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A Forum for diverse opinions, interesting dialogue, eye-opening information and practical solutions towards a better South Africa

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ZA Difference. Br idg ing the d i v ide Introductory Brochure

Here’s what we can doas individuals, families, communities and businesses to create the world we want to live in.

WHITE SQUATTERSPoverty knows no colour

The real problem with crime in SA

povertyand how YOU can help

www.zadifference.org

50% of cover price goes to seller. Not for sale after the last day of the month of publication.

A closer look at the hidden and not-so-hidden CONTRADICTIONS of life in South Africa

IN THE SPoTLIGHT

AlternAtives to giving money to

b e g g A r s

6 001651 045574

J O I N T H E

CONVERSATION

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Poverty affects all of us …

It attacks the very fabric of our society.

It erodes self-respect and personal dignity.

It is at the root of most violence.

It undermines our safety and destroys our stability.

It cripples our workforce, reducing our collective productivity.

It ensures that the majority of our people remain unemployable,

because of lack of education.

It discourages foreign investment.

It destabilises the very foundation of business: the expansion of a robust

consumer base.

Surely it is in the interest of all of us for each of us to do everything in our

power to eradicate poverty.

Publisher ZA Group (Pty) Ltd

www.zagroup.org Telephone: 0860 92 0000

Postnet Suite 84, Private Bag X75, Bryanston 2021, Johannesburg, South Africa

Editor & CEO Therésa Müller

[email protected]

Advertising Tel: 0860 92 0000

[email protected]

ZA differenceintroductory brochure 1

Contents

2 A bridge between two worlds3 A word from the Editor3 Who benefits from ZA Difference?5 Letters6 The Divide8 The Face of Affluence9 The Face of Poverty10 Do something to make a difference this holiday 16 Book reviews20 Begging for change22 Begging the question: What kind of

change?25 Help someone stand on their own two

feet

26 Alternatives to giving money to beggars28 The begging problem: The bigger

picture

30 Knowing how to do something32 Poverty knows no colour36 Danville’s guardian angel40 White poverty42 Pride and dignity in Mamelodi46 Thabiso’s story: Does this child have a

choice? 46 Families split apart46 Need help for your child?46 Special protection for ALL our children

Pass it on! Give your copy to the nearest passer-by as soon as you’re through with it.

47 10 Things you can do to make a

difference in the life of a child

47 You don’t have to change the whole

world

47 Children learn what they live

48 Minstrel Man

48 If you have a maid ...

49 Why you absolutely MUST register your

domestic worker for UIF

49 If you are a maid ...

50 Emergency support for ALL South

Africans

50 Never go to bed hungry again

50 Don’t give up. Help is available

51 Help keep families together at all costs

51 Make a difference in the life of at least

one young person behind bars

51 The REAL problem with crime

52 Restoring dignity

54 “Meit” or celebrated intellectual?

56 Join the conversation

58 ZA Difference editorial policies

61 ZA Difference Resource Directory

62 Skills and training listing

64 Funding for learning

67 Job listings

69 Resources for entrepreneurs

70 Maximum exposure with just one ad

71 Subscribe and win a t-shirt

South Africa has a two-tiered economy in which parts of our society enjoy socio-economic conditions equivalent to those in the developed world, while in other parts there is extreme deprivation and exclusion, with poverty levels comparable to that of the world’s least-developed countries.

As with poverty almost anywhere in the world, the reality facing the vast majority of South Africans on the other side of the railroad tracks, the highway or the industrial buffer remains largely hidden from the affluent.

Inadequate health and social service delivery systems, coupled with inadequate education and lack of employment opportunities trap many South Africans in a vicious cycle of poverty that breeds more of the same.

Aspirations to live the privileged life that many affluent South Africans take for granted prevent marginalised people from talking about their situation. A worker at a posh office would never admit that she crawls out of a shack every morning.

Instead, she will go out of her way to hide the reality of her situation from colleagues.

High walls, security gates, electric fences and armed security guards have become the norm as levels of assault, violence, crime and hijackings continue to rise.

