CULTURE VS  UNEMPLOYMENT

Ndebele is nation that still follow its culture of ukuluka(circumsesion) Ndebeles are from Mpumalanga called Kwandebele but now they are all over South Africa because of employment especially in Gauteng.

Ndebele nation have they cultute of curcumsession done every year in winter whereby after you have done you are now a recognised as a man, that means they go to a mountain for three months and when you come back your family have to buy you a cow new bed and new clothes as well. The man who is responsible for the work must be paid a certain amount. 

My cousin is not working and in the family nobody is working as well and the time for him to go to the mountain has passed and he cannot participate in the the cultural meetings because he is taken as a boy, secondly the younger boys who have already been to the mountain are laughing at him. He wants to have a wife and start a family but according his culture he still a boy.My cousin is frustrated because he cannot get work at the same time he cannot do his culture that he likes so much.He cannot associate with his own people because of his status.

Our people cannot live the life they want because of the culture, i believe in cultures because they bring in respect but our people have to loosen up and adjust to the life style and understand the economy of today. I feel bad for my cousin and others who are facing the very same problem. I think our people should be capacitated and be able to change. knowledge is power. 

Unemployment is destroying families, culture and the nation. What is wrong with this Government.

Zandi Jiyane

Ekurhuleni Environmental ORG

 

Uneployment in Kwathema

I stay in area called three rooms in Kwathema Ekurhuleni. The area was build in apartheid era, because in one yard its four houses there is no privacy the houses are close together you can even here people talking, even at night you can hear people doing their business

Living so close together and most of us unemployed and no food whiles the next door nabour is having good smelling food and its daily thing. I see people losing their job and ask myself what in gonna do? I want to start a family and im afraid I will make my family suffer. Secondly if I don’t get a job that means I wont be able to start a family have my own house but we see the government people getting reach everyday and their kids getting better education from aboard whiles south Africans suffers.

We need start to mobilize our people and fight this capitalist government for better future. they introduce grant money which is R150.00 a month and its nothing they undermine us while they get millions of rands. They are greedy.

Neo Mbangula

Ekurhuleni Environmental Org

Unemployment in Kwatsadutza

Kwatsadutza it’s  three township that is Kwathema, Tsakane and Duduza , they make one town ship. This caused by increase of population people building shacks as the government is not building houses for them. Kwatsadutza is in Ekurhuleni east of Johannesburg. The population is about 160 000 we three town that are surrounding these township. Brakpan, Springs and Nigel.

Ekurhuleni was the place GOLD, PLATINUM and DIAMOND in the past 100years until the 1960 when the capitalist have finish extracting our minerals and left us with nothing. People flock to this place because of employment and now when the mine decided to close it left people without employment and overpopulated as well. Crime escalated people started building shacks as they cannot afford houses. Those who had bond houses lost their houses as they cannot afford any more.

The family next door is a family of nine where the mother and elder daughter are only one working, I just wonder how they cope with kids who are still at the  school at same time have to buy food and have money for transport to work. We have lot of highly educated people in our society who are not working and have resorted in liquor and drunks imagine those brains and information lost. When we voted for this government we promised work and better life is this it? I just finish my matric and supplemented I want to college or technikon after that what will happen to me? Our Government is still promoting labour brokers who make our people to suffer more.

I am worried about the next generation who still at school who are not aware what is waiting for them. We need to work hard to pressurize our government to do something about employment and stop corruption.

Vuyani Mqwathi

Ekurhuleni Environmental Org  

Social life in Kwa-Thema

My IS Qedusizi Masina , I live in Kwa-Thema. Kwa-thema is based at the east rand of Ekurhuleni were we have a population of 50,000 people.

My social life in kwa-thema has been such a big experience. me and my family we live in a three roomed house . the houses in my area were built in the apartheid days and were built in pairs and were never separated. In one yard fuor houses were built. These houses promoted lack of privacy and respect the area was thefore named e mathree   wich means ”three” . it has been hard for me as a young person having to seethe struggle that my family is going through because the only income we live with is grant money since no one is working and we use the money for food and electricity .

