South Africa Youth Volunteer Journals

We had the a gorgeous full moon & partial lunar eclipse in South Africa last night!  It’s an auspicious sign of good things to come in 2010.  This is the last post to my GVN journal.  Volunteer time has ended & I am headed to Cape Town & surrounding areas.  It’s easy for visitors to fall under Cape Town’s spell and in spite of an occasional ‘southeaster’ (known as the mother of all winds) there are many broken hearts when it’s time to leave.  Best wishes to everyone for a very Happy New Year!

If approved by the National Nuclear Regulator, a new nuclear power plant – Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) – will be constructed near Koeberg nuclear reactor outside Cape Town.  This is despite the fact that Eskom (SA electricity utility) previously halted plans due to cost pressures.  New power sources are gravely needed in SA.  The plant could be completed by 2016 at an estimated cost of R27bn.  The plant would produce 400MW of power with all uranium required coming from SA sources.

Jacob Zuma, the ANC President of SA, is scheduled to marry his fiancée, Thobeka Mabhija, next week at his Nkandla homestead near KwaNxamalala village.  If the wedding occurs, Thobeka will become his 5th wife.  His current wives are Sizakele MaKhumalo-Zuma & Nompumelelo MaNtuli-Zuma.  One wife died in 2000 & he divorced another in 1998.  The bride-to-be’s family was seen bringing gifts to Nkandla.  In Zulu cultural such gifts (‘umbondo’) are the final stage in preparation for a wedding after the man pays ‘lobolo’ for the bride’s hand.  Zuma is described as an unashamed Zulu traditionalist who lives according to his culture.

Looking forward to Cape Town!  I remember returning to SF after living there in the 80s & missing the beautiful beaches & Table Mountain.  With a full moon you can hike up Lion’s Head to watch it rise over the city with the majestic Twelve Apostles Mountains http://www.visionlightgallery.com/gallery/Twelve_Apostles_P11809.cfm in the background.  Other fun activities include kayaking with penguins, catamaran sailing, outdoor summer concerts and plays, & high tea at the swanky Mt. Nelson Hotel.  January weather is definitely my cup of tea - high 70s during the day & 60s at night.

The lodge has a great staff.  Several emigrated from Zimbabwe.  Many work in SA & send money home to support their families.  At times words from SA & Zimbabwean dialects intertwine and you get a mix of Xhosa, Venda, Ashanti, Zulu, Ndebele, Shoona, Shangaan, Tsonga, etc.  They say a true South African speaks 11 languages.  Afrikaans & African dialects are difficult for me.  Another Zimbabwean performs classic French white-faced mime at a robot (traffic light) a few blocks from the lodge.  His moon & wind walks & pulling rope routine are amazing!

SA has many talented artists.  Some I’ve recently discovered include Fiona Ramsay (actress & director), Petina Gappah (writer), Nontsikelelo ‘Ntsiki’ Mazwai (poet & musician), J. M. Coetzee (writer), Nelisiwe Xaba (choreographer), Suzy Bernstein (photographer), Nyaniso Lindi (artist), Noira Mabasa (artist), Esther Mahlangu (artist), Helen Sebidi (artist), Andries Botha (sculpturer), Nadine Hutton (photojournalist), Lerato ‘Lira’ Molapo (singer), Concord Nkabinde (jazz bassist), and Vuyisani Mgijima (artist)…  All are worth a Google!

Freedom Park is a memorial to what SA has achieved as a nation & honors the efforts of those who died in struggles for humanity & freedom.  There are panoramic views of Pretoria from the park & it’s divided into three different areas – Isivivane (spiritual), Sikhumbuto (memorial), Uitspanplek (tranquil).  Isivivane is a Zulu word that means ‘throw your stone upon the pile…’  In the ancient world stones marked places of spiritual, astronomical, and historical significance.  The park has a subtle yet special ambiance.  You leave feeling uplifted.

The 2010 Fifa World Cup soccer games hosted in 9 cities throughout SA begin June 11 - 32 soccer teams will play 64 matches in 10 stadiums. This is a SUPER BIG event and SA is making major infrastructure improvements in preparation. The 10 soccer stadiums include Moses Mabhida Durban, Green Point Cape Town, Soccer City & Ellis Park Joburg, Nelson Mandela Bay Port Elizabeth, Free State Bloemfontein, Mbombela Nelspruit, Peter Mokaba Polokwane, Royal Bafokeng Rustenburg, & Loftus Versfeld Pretoria.