The problems facing South Africa are so overwhelming that most affluent people either:

• Blamethevictims• Blamethegovernment• Withdrawinanger• Becomedespondentand

apathetic• Washtheirhandsofany

responsibility• Buildhigherwalls,moreelectric

fences, add more guns, guards and tracking devices …

• Closetheirhearts• Leavethecountry.

Many people would, however, like to help make a difference, yet they never get beyond handing small change and left-over school sandwiches out of their car windows … because they simply don’t know what else to do.

There is a large and growing community of international, national, regional and local organisations, as

There is nothing wrong with being rich. There is nothing wrong with being poor, either.

But there is something terribly wrong with widespread poverty in the midst of plenty

What does it say about us, as a society, that we allow so many of our people to live in misery?

If each of us accepts personal responsibility for eradicating social and economic inequality in our small circle of influence, we could create a world we would all be proud to call home.

Photo: Guy Standley | 082 405 5014

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well as individuals, working on social development issues in South Africa.

In spite of the focus on fixing South Africa’s problems and in spite of the vast sums of money thrown at it, the situation remains overwhelming and, in many instances, has deteriorated.

Many people who live on the margins are unaware of the help, services, solutions and options available to them. Information is often available only on the Internet — not easily accessible to marginalised audiences, most of whom do not have meaningful access to the web.

Whatisneededisaplatformofinformation that is readily available and accessible to all South Africans — information that raises awareness and addresses all of the above problems and issues, while promoting a positive, constructive, compassionate and respectful outlook on South Africa.

To this end, ZA Difference is available as a product for street sellers and small, independent shops throughout South Africa to sell and keep half the cover price ... and as a means of building bridges and getting information to people who are marginalised and isolated. Unsold and sponsored copies are distributed, free of charge, to disadvantaged communities after the “sell-by” date.

While it may not be so for many of you,

millions of South Africans are,

in the words of poet Rustum Kozain:

“… a people of squatters, building zinc and

cardboard hopes ...”

They live lives of utter despair,

marked by the horrors of poverty

and unemployment: hunger, disease,

homelessness, substance abuse,

conflict, violence, rape, prostitution,

delinquency, child-headed households

and all that that implies … while the

future that awaits them is bleak,

anxiety-ridden and without hope.

ZA Difference is about what each of us

can do — for ourselves, for each other,

and for our communities, to create

a better life for all of us. Photo: Austin A

ndrews | w

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erber | 083 556 56833ZA difference

introductory brochure

ZA differenceintroductory brochure4

If you carry the analogy a little further, you could imagine the beggar interacting with the driver of the car. It would be a groveling, unequal interaction in which the beggar submissively blesses the driver (who never makes eye contact) for the R5 coin begrudgingly handed through the crack between the window and the door frame.

Or it could be a brick hitting the passenger window to

allow the beggar access to the designer handbag filled with potential treasure resting on the passenger’s lap.

Neither beggar nor driver trusts the other. Neither knows very much about the other.

Yet, each has a profound effect on the other … even if they’re not conscious of it.

The driver is angry at having to confront a begging human being at every intersection.

He is subconsciously scared … of being hijacked, burgled, assaulted or, God forbid, murdered.

He feels guilty for driving a nice car, but heck, driving a nice car would not be questioned anywhere else in the world. Besides, the beggar’s situation is not his problem. What is he supposed to do about it? Perhaps he should just pack up and follow his neighbours to Australia.

The beggar is angry because he is hungry and dreads going home, empty-handed, to the shack he shares with his mother and three younger siblings.

This will be the fourth night in a row that he would have to walk to the location outside town, because he has not “earned” enough to pay for a taxi.

Maybe he should just sleep under the bridge, because it looks as if it’s going to rain.He dreads the days ahead … the monotony, the hunger, the rain, the dismissive and insulting looks and shrugs from would-be “customers”. More than anything, he dreads going home with empty hands.

BEGGING fOR CHANGEthis is a picture of South Africa.

In more than one way


In many ways it is easier just not to go home. Perhaps he should just join Sifiso’s gang …

Neither is aware that there are things they can do to help make a difference to their own and each other’s lives and, ultimately, to all our lives. Sure, the driver knows about the feeding scheme run by his church, but he doesn’t make the connection, because it doesn’t

occur to him in that moment that the beggar could be hungry.

Besides, his fear of this unknown quantity next to his car prevents him from taking the risk of physically interacting with the beggar.

The beggar, on the other hand, has heard that there are programmes to help unemployed people get jobs, but he doesn’t know where or what or how to access the information.

What can be done to bridge this divide?

ZA Difference hopes to tell the beggar’s story, giving the affluent young man a glimpse of the bleak reality faced by the apparently threatening stranger next to his car window ... to give the affluent young man an opportunity to state his view of the situation ... to provide a forum for dialogue among South Africans who would not ordinarily engage with each other.

ZA Difference:

Lists resources for people who are hungry and •unemployed ... or have any number of socio-economic problems resulting from marginalisation.

Lists actions that can be taken by the beggar, by •the affluent driver, by the community in which they live, by the businesses serving that community … building bridges over that which separates and divides us.

Invites commentary from journalists, educators, •social commentators and people involved in social transformation work.

Provides the surprising insight that socio-economic •problems — like begging — are not unique to South Africa.

Invites YOU, the reader, to participate ... to share •your thoughts, ideas, insights, suggestions, stories and positive suggestions for change.

Tells the untold stories of our shared lives … •inspiring a vision of hope for new possibilities … creating a new way of relating to, thinking and talking about each other … bridging the divide … inspiring each of us to take responsibility for making South Africa the kind of place we all want to live in.

Join the conversation!

Photos this page: Melina Huet

BEGGING fOR CHANGE


illegal status. Foreigners who are illegally in South Africa and who cannot get work because they don’t have the right documents often end up begging. Many mothers with infants are illegal immigrants who cannot apply for child-support grants. Many do not want to return “home” because they have found begging with their baby much more lucrative than anything they could do back home. The absence of family and community, of people who know who they are and will disapprove of what they do, also aids the decision to beg.

substance addiction. People who need to feed a drug or alcohol habit often end up begging on the

giving money to people who beg is not the Answer. it simply perpetuAtes the problem. Another kinD of chAnge is neeDeD t t t

Begging is becoming endemic the world over. South Africa is no exception. And the reasons as to why people beg are not always what we think.

Sure, poverty and hunger are contributing factors and there are a lot of desperate, genuinely destitute people on our streets. But there are also a lot of people who choose to be there, people for whom begging has become just another means of generating income. Or worse: people who are part of a syndicate of beggars or of a gang of smash- and-grabbers, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Although handing money or food out of our car windows is relatively painless and makes those who can afford to do so feel better about themselves — it is really not the answer.

The change that is needed is not small change. What is needed is a fundamental change of heart and change of the status quo.

why do people beg?streets. Such people are often also chronically homeless, even when institutional help is available.

professional beggars. Many beggars make more money begging than they can in a full-time job. (R150 is an average daily taking for many beggars.) As such, begging becomes a lifestyle choice, a job, a profession — complete with its own acts and activities, such as being under-dressed in winter-time, begging outsideshoppingmallsatChristmastime, looking distressed and ill.

mental problems. Many beggars are mentally ill, find it difficult to fit into mainstream society, and / or are rejected by their own families

wHAT kIND Of CHANGE?Begging the question …


Regardless of whether the beggar is real or fake,

here is some advice from across the globe.

Don’t give money to beggars. Giving money is not the answer.

It enables and supports the beggar’s behaviour and increases the chances of begging becoming

and remaining a way of life — for life. Especially, DO NOT give money to child beggars. Giving money to children who beg may help them in the short term, but in the long run will ensure

that they are kept on the streets.Giving money may help you feel good,

but in the end, it simply perpetuates a problem without addressing the root causes of begging.

Take a look at some alternatives to giving money on the following page.

s

giving money to people who beg is not the Answer. it simply perpetuAtes the problem. Another kinD of chAnge is neeDeD t t t

because of mental challenges or problems withaddiction.Beggingisaforgivingboss:you can stay in bed for three days in a row if you feel like it.

Disability. Disability coupled with marginalisation is a curse ... except when begging. People are more likely to give to a disabled beggar than to a beggar who is not disabled.

begging gangs.Beggingcanbelucrative — especially for people with “disabilities” or for “mothers” with babies. Alas, the disability is often acted and the “mother” is often holding a baby rented for the day.

child beggars. Families sometimes turn their children into beggars because a child beggar can earn much more money than anadult.Beggingputschildrenatriskonevery level, exposing them to immediate and long-term negative impacts on their lives — whether they are begging with anadultoralone.Childbeggarsbecomeadult beggars. (See recommendations on following pages.)

orphans. Street kids with no fixed abode

who beg without grown-ups in the vicinity are invariably without parents, without hope. Their prime concern is to get something to eat every day.

As a joke among students. “I’m black and short of cash, so let me see how much ‘beer-money’ I can earn in the next half hour.”

south Africa’s poor? Most black beggars on the streets of South Africa are not South-African. Most black South Africans will not demean themselves in front of the former masters of apartheid to beg for scraps of food or small change. They would rather look for help from their relatives.

hunger. Extreme hunger and destitution — usually the result of unemployment and zero options — will drive many to beg or steal. So, when people do beg because of destitution, they perceive their situation as really hopeless. And that is precisely why small change is not the answer.

Photo: Thandee Mhangw

ana | 072 798 3520

wHAT kIND Of CHANGE?


TO GIVING MONEY TO BEGGARSAlTERNATIVES

MakIng sure ThaT MakIng a dIfference Makes a reaL dIfference

“Generosity doesn’t have to mean giving away things. Sharing a bit of yourself, opening a window into your own world, is a good place to begin.”

— Jeff Greenwald


■ Support those who make an effort. Tip the man who fills your tank. Buy something from a street seller — especially if it is hand-made. Give generously to the man or woman who performs music or mime on the streets. Tip the person who guards your car or who ushers you in and out of a parking space ... and give him an apple or a loaf of bread or a box of cornflakes from your shopping bags, along with the tip.

■ Give food. If you want to give something, give food or a hot drink — especially in winter. Giving something to eat is infinitely better than giving money.

■ Help a child. Children are especially at risk and deserve all of our attention. When children beg on their own, they are often hungry and are begging mostly for that reason. But they may also be begging because they are forced to do so. Always, always report a child who begs — whether they are alone or accompanying a beggar. Contact Childline, South Africa on 0800 055 555 (you will be redirected to the appropriate regional office) or contact a social worker from a child protection organization such as a Child Welfare Society or the Department of Social Development, or a Child Protection Officer of the South African Police Services.

■ Give the gift of your time and interest. This is the simplest, yet, strangely, the most difficult thing to do: getting to know the human being you’re trying to help . Genuine, face-to-face involvement and real conversation about what is going on is the only way you’ll be able to find out if someone really needs help.

■ Offer support. Once you know what’s needed, offer support, such as contacting appropriate agencies to help deal with particular problems, such as:

Contacting the nearest government-run clinic for health care;• Contacting the Salvation Army for accommodation;•Brainstorming solutions together with regard to child-care, i.e. •another mother in the neighbourhood for child-care;Contacting the South African Social Security Agency free helpline •on 0800 601 011) for emergency supportCalling the Legal Aid Advice Line on 0860 LEGAL 8 (534 258) for legal support.•

■ Provide positive alternatives to begging, such as sustainable work — even if just for one day a week — or training to master a skill that will lead to a sustainable job, or a business opportunity, such as selling ZA Difference.

■ Report your concerns. If you are concerned about a particular situation on the streets that just doesn’t look kosher for any reason whatsoever, report your concern at your nearest police station.

■ Volunteer. Offer your time, skills or services at a local agency, charity, church or community organisation that deals with the issues surrounding begging.

