A Squatter Shack Settlement History, South Africa

The following is an article written by Auntie Dulcie C. Winegaard, an anti-apartheid activist who since 2004 has been chairman of Rural Women Association, South Africa. Dulcie has been fighting for the rights of the poor for over 30 years.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Rural Women Association‘s (RWA) support of integration is evident in all our many programs. With respect to the current residents of Montagu’s informal settlement, Mandela Square, our mandate is to help them remain in their known environment where they have lived for years, and in addition to make effort to improve their living standards. With the proposal for an eventual housing plan for the residents of this community now being considered by the Breede River Winelands Municipality, the residents wish to have these houses built where they have lived for years, and not be moved to government match box housing elsewhere.

Mandela Square is an historical site and needs to be honoured as such in our community. It is a monument of the struggle against Apartheid in our small town which sits within the Breede River Winelands Municipality and includes three disadvantaged communities, Mandela Square being but one of them.

The settlement rests on the south side of Muscadel Road which is the main route between Montagu central and the large extended township of Ashbury. Approximately fifty households are settled here. Over the years there has been relatively little growth either in the number of shacks or population.

RWA has come a long way with the settlement, the chairperson, Dulcie C. Winegaard was actively part of the changes that unfolded here in the latter years of Apartheid, and since that time has continued to offer support and help where possible. In addition Mrs. Winegaard participated in the original decision to name the settlement “Mandela Square”.

The present residents are organized, meet every few months, and with the support of Rural Women Association, additional meetings are held to discuss the concerns and needs of their community. One vitally important need was to have a crèche where the many babies, toddlers and additionally, children requiring after school care, could be accommodated. Because parents go to work on farms and the packing industry, babies are often left with young children for long hours, minors who themselves should be in school.

Thus the crèche became a must for the health, advancement and preservation of these children. To date 25 infants and children have been registered by the Dept of Social Services.

Numerous letters were written by Rural Women Association to local government and other bodies with no response. And still we continue to wait for our local and provincial governments to support RWA in this effort. The funds which built this crèche were private funds loaned to RWA because of the
desperate needs of the infants and children.

In RWA’s vision of what the settlement can become, Mandela Square has the distinct option of becoming an agricultural tourism village attraction which can become largely self sustaining if given the start-up support needed. Many South Africans and foreign visitors have already visited. RWA alone has given over 20 tours of the community. We believe this option should be energetically promoted.

Mandela Square residents, although knowing they live in poverty, are nevertheless very proud of their community. Some members have lived here for many years. As a pastoral community it is unlike the two other Montagu township communities. Gardens thrive here and RWA will continue to support their gardening efforts. Of note, RWA has applied for a vegetable stall to be emplaced by the taxi stand on the north side of Muscadel Rd so that Mandela residents can sell their produce within walking distance. They have no vehicles to transport heavy vegetables any distances. Breede River Winelands Rotary Club has agreed to pay for its installation. Such a stall is a significant incentive for the gardeners to increase their produce volumes and earnings, which is their desire, although as is generally the case repeated requests to negotiate the matter have been ignored.

What will bring greater pride to the residents is access to the land surrounding this
community so expanded agricultural plots for vegetables can be grown for sale, a project that RWA will oversee for the residents benefit. Larger gardens and some minor livestock, as will a decent housing project, will allow Mandela Square to become a showcase for all visitors especially in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.

For your information the history of Mandela Square is as follows:

Because the local authority of the old regime was not eager to have Blacks in Montagu, this resulted in the black people staying in the backyards of the greater community. Then the Transition period occurred and one of the comrades Edward Feketa hired some business ground from the municipality and started a brick works project which became a fast growing business.

The RDP houses you see in Ashbury were to be built and according to the social compact committee this brickwork project was to render employment and services to the people.

But at this time things got ugly and mean.

Comrade Edward was notified to close down the brickworks. Comrade Tom who was evicted from one of the farms here was also staying on the premises. Their houses were good structures, built with wood, in which the families stayed.

One misty July morning at 5 am all the comrades were called to the Edward’s and when we got there, a full squad of police with their Caspers, vans and cars, were surrounding the house. These racist invaders called on the Edwards family to come out of their home. The mamas were confused and terrified as you can imagine. The other mammas tried to get their own families to safety. Children were screaming.

Immediately the squad was ordered to remove all furniture from all the houses. Then to our horror a bulldozer swiftly crunched these homes into small pieces. Comrade businesses were eliminated to this day.

The “officials” that ordered this brutal action are still in top positions in our local municipality and have never been made to answer for these and other hateful actions. To this day they show no remorse and have with little exception, refused co-operation with our Rural Women’s Association, holding old grievances for the chairperson having dared confront them in the old days not so long ago.

Our leaders went to ask them the reason for their action but received no explanation, only silence. There was no possibility for the comrades to stay living there, their homes destroyed and their furniture ruined by the rain.

Up to this day, those illegal actions of the authorities are a mystery and have never been explained.


Of note, shortly thereafter, Comrade Edwards, while in a discussion with the police on the roadside, was killed by a car, or so we were told.


Comrade Tom, following a second eviction of his family fell into serious illness and also passed on.

Then MAG, Montagu Ashton Gemeenskep gave some space on their garden lot which became Mandela Square. Most of the comrades that used to stay in people’s back yards went to stay there, building wood and tin shacks.

More tragedies happened when contract workers who were transported to Montagu from various places in the Northern Cape, to be exploited with low wages, were evicted at the end of harvest, many having started relationships with local women. The result was that they did not return to the north but began living beside our local garbage site. This happened after each harvest. Although the Human Rights Department and the Dept of Labour came to Montagu to aid these vulnerable people, when they left the bulldozers returned, leveling the shacks and shelters along with all the people’s possessions.

About 15 families suffered this fate. Then mamma Dulcie confronted the Mayor, at the time Mnr De Wett. Some enforcement was applied and these families were moved to Mandela Square with just the clothing on their backs. These people are still here in their humble dwellings, struggling to make ends meet while living a life of pastoral harmony with great respect and tolerance of each other.

How did this crèche come about? One morning during a routine visit to Mandela Square, I found many infants and toddlers all on their own. A farmer had arrived for pickers and nearly all of the adults jumped aboard and left. I was so upset and cried bitterly, then expressed my anguish to the project manager of Rural Women who promised to raise funds for a facility. That was about 4 months ago.

Our intention was to help the residents build a shack facility, emplace trained staff and supply daily and nutritious food from our many gardens, and thus to bring these infants and children into a place of safety and preparation for formal schooling.

Knowing from past experience that RWA would never get permission for building a crèche we informed the residents they must build the shack themselves which we would oversee construction on and supply materials. Only residents of Mandela Square worked on the initial building completing the concrete pad, the fencing, garden, and the frame work structure. They felt they were entirely in their right to build another shack, as did RWA.

On being told by municipal authorities they must stop building or face consequences, including the threatened destruction of the facility, RWA’s project manager arranged for friends to complete the roof, siding and door which is now complete, so that we might safely lock it up while attempting to resolve difficulties with the local authority. Water was brought to the location via RWA’s huis tuintjie program which has now emplaced 200 metres of new water lines and taps which you will see near most of the shacks.

This crèche facility is now part of the Mandela Square history, because as the Department of Social Services was shocked to realize, it is the first official crèche in the Montagu area for coloured and black people. We were the only town in the Breede River Municipal region which didn’t have one. In an area with such need we were somehow overlooked even though RWA has been submitting proposals for close to 3 years to numerous funding bodies, most of whom are mandated to address requests such as ours.

Rural Women Association is a vibrant and active NPO in the Montagu region and our programs stretch as far afield as McGregor, Bonnievale, Paarl, Saron, Touwsrivier and shortly, Mossel Bay. We also participate in programs in Zolani and Robertson.

Cape Winelands Municipality states that our food security program is the flagship food security program in the Boland region as does the District Governor of Rotary responsible for all of South Africa and Namibia. RWA believes that it is to any authorities’ advantage to work with our organization. We succeed! And we firmly believe that failure is not an option

Yes, the original intent was a shack, and it is designed like a shack. Looking from Mandela Road you will see other shacks that are the same appearance; only this one is larger, better built and has become something more than a shack.

This crèche, although threatened with being destroyed recently, has been actively opposed by certain parties in Montagu. Rural Women Association continued to build regardless. We have no choice. The children must come first, and this is the year 2007 after 13 years of democracy,

We hope this crèche will develop Mandela children and others from Ashbury, to hold no racist hatred or fear, enabling them to advance into the magnificent future South Africa holds for them.