Back in Pretoria with renewed appreciation for the small luxuries of life! The staff at the lodge is wonderful & I will spend the holidays with them before flying to Cape Town January 2. Plan to explore nearby neighborhoods like Hatfield, Arcadia, Brooklyn, & Neiuw Muckleneuk. The lodge is in the Menlo Park area. There is a New Year’s eve party at Rietvlei Nature Reserve with Footprint Hiking Club ( http://www.footprint.co.za/ ) and a night game drive. The botanical gardens & campuses of the Universities of SA & Pretoria are also on the list.  Missing the Children from Londanani… 

Sunday was an interesting day…  It began with services in Shayandima given by Pastor Albert Lehangwa in a very rustic neighborhood church.  The services started at 10:00 a.m. and included praying, singing, and dancing.  I left at about 1:00 p.m. (Sunday church services can last all day) and then tried the luncheon buffet at the Khoroni, one of the nicest hotels in Thohoyandou.  The food was good, especially the salad selection as fruits and vegetables grown in Venda are excellent.

Dr. Mantombazana (Manto) Tshabalala-Msimang, former SA Health Minister, died on December 16th from complications suffered after her body rejected a liver transplant performed in March 2007. Her position on HIV / Aids was very controversial. She was criticized for favoring an AIDs treatment consisting of beetroot, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil rather than antiretroviral medications.  Her funeral will be on December 22 in Pretoria.

Next week I leave Thohoyandou and head back to Pretoria to stay at the same lodge where I was before coming to Venda.  On January 2nd I fly to Cape Town & spend a month there & in the surrounding areas.  Both GVN volunteer projects were extremely interesting and beneficial.  They were my first experiences volunteering abroad.  The Venda childcare project was much more challenging than anticipated.  I sincerely hope my small contributions were of some help to the children.  The language and cultural differences, heat, and isolated location were difficult.

The children at Londanani were dismissed for the remainder of December.  Although we now have food the other women were only temporary helpers and Murendeni cannot devote full time.  The language barrier is one of several challenges for me and I am not able to cook and organize activities for the children by myself.  December wan’t an ideal month for volunteering.  Originally I was to be placed at Lydia Seemola’s orphanage, but shortly before arriving was told that she did not need volunteers during December and I was sent to the Londanani day care facility instead.

In Venda the locals enjoy a chutney-like dish called mango ackar.  It’s made from mangoes and spices and sold in the markets.  They also have a popular staple food called pap which is a traditional porridge or gruel made from mielie meal.  Grilled meat is very popular as well.

Today is the Day of Reconciliation, a public holiday in SA and a day to foster reconciliation and national unity.  The holiday began in 1994 after the end of Apartheid.  Before 1994 December 16th was called the “Day of the Vow” or “Dingaan Day” which commemorated The Afrikaner victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1836.  December 16th is also the anniversary of the 1961 founding of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation or MK), the armed military wing of the African National Congress (ANC).

SPAR donated enough food to last the children through December!  I’ve been organizing art projects – sketching, caulk drawings, etc.  We started with crayons – mistake as they were broken within the first few minutes.  We use colored pencils now.  We have a daily “program” which includes an educational lesson, songs, stories, games, and a health & hygiene talk.  There are no “facilities”, e.g., blackboard, books, etc. but somehow we manage.  DAKI = Venda word for “be happy”.

We had a crisis today.  Food donations at Londanani are slow.  We don’t have enough food to feed the children through December and without food, we will have to dismiss them.  Murendeni & I purchased food today & cooked.  Later I went to Thohoyandou and talked to managers at the two largest markets – Pick n Pay and SPAR to ask for donations.  They advised me that because of the late notice, busy holiday season, and demand for food they might not be able to respond.  I hope they can.

Lake Fundudzi is a sacred Venda site.  The water in the lake is said to have healing qualities.  The Venda python god is believed to live in the lake and prevent it from evaporating in the summer heat.  Visitors are not allowed without permission from the Netshiavha (people of the pool) tribe who are the custodians of Lake Fundudzi.  It’s a holy burial place for their ancestors and one of SA’s few fresh water lakes.  It was created about 20,000 years ago when a rock slide blocked the path of a river.

HIV/AIDS is a big problem here in SA.  The government is trying to change the stigma and educate the people.  They are making progress but there is still so much to be done.  A relative of my host family (in her 30s) had AIDs and passed away this week.  She had several young children.  It is very sad.  I’m spending today exploring the outside market and shops in downtown Thohoyandou – VERY crowded.  I have been here for a week and can find my wy around.  Think I’m a bit of a curiosity to many of the Africans but they are friendly.