■ Give to a REGISTERED charity. There are genuine cases of extreme need out there and many registered charities that are equipped to deal with the problems. Contributing money to a registered charity will have a far bigger impact on a broader base of people, than giving money to one beggar on the street.

Go to www.prodder.org.za or to www.sangonet.org.za for a list of registered charities in South Africa. If you’d like to support the work of ZA Difference, go to www.zadifference.org/support.php

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” — William James

Some ideas for municipalities, corporations and affluent neighbourhoods

Instead of ornamental plants, shrubs and trees, we could plant and grow edible gardens in public places, such as parks, parking lots and shopping malls ... and even on our sidewalks. Given the climate of South Africa, there is no reason why many of our cities and towns cannot be beautified with trees and plants that can also feed hungry people: bananas, apples, cherries, papayas, oranges, mangoes, passion-fruit and more. Hunger is the cause of much dysfunction in our society, yet we can solve this if we put our minds to it.

Municipalities: Set up simple shelters for people who are genuinely homeless: a bare hall with ablution facilities — one for men and one for women — a safe and sheltered place to sleep during the night and to wash and clean before facing the world the next day.

Make it illegal for people to beg with young children in their care ... but do have alternatives ready in support of mothers with no other options.

Corporations: Find a way to include the broader community — and especially unemployed people — in the training courses and workshops that you offer to your staff ...

do you know of solutions to the begging problem?

are you a beggar? We’d like to hear your story, your thoughts, comments and suggestions. Write to us at: ZA Difference ▪ Postnet Suite 84 Private Bag X75 ▪ Bryanston 2021 Johannesburg ▪ or email us at: [email protected]


■ AUSTRIA: In Vienna, Austria, aggressive begging and begging with children are punishable by law. However, a proposed amendment to the State Security Act, which comes before general elections and in reaction to a perceived increase in organised and aggressive begging in the city in recent years, would outlaw begging altogether. (3-31-2010)

■ BAHRAIN: A 31-year-old Bahraini man appeared in criminal court for allegedly dropping off his 20-year-old wife and his seven-year-old daughter from his first marriage near a mosque, forcing them to beg for cash, while he waited at a nearby coffee shop. (11-3-10)

■ CHINA: Desperate parents in China are known to mutilate their own children — often severely — in order to get more money from sympathetic Western tourists.

■ EGYPT: According to Azza Koriem, a professor of sociology: “Begging has become a career in Egypt, so you are not sure whether a beggar really needs help or not. Some beggars became rich through begging, and they prefer to continue begging and create new ways to deceive people … They choose the most crowded places in the city ... and make sure no one knows their real identities. To gain people’s sympathy, they wear tattered clothes and keep grievance on their faces. Some of them pretend that they are suffering severe disease. ... Some of them pretend that they are representatives of charity associations to collect donations. Earlier this month, (August 2010) Egyptian police

arrested a woman who collected 300 Egyptian pounds in half an hour, saying she was working for a charity association,” said Koriem.

■ FINLAND: Finland took steps (7-10-10) against begging with a government group recommending that it be declared illegal. Human rights activists have responded, saying that “a ban on begging would be about as effective and would make as much sense as a ban on poverty.”

■ INDIA: The government of India has introduced “pani ki ahara pathakam” (assured working days in a month) in villages throughout the country. Unemployed people can arrive on a particular day, in a particular village, for guaranteed work and pay for that day.

■ INDONESIA: It is illegal to give money to beggars and street children in the Indonesian city of Jakarta. People who give in to the tug of charity could face up to three months in jail or a maximum fine of 1.5-million rupiah. The crackdown has come in an effort to reduce the city’s swelling population of beggars — along with a programme to train beggars for work.

■ ITALY: In July 2008, Venice became the first Italian city to officially ban begging in a bid to stamp out the growing problem of children being exploited by criminal gangs. Fines for people caught begging range from between 25 euro and 50 euro. Every case is referred to social services in the event that the beggar needs genuine assistance.

A blanket

ban will not solve

any problems.