Where poverty dominates in our community, RWA will continue to struggle to help, educate and empower,. And we wish to do this by joining hands with government authorities; utilizing both the national and provincial policies legislated to improve people’s lives.

But never doubt it; Daq vir daq, the struggle continues.

In closing I draw from the Bible, Mathew 12, and Verse 7:

“If you had known what these words mean; I desire mercy, not sacrifice. You would not condemn the innocent. For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Law.”

And:

Mathew 12, Verse 11: He said to them, if any of you has sheep and it falls in a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable are these children than a sheep?”


Dulcie C. Winegaard, Chairperson
Rural Women Association
March 19, 2007

April 2007, reposted

April, 2007, South Africa; the Western Cape

Note that since I failed to do an adequate posting of the pictures for this April, 2007 blog, I have reposted with improved pictures, thus this blog falls after the May 2007 blog which you will find by strolling down or clicking on Previous Blog. Unfortunately, this blog posting refuses to acknowledge the paragraphs changes so the paragraphs all flow together. I've tried reposting repeatedly but it keeps coming up the same.

I mentioned in an earlier Blog that not long after arriving in South Africa in June, 2000, I felt a strong need to make a contribution, and not to just live comfortably in privilege as was so obviously the situation I had found myself in. I remembered friends in Vancouver who had told me many years ago they had moved to Jamaica for a period but couldn’t adjust to being the white master and madam, as it was expected of them that they hire and utilize the services of the poorer citizen who deferred to them as superior. As Canadians, most of us are familiar with caring for our selves, or within the mutual co-operation of family and occasional help from friends. It takes an adjustment to live in comfort in a developing country. Learning to accept the divide between rich and poor and learning to say ‘no’ is one of the harder adjustments. Beggars can be masterful at times, and they always come back for more. Since some of you, my family and friends, may wonder what it is exactly that Solinus is doing in Africa, I thought that in this blog I would tell you. As often as not I’m unprepared to tell people of all the many things I do in the community, for although I believe I am not bragging, the concern that I might just possibly be doing that, bragging, tends to limit my comments. Effectively, what I am doing is working with the poor, most often the poorest of the poor. I find great satisfaction in it. I recall reading an American report that those retired individuals who find satisfactory service in helping the less fortunate, are the happiest of retired people, and additionally tend to live longer. I can certainly say that I am happy, often challenged, yes, occasionally anxious and worried, but happy, definitely happy. When I arrived here I immediately met Madeleine who quickly became a close friend. She comes from a well known and successful journalist family who fought apartheid, and who is herself a national journalist. Her vast store of close, privileged and talented friends, who she has known since school years, testify to her part in ending apartheid and the progressive class she is at home in. Her knowledge of how things work in South Africa, who is responsible for what, who was or is the nasty, and who the good and well intended, have always helped me understand the culture better, and they have led to many connections, people with whom I work to bring about positive change. Madeleine introduced me to Constable Suria Meyer and this led to the development of the Victim Support room at the local police station, then to “Auntie” Dulcie Winegaard, one of twelve official “aunties” in South Africa. Dulcie was awarded this title for her efforts to end apartheid and continuing to work for the poor ever since and while at no time enriching herself in the process as so many others have done. Her energy seems tireless to me; she works six days a week and then on Sunday visits the ill in our community. I’ve never been able to totally keep up with her, but as her personal assistant I have had the honour of working on many poverty projects in our beautiful Winelands region. And I know that my living and contributing to the new South Africa makes a difference, even if just a small difference. The process of my partnership with Dulcie is simple. I am computer literate and skilled with various publishing and accounting programs. I have Canadian office experience and the ability to get things done on time. This allowed me to bring to Dulcie’s energy fast and effective communication with various municipal and government offices and the management skills to complete projects successfully. I feel I work a full week, albeit voluntarily, and am in a sense no longer either retired, nor in hindsight, have I been since arriving here. The organization Auntie Dulcie founded is the Rural Women Association, its mandate to work with the poorest of the poor in the Montagu region, and with many of those people and families who since 1994 have been evicted from farms where often they had lived for generations. Our programs and projects address the children, women, the sick, the displaced and the elderly. We are now recognized as the most active NPO/NGO in the region and this week were requested to attend local municipality budgetary meetings to determine the budgetary requirements for community service programs. Ironically, we have already been sitting with the greater regional community service committee at the regional Municipal level for over a year. The local Municipality grounded in the old regime has never liked or wanted to deal with the regional or District Municipality which represents the new dispensation, the ANC. This animosity towards the ANC has been at the root of many of our organization’s challenges. Standing officials who fought with Dulcie during Apartheid, and who appear to hate her as a troublemaker, still retain office. I’m sure you can imagine the impact this has had on our organization’s ability to act, especially when we need permission for almost every project we enact. Nevertheless our successes mount. In the municipal elections last year, early 2006, the ANC took majority control of the local Municipality. They then encountered, as a new five-town municipal administration, not only an unwillingness for cooperation from the officials in their hallowed halls, but instead a determination to obstruct the new Council by these same officials, long in power and hurting from their perceived losses which resulted with the transition in 1994 from Apartheid to Democracy. This week’s request to participate in their budget deliberations actually came as a startling and welcomed surprise for us. The invitation was from the ANC‘s Mayoral Council and not from the old regime’s officials. Only recently these very officials ordered Rural Women Association to High Court in Capetown, something which is both very expensive and generally only happens upon appeal after prosecution in a lower court. Our crime, and the order asks for criminal charges to be placed, was to help and supervise residents of a severely poor shack settlement to build an ECD Shack Crèche in their community. Both our lawyer and advocate stated it was over-kill for the Municipality to demand the dispute be heard in High Court. For some unknown and surely political reason, this same mayoral council refuses to speak with us while the Court Order date steadily approaches. We have resigned hope that we will receive their help and have considered turning to the press. Understandably we cannot quite grasp how an ANC Council would permit charges against what is effectively an ANC NPO/NGO for carrying out both national and provincial policy by supporting the residents. There is press interest. Dulcie and I gave three interviews this week. At this stage, and hoping that the municipality will see the light, we have been reluctant to embarrass the municipality in the press. After all, we know we must work with them in the coming years if our many programs are to be successful. What the Municipality’s officials want the High Court to decide on is that RWA, Dulcie and myself have committed a crime in supporting the residents of a severely poor shack community to build an additional shack to supervise and educate their young children. Additionally, a very serious charge is to be defended, that we have invaded land that belongs to the Municipality; and this while 30 shacks already exist at the location. Rather than describe the many Rural Women Association programs in details, you can see some of them at the following link on our Google Rural Women album site: http://picasaweb.google.com/solinusj/RuralWomenAssociationSouthAfrica Proverbially, each picture speaks a thousand words. Auntie Dulcie is off to Durban next week for the international World Rural Women conference where she will be giving a paper on behalf of both our organization and the provincial Rural Women. You may or may not see reports in the international papers and news sites on the event. Women’s issues are sadly ignored in South Africa. Me, I’ll be visiting the many house gardens delivering winter seedlings and insuring that the squatter camp Crèche children have a great first week. Personally, I don’t believe I will every have to appear in court, that it will be settled first. But if I’m wrong in my trust and we lose, and if the court accepts I am to be charged with a criminal matter which then requires further defence, well it will be my first criminal charge ever… and considering the reason, a feather in this Canadian boy’s hat. And I’ll be fighting for a great organization. For the moment this is Sunday afternoon, mid twenties, sun shining with the exquisite South African weather so common here… I’m off for a walk. Solinus

South Africa, Creche Legal Dispute, May 2007

The following report was sent at their request to a natural rural women umbrella group that helped facilitate the World Rural Women Convention in Durban in late April. It is the story of the dispute between the local municipality in the Breede River Winelands Municipal area, Western Cape, South Africa, and the Rural Women Association. The legal suit was recently withdrawn from the court rolls at High Court Capetown. Herewith for your information:


“Dulcie Winegaard has asked me to send you a written report on the dispute at Montagu, West Cape, between the Breede River Winelands Municipality (BRWM) and the Rural Women Association (RWA).

As Project Manager and Treasurer for RWA, I have assisted “Auntie” Dulcie for three years supporting her efforts in poverty recovery and self-empowerment for the still disadvantaged citizens of Montagu living in the two townships, and in our local informal, and severely poor shack settlement.

In late 2006 at the beginning of the agricultural harvest season, Dulcie was shocked to see that at the Mandela Square shack settlement, many young infants and toddlers were left somewhat attended in the care of young boys or girls who themselves should have been in school.

You will be able to see pictures of the settlement, the ECD & Crèche, and most importantly the children who represent some of those left without adult supervision, displayed at the following internet site:

http://picasaweb.google.com/solinusj/RuralWomenAssociationSouthAfrica

Many meetings and discussions were subsequently held with the residents of the settlement and following these, RWA decided to support members of the community in the building of a crèche shack. Because it was intended as a shack, and since shacks have been built on this site for many years, many by homeless families being sent there by the municipality, as often as not from the local dump site, there was no question of requesting permission or presenting building plans for construction. Such permission would never have been granted. Even in the largest of the three disadvantaged communities of Montagu, Ashbury, our local municipality has refused to negotiate the development of a soup kitchen/security complex, although a lease is in place with the municipality for the lot. Further the lot was fenced, professional building plans created, and submission for approval delivered, all at great expense to RWA.

Additionally, plans had been submitted for two vegetable stalls to promote economic self empowerment, and a community market garden, all in support of members in our active 150 house gardens which includes three community gardens in a food security program called Huis Tuintjies. RWA also submitted a proposal for a women and small children’s park, and a second crèche specializing in FAS children, all of which have been ignored, now for over 18 months and regardless of repeated requests for negotiation and discussion. It may be noted that in all of these projects mentioned above, RWA was requesting “permission”, not funds. RWA already had sponsorship in place, notably the Cape Winelands District Municipality, and the Rotary Club of the Breede River Winelands.

The ECD Crèche Shack was completed two weeks prior to the urgent application by then Municipal Manager Nico Nel, which was applying for a court order against RWA to cease and desist from building, and further to have RWA, Dulcie and I, charged with a criminal offence. It was obvious even then that this was an attempt on the part of a clique of officials who have fought Dulcie for years, to bankrupt and hopefully destroy RWA’s ability to succeed with its programs in Montagu and elsewhere in the Breede River Winelands.

In a meeting that Dulcie and I held with Cape Winelands official Ewnis Delport, former assistant to executive Mayor Clarence Johnson of Cape Winelands District Municipality (Boland), we were told that in 2006 the BRWM had attempted to shut down our food security program, Huis Tuintjies. If anything clearly reveals the local municipality’s intent, and indifference to the poor, this pressure on the District to withdraw RWA’s successful food security funding certainly does. Additionally, in submitting the application to High Court, Manager Nel, with many years experience, contravened a direct responsibility and requirement stipulated in the Municipal Financial Management Act to consult with and receive Council approval before taking such action, something he obviously felt he wouldn’t get, in that the present council is ANC.

Our ECD Crèche Shack held an official opening on March 21st, Human Rights Day, 2007, but we decided the doors could not be opened to the children following a call from the municipality’s lawyer in Capetown that we were to do nothing further else we would be in contravention of a court order. Coming from a legal background, I’m not sure his advice was correct, rather meant to be intimidating. The court order was for RWA, Dulcie and myself to appear and answer to the charges, and was a preliminary application before the High Court, in other words, not a done deal. His firm also sent me a preliminary bill (which he has since asked I tear up as he doesn’t ‘want anyone but his client to see it’, something I won’t do) for R14, 000, for phone calls and advocate advice. We saw it immediately as intimidation and ignored it. All along Dulcie and I were confident we would win. I have sixty letters on my computer of correspondence showing a pattern of indifference from the municipality and even material that could be considered intentional obstruction or conspiracy. It is the obstruction which I’ve experienced in nearly seven years of contact with BRWM that I feel was their true intent. And it is too easy to say it was simply attempts on their part to limit interest, and thus votes in the ANC, although we believe this was a significant part of their seemingly deliberate inaction and interference over the years.

However, that week following Human Rights Day, and during school holidays, we had three daytime child rapes while the single parent was working, two girls age five and one aged six who is still in hospital, one from Mandela Square, the other two from Ashbury and Fresh Air/Sunnyside. As both Dulcie and I are parents of numerous loved children and do feel we have a responsibility to our communities, we were stunned and felt we had been wrong to hesitate opening, so the decision was made to open regardless of the court order. We are open to this day with about 25 children, now mostly young, toddlers and infants, as our six older children who had not previously been going to school before entering our ECD, were transferred to formal school last week.