After I finished school in 2008 I was ready to go and fulfill my goals, but then in 2009 I fell pregnant and I knew I had failed in life . I was very ashamed of my self because I wanted so much in my life before I had a baby, I became so stressed I even wanted to abort the baby but it was too late for abortion I had to keep it. I knew what my family was going through and yet I brought another trouble which will cost us more than what we had ,I ended up running away from home, but my mother brought me back home and told me that everything will be fine and that the baby will grow up in what ever we have. But I felt guilty that I have let my family down. Today many girls from my street are prostitutes because they could not handle the poverty we are facing in our homes it has taught me a great value of life because maybe I would have been one of them , but I stood without food and darkness that we set through withought electricity and today I have clothes in back . I m fat from the food we have at home and most precious gift that God gave me my baby girl who is three years and 6months and still growing. all of this with the grant money and I know in my heart and soul that my success as an air hostess will bring great joy to my family.

I just want to say to all the young people out there and every other women to never give up in anything even in reaching your goals no matter what the situation throws at you, it may seem as if you have failed in life but remember there is still hope and always believe .no mater how old you are because age is just a number which will never bind you from achieving your goals.my last words are be strong , hold on and go on.

By: Qedusizi MASINA                       

                                                          MARIKANA IN KWA –THEMA EXT3

Marikana  is an informal settlement that is situated in Kwa –thema and is development of relocation of stands. The project of stands re-allocation began in 2012 around October and its aim was to solve the problem of five families living in one stand. Kwa –thema ext3 was developed around 1996 ,after the local government of k/t had closed down a cemetery in 1993 because the area is a wet land , tombstones were flooding with ground water and were sinking.

In 2011 the local government of kwa-thema anouced the project of installing services (water & sanitation ),and the separation of stands , some  members of the community saw  a chance of making money ,so the community members started to sell the house stands illegally . around 2000 shacks were built in the area, for you to build a shack there you had to pay an amount which rated from R1500.00 up wards. The unfortunate part was some of the community members who bought stands lived there because of desperation of houses. After the four days the local government and housing officials went there to allocate stands to the relevant beneficiaries and to their surprise the area was over populated with shacks . the members  of community who took money was no were to be found when needed to explain who allocated people in the area. Both housing &local government officials called for help of the red ants to forcefully remove all the unlawfully allocated shacks. The battle between red ants and the community began which led to the name Marikana.

 Today community members are crying for help because their desperation has put their lives in danger of living in harsh conditions(wet land & tailings dam)with no electricity, other basic services . one of the major problems this community is facing is sinking, flooding shacks, iligal connections of electricity.

Sanndile Nombeni                

Polluted and dangerous Spruit In Kwa Thema

Two lives have been lost in this spruit but still nothing have been done. Kwa thema is in east of Johannesburg Ekurhuleni. Population of about 50 000 people, high rate of unemployment which lead to high crime rate. Most of the people live by selling vegetables and opening small tuckshop but it’s a good place to live in except the problems brought in by Cooporations and and Government.

The spruit start from between Benoni and Brakpan passes through Wright park and the companies that the spruit passes through, these are the companies which polluted the spruit which then flows to Kwathema were at some stage it passes through Labane high primary school and its not secured im sure these student are not aware of the danger they facing. When we spoke to the student they did not know what we were talking about. In 2006 two school children who were going to school tried to cross the spruit and unfortunately they did not make it, they were found down the stream dead. As of today nothing much has been done to make sure what happen in 2006 does  not happen again. Secondly there is a informal that depend on this spruit since they don’t have water in their yard and no sewage they use this water for drinking, washing and cooking as well. Unfortunately this community is not aware of the danger they are facing. The kids play in the water. The problem is they don’t go to the doctor and check.

I decided to try and get more information about the Veref Company which make paint it was not easy so I manage to get one guy who works the and indicated that we not mansion his name he showed me where they spill their residue which contains chemicals which for now in don’t have in formation of, im still busy with that.

I am disturb with what I have  discovered. I decided to go and see the Kwa thema municipality officials they indicated to me that I must write down all the corncern I have and put on the suggestion box, I said I wanted to talk with responsible person. What they did is give the date of the meeting 7 may 2013. I hope and believe something good will happen.

Thabo Mogafe

Ekrhuleni Environmental Org