We must fight poverty,

not the poor.

— Michael Landau

reporTs froM around The WroLd, gaThered froM The InTerneT

The BeggIng proBLeM: The BIgger pIcTure

in from Eastern Europe to work the streets, city police have warned. The authorities say that disabled people and children, who attract more sympathy, are being used by gangs to earn money – in some cases up to R3 250 each, per day. Bern aliens police chief Alexander Ott has appealed to the population not to give money to beggars. “Whoever gives money is not helping the beggars but financing the gangs behind them,” he said. Ott believes these beggars are in a very vulnerable position. “A relationship based on dependence and exploitation is always subject to physical and psychological violence.”

■ UGANDA: (From: solomonakugizibwe.blogspot.com) It is a common scene to see lame and elderly people or children on the streets of Kampala ... near banks, busy streets, supermarkets and taxi stages ... For some it’s a career, while others are forced to beg because of circumstances. Most people in Uganda beg as a result of physical disability, poverty and displacement caused by war and famine. Grown-up street children have to adopt new ways of begging because people lose sympathy for them as they grow old. Now, they use young children to collect money on their behalf.

■ MEXICO: Signs have been erected in many parts of Mexico asking tourists not to give money to beggars — and especially not to children. Mexico City has come up with a solution to street begging and the moral discomfort it raises: prospective givers can buy coupons at grocery stores throughout the city. Instead of giving cash, which could be used to support an addiction or that may land in the hands of a gangster, the beggar can redeem the coupon for food at any of the same grocery stores throughout the city.

■ OMAN: A recent crackdown in Oman revealed that nearly 99 per cent of beggars caught by the special task force were foreigners begging in Omani national dress and that the majority of them were not from low-income families.

■ ROMANIA: Sixteen gang chiefs were arrested in Romania and Austria last month following a crackdown on organised begging. The criminals had forced up to 40 beggars of their organisation to sleep in a small Viennese apartment. Each beggar had to rake in 80 Euros a day. If they didn’t they were punished. (7-9-10)

■ SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Social Action has established an Office for Combating Beggary, which employs social workers and inspectors who cooperate with law enforcement agencies to deal with the problem of beggars.

■ SWITZERLAND: The Swiss capital of Bern has become a magnet for organised begging, with beggars being drafted

“Kenya has become a country of ten

millionaires and ten million beggars.”

— Assassinated Kenyan politican J.M. Kariuki

“I told the man I didn’t have any cash, but that I did have some food I could spare. I pulled the granola bars (about 500 delicious calories) out of my bag and held them out to him. He could have grabbed one or both, I didn’t care.

He didn’t grab either one. Instead, he said, and I quote: “Ah … I really wanted a sandwich.”

Sometimes it frustrates me when government is blamed for hunger in America. Sure, many people are poor, but ... when adults suffer from poverty, often it is self-inflicted. Maybe they have a substance addiction or are otherwise wasting resources on nonessential pursuits, perhaps they remain uneducated or unemployed rather than being productive, or possibly they have adopted a belligerent attitude of entitlement that poisons their efforts.”

— from the blog: all-encompassingly.com

In America, beggars can be choosers

A blanket

ban will not solve

any problems.

We must fight poverty,

not the poor.

— Michael Landau

11ZA differenceintroductory brochure

out of a white population of roughly 5 million south Africans, it is estimated that about half a million are impoverished. About 100,000 white people are struggling to survive in squatter camps such as coronation park in krugersdorp, which is currently home to more than 400 white squatters. there are more than 430 white squatter camps countrywide — of which around 80 are in pretoria.

The total number of South Africans living below the poverty line is close to 18 million. Of this number, 17.5 million are non-whites. There are more than 2 000 black squatter camps countrywide, each housing thousands of inhabitants who have been living in abject poverty for decades.

(Sources: Report to President Zuma by Dr Danie Langner, Executive Director, Solidarity Helping Hand, (no date); “Poverty, and little sympathy, in South Africa” by Kerri MacDonald, New York Times, June 2010.)