RWA on a shoestring budget, and without any form of government funding at this time, hired a professional teacher, Jesica October and two Creche leaders, Tammy Swartbooi and Gloria Cayiya. In addition we feed the children a hot daily noon meal. Our hours, because of funds shortage are between 9 am and 1 pm. The Huis Tuintjie (House Garden) program has established two community gardens in the Mandela Square Settlement, from which daily vegetables will continue to be drawn to feed the children and staff.

I will digress if I may, to give you a little history of the struggle to address the needs of the disadvantaged citizens living in the three poverty communities of Montagu, especially since Dulcie’s founding of RWA in early 2004. Dulcie, as you know has always and proudly been an activist struggling to improve the lives of the poor. In the last local municipal administration (Breede River Winelands Municipality) Dulcie was not only ANC, but the first black woman elected to Council at a time in which Montagu was still operating as though 1994 had not happened. She is not well liked by the established order in our community and has been stymied at virtually every turn by those who don’t want change, who don’t accept that we have a New South Africa, and who privately state that services should not be given to certain people, otherwise it will encourage more of ‘them’ to come here.

I think you have a copy of Dulcie’s “Have Your Say”, however I am attaching a copy of it with this report for your records. It shows, I believe, why there has been a build up over the years of established hatreds for Dulcie and her stance on behalf of the poor. The local superintendent of SAPS, a friend, reported to me three years ago that he was concerned I was now working with Dulcie, that she was a ‘troublemaker’. Ironically, that intrigued me, rather than dissuading my participation.

Dulcie’s cry is however, “What About The Children”?

Because of the now historic split in the provincial ANC in January, 2006, where Premier Rasool was nearly defeated and the ‘South Africa for Africans’ contingent took control, (as compared to ‘South Africa for All’) Dulcie, who was at the time head of the ANC list for the Breede River Winelands and destined to be Exec Mayor, was effectively dumped from the ANC. She decided then she was finished with politics and that concentrating on improving the lives of the poor was her first priority anyway, something politicians largely seem incompetent about or indifferent to. During her Councillorship she had established Rural Women Association and requested my help. At the time I was chairperson of the Montagu Abused Women and Children’s Trust establishing and overseeing the Victim Support Room at the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) station at Montagu.

Since then Dulcie and her active board of directors have worked on over 26 programs and we are all proud that our Huis Tuintjies is now in McGregor, Saron, Paarl and Tousrivier, and our ‘litter clean’ feeding program is in Bonnievale.

As you know the case before High Court was withdrawn following considerable legal expense, on Friday, the 11th, prior to our scheduled appearance on Monday the 14th. We were definitely tempted to continue the fight, which effectively would have revolved around the BRWM’s failure to supply decent services to the poor, and possibly that there was a conspiracy amongst the established officials to purposefully stymie RWA’s attempts to improve life within the poor communities. I felt we had the evidence to show an ongoing pattern of indifference and obstruction. However, the monetary concern was greatest in our mind as R3 (approximately 25 cents US) feeds a child or adult a hot nutritious meal in our various feeding programs. We were looking at legal costs which would otherwise supply tens of thousands of meals.

Dulcie’s argument for supervising the building of the shack is simple. She said to me: “I must enforce both national and provincial policy in this matter since the BRWM isn’t capable.”
.
Of final note, it should be recognized that we received no support from our local ANC Council. They effectively left us with no choice but to go over their head. As a result, the Boland District or regional municipality, CWDM under Clarence Johnson, went to bat for us and the application was withdrawn on the last possible day prior to court, the day when final papers had to be filed.

What does the future present? We are not sure. The ‘clique’ in BRWM has lost its head, in that Nico Nel, the former Municipal Manager who lodged the application has now been replaced. We are however, concerned the remaining older officials will continue to stymie us where they can, that the local council will not support us as was evidenced in this dispute. We’ve written the Exec Mayor, John Ngonyama and the new Municipal Manager, who was himself willing to listen, and who signed the withdrawal papers, that we wish to meet and discuss the prospective programs I’ve referred to above. Our hope naturally is that the municipality will now cooperate and negotiate with RWA.

All along we’ve been saying to this municipality. Why not work with RWA? Our successes will be your successes.

Wish us luck, and keep us in your prayers.

Solinus Jolliffe, Treasurer, Project Manager
Rural Women Association, Montagu
“What About The Children”?


See Blog titled “A Squatter Camp History, South Africa” which is referred to above as “Have Your Say”.