending on the policy of that particular bank.
In these particular areas, women cannot get regular employment so they rely on farming and selling their cattle, sheep, goats and chickens to make ends meet. Also, there is a great deal of violence, with stock being stolen. People have been forced to leave their homes, either because they are victims of violence or because they are falsely accused of being cattle rustlers or colluding with thieves. At one stage, people were given shelter in local police stations and were sleeping in the police cells.
Nontombi Makhasi from Tsolo, says: "I see these projects as a step in the right direction. I now feel the government has come up with a correct strategy to help stop the violence. I say this, because it's easy for people who are hungry and sitting around doing nothing, to find time for fighting. But when they are occupied, they've no time to fight! I lost four members of my family in such violence, because they were alleged to have stolen farm animals. I don't blame the killers, I can only blame the apartheid government that put us in this situation of desperate poverty. If Tsolo were to be developed like other big cities, things would be better".
Another 14 year-old Tsolo resident, Malusi Qangule, says: "I've heard about the projects. I'm excited about the development due to take place but I'm sad I lost my parents who were burnt to death, because they were alleged to have stolen farm animals. Deep down in my heart, I know they weren't thieves as they had their own cattle and sheep. I don't say there aren't any people stealing animals in our town, but a lot of the accusations are due to jealousy or grudges between neighbours. I wish we had peace, because there's nothing so painful as growing up in a strife-torn area".
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement