One Young World Summit 2013: Understanding South Africa Dichotomy

One Young World Summit 2013: Johannesburg, South Africa

Understanding South Africa Dichotomy

During the South African Dichotomy breakout session, we were fortunate to take a journey that would expose us to two ends of the spectrum of South Africans living in Johannesburg.  We knew that Johannesburg suffered from an incredible divide between the have and the have-nots, but this breakout session brought this to light in a very real sense.

We began by leaving the convention center and driving to the Alexandra township, one of the poorest and densely populated urban areas in the country. Many townships were constructed outside of Johannesburg during apartheid for nonwhites to live.  Today, while the townships share public services such as police, fire, emergency, and postal with the city of Johannesburg, it is clear that the townships are entirely disconnected from the prosperity and development seen in other areas of the city.

The Alexandra township itself is made up of both formal homes and informal dwellings, including an estimated nearly 20,000 “shacks” in Alex’s roughly 7 square kilometers. Initially, we were a bit concerned for our safety as we were so clearly outsiders in this community, and we had been warned so fervently about the crime even in Sandton, the wealthiest part of Johannesburg.  However, we were assured of our safety as this is a tight-knit community and unlike many poor urban areas throughout the world the risk of crime in Alexandra is quite low.

Chris, our first tour guide, moved to Alexandra about ten years ago.  He led us through the narrow dirt walkways of the township, where we passed by rows of poorly constructed dwellings.  We passed by the communal bathrooms and water supply at which you can fill your wash bins and drinking water. Electricity flows into the homes through small cables strung loosely overhead, but no Internet was available.  There is no air conditioning, but some homes had small space heaters for the colder days of winter. Our tour guide Chris lived alone, in a dwelling he purchased from his mother, but the majority of people live with and amongst their families. Chris was kind enough to welcome us into his home, a few people at a time, to see his small one-room dwelling consisting of a bed, dresser, TV, and hot plate.  Chris was incredibly gracious and told us here he has everything he needs. We asked Chris about living in the township and he said while many people move to Alexandra in hopes of finding employment in Johannesburg, he is unable to find steady work.  Chris is unfortunately not alone in this struggle, evident by the many people we saw idle during our Friday afternoon visit.

Next, we visited a women’s hostel, where we met our next tour guide Ruth. Ruth has lived here for 9 years and has one daughter. She showed us around the hostel and we learned that the female residents of the hostel rent shared rooms for themselves and their families, and pay roughly $5 a month. There were five blocks of rooms, 20 rooms per block, with most rooms averaging 4 adults and all of their children. However, sons over the age of 9 are forced to leave the women’s hostel and often times go to live with other family members.  There were communal bathrooms in each block maintained by the residents.  The central kitchen is comprised of hot plate cooking stations, and the women have individual lockers to keep food/supplies for their families.  The central outdoor areas of the hostel were vibrant and buzzing with children who had just got out of school for the week.

Next we went on to an orphanage in the township that cared for some of the most at-risk youth in the township, both HIV positive and non-affected children.  We learned from the founder that the orphanage simply can’t accommodate all of the children in the township who need and deserve her care.  Many of the children taken into the orphanage came from “child-headed” families, whose parents passed on from AIDS, at which point the eldest child would try to step in as head of the family.  Sadly in these situations other relatives may not take in affected children due to the HIV stigma. The orphanage gives safe haven for boys and girls, the eldest currently 19 years old, who is working to finish school so she can leave and start her own life.  The amazing woman that runs the orphanage relies on donations from mainly outside visitors, as the local community is not able to contribute.  She is a true example of kindness and compassion and we were fortunate to have met her.

Finally, our group split up to visit the businesses of local entrepreneurs in the township.  Our small group went to visit a local gym, founded by a boxer who left Alexandra, and came back to assist his community by teaching the benefits of fitness and nutrition.  He started a community gym, and trains boxers as well anyone who wants to learn more healthful habits.  During our visit the gym was busy with young men from the community, lifting weights and listening to music.  The founder of the gym is also a talented painter, and we were lucky enough to see his art.  He is a true inspiration and innovator in his community.

After our incredible visit to Alexandra, we were then welcomed to the beautiful campus of the Gordon Institute of Business Science.  It was here where we were placed at tables with graduates, who were using their business degrees to become pillars in their community.  We spent an incredible few hours with a young man who decided to become an employer instead of employee.  He now uses his education to help African entrepreneurs who have a good idea, create a solid business plan and find a way to make their dream a reality.  We met many other incredible people from GIBS, and had valuable conversations about the struggles and successes of Johannesburg. 

We were honored to have been invited into peoples’ homes and communities, and in turn into our hearts. We learned that if you look for it, you will find hope, compassion, and happiness in seemingly unexpected places.  We have been inspired to do more, to be better.

Jenna Bertanza and Erin Moeller