The game drive at Kruger Park was fantastic!  It was rainy in the a.m. but clear later in the day.  We saw wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, hippo, springbok, elephant, buffalo, hyena, duiker, monkeys, and many birds.  The hyena had two small babies and almost got into our car!  The teachers tried to improve my Venda…  In SA there are 11+ African dialects as well as Afrikaans, English, and Hindi, and other languages.  We entered Kruger Park through the Punda Maria Camp Gate and in between viewing game had a braai at Shingwedzi rest camp.

Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa’s (ZOTE founder) father is a school principal here in Shayandima.  Several of the teachers from the school are taking a day trip to Kruger Park for Christmas and they invited me to join them.  We leave on Friday morning and return that evening.  It will be my first trip to Kruger Park but hopefully not the last!  I am very happy to be going!  The language barrier has been a challenge.  Most are fluent in English & Venda but they speak mostly Venda.  Maybe the teachers can help me learn more Venda…

I moved from the host family’s home to an African lodge near Londanani. I’m not used to living with so many people in such small quarters. With the very hot days and power outages it was difficult. The lodge is basic but clean and I have a fan and hot water. They use a generator in case of power outages. Each morning I walk to the place of safety with the other women who spend time with the children.  They are paid a small sum by the government.  I took many photos of the children today and will post one soon.

Murendeni Mahamba from my host family is involved in work with the orphans. She became interested as a teenager and has worked with them for many years. She has a three year old son named Funzi. We plan to take a group of children on a short outing over the Christmas holidays. Many of these children are from families that abused or abandoned them or passed away leaving them alone. We will plan fun activities and cook for them. Have been told that I “must” try a Venda dish called Mashonzha that consists of worms, tomatos, onion, and cooking oil…

I began today at the day care center. Internet access is difficult & limited. There is no wireless.  I will post when I can use the Internet cafés in Thohoyandou. Everything is very busy in town because of the Christmas holiday and family / relatives visiting from other locations. I am getting to know my host family and learning a few Venda words – Ndi Matasheloni = good morning, Ndo Livhuwa = thank you, Hurini? = How are you?, Ndi Hone = I’m fine. The cultural change is severe but it’s a valuable experience.  The children at the day care facility are sweet.

After a breakfast oreintation we made the 5 hour drive north from Pretoria to Venda. I arrived in Shayandima and settled in with my host Venda family – the Mahambas. The family consists of a grandmother, mother, 2 sisters with 2 babies, and 2 brothers. This area of Africa is unlike the bushveld. It’s very lush and green with fruit groves everywhere and mangoes, bananas, papayas, litchis, and any tropical fruit you can imagine!  There have been power outages leaving us with no power for 12+ hours…  We built a fire in back yard for bath water and tea.

Today my contact for the next volunteer project Nyawira Charity Tshivhengwa, Director of Education and Community Development, with ZOTE Investments and Projects picked me up in Pretoria.  After an orientation session tomorrow we will drive north to the Venda place of safety.  This location is very close to Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga Province and I hope to spend several weekends there.  Other nearby game reserves include Polokwane in Limpopo Province and Madikwe in the North West Province (near Botswana).

SA is experiencing electricity woes.  Today a newspaper article indicated a 35% increase in costs and “load shedding” planned rolling blackouts when short supply threatens the integrity of a grid.  Eskom is the public electricity utility in SA and operates a number of power plants, including Koeberg Nuclear Power Station where I was assigned in the 1980s while working for Bechtel.  Due to the attempted privatization of Eskom in the 1990s, Eskom’s requests for budget to build new stations were denied and that is now adversely affecting the SA economy.

Animal Rights Africa (ARA) is protesting a Zulu Ukweshwama ritual scheduled as part of the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) 2010 World Cup Soccer Draw ceremony in Cape Town.  The “draw” determines who the 32 participating soccer teams are pitted against during the June 11 to July 11 tournament to be hosted on African soil for the first time in history.  Ukweshwama is a Zulu way of thanking God for the first crops of the season and includes slaughtering a bull with bare hands.  ARA argues that the manner in which the bull is killed is cruel & inhumane.  The Pietermaritzburg KwaZulu-Natal High Court will rule.

Quiet time at a lodge outside Pretoria is heavenly – wonderful weather, food, and atmosphere…  Who knows what the ZOTE assignment will bring next week but this brief restful and contemplative time is precious.  Reading the Pretoria News with coffee this morning – no complaints…  South Africa is very BEAUTIFUL!

Pretoria (Tshwane) is the capital of South Africa.  It’s often referred to as the ‘Jacaranda City’ because the city is wrapped in a purple haze during spring.  Some of the sights include the Paul Kruger House Museum, historic architecture like the Union Buildings which house official government offices and embassies, Melrose House on the old Church Square, and the Voortrekker Monument.