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