“Our people hide their

poverty. We are ashamed.

Behind the walls of the

small municipal houses

children are crying because

of hunger every night.”– Ina van Heerden,

Wolmer, Pretoria-North

Ann sits in the entrance to her

one-room zozo “house” at the

squatter camp in Coronation

Park in Krugersdorp. She is part

of a community of about 400

hundred poor Afrikaners who live

in the park in tents, caravans,

Wendy-houses and corrugated

shacks. The local council has

cut electricity to the squatter

camp after failing to evict the

squatters. Ann lives alone and

gets a monthly pension of about

R700. An income of R500 or less

per month would qualify her for

an RDP house.

SQUATTER CAMPS ARE NOT

UNIQUE TO SOUTH AFRICA.

There are slums and shantytowns in

many parts of the first and developing

world — with no easy answers or

quick-fix solutions wherever they exist.

In 1994 the South African government

embarked on what is hailed as one

of the biggest housing programmes

for the poor in the world. Even though

millions of RDP houses have since

been built, it will take years to catch up

on the backlog of low-income houses

that should have been built in the

preceding decades.

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IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY common to see white beggars on the streets of our major cities.

AN INCREASE IN POVERTY is directly related to an increase in crimes against children and the elderly.

ELSIE BOTHA (82) lived in a water tank in someone’s yard for two years.

Photo: Solidarity Helping H

andPhoto: Solidarity H

elping Hand

Photo: Solidarity Helping H

and

Photo: Thandee Mangw

ana | 072 798 3520

63% of the residents in the white squatter camps in Pretoria are 60 years and older.

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DISEASE AND MALNUTRITION ARE

RIFE. Due to the inherent “non-legal”

status of squatter camps, municipal

services, such as rubbish removal, are

invariably non-existent.

WATCH FUTURE ISSUES OF ZA

DIFFERENCE for ideas, suggestions,

programmes, resources and solutions

to the squatting problem.

CONDITIONS IN BLACK SQUATTER

CAMPS are extremely harsh.

Millions of people live in makeshift

shacks — some of them have been

there for a lifetime. Taps and toilets

— if there are any — are often

shared by hundreds of people.

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ZA differenceintroductory brochure14 ZA differenceSeptember 201014

The status of the least among us

is the measure of our civilization ...

— T. David Millican

Main photo: Will van Engen | www.willvanengen.com

THE BIGGEST RISK IS TO THE

CHILDREN: Health experts estimate

that one out of every four children

in South Africa (not just in squatter

camps) suffers from some form of

malnutrition. Conditions range from

Marasmus, to Kwashiorkor, to stunting

and wasting. Without adequate

nutrition their emotional, mental and

physical growth is retarded and they

are unable to benefit fully from any

access to education.

Without adequate nutrition, people

cannot recover from disease — even if

they have access to medication.

UNEMPLOYMENT IN SOME SQUATTER

COMMUNITIES RUNS AS HIGH AS

80%. The lucky few with jobs often support

large extended families.

MANY ‘HOMES’ HAVE NO FOOD IN

THEM AT ALL. A report on SABC TV in

February 2009 stated that

19 000 000 South Africans don’t know

where their next meal is coming from.

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Thabiso is a happy child. He lives with his mother and grand-mother in a brick room in Chiawelo, a township in Soweto. They survive on his mother’s meager salary as a domestic worker in the suburbs — emakhishini. There is always enough food and his grandmother is always there. She feeds him pap and morogo, which grows next to their house. At nighttime they often eat meat: chicken feet or heads, cows hooves or skop (sheep’s head). Thabiso doesn’t see much of his mother, because she leaves for work long before he gets up, and she comes home long after he has gone to sleep. Even so, he knows she loves him too. They play on Sundays and she makes vetkoek with sweet syrup. Thabiso is happy.

A baby boy is born. A mother’s heart is filled with pride, joy, love … and an overwhelming sense of responsibility to help this child become all that he can be. She names him Thabiso. It means ‘joy’. Somewhere in the background is a gnawing, unacknowledged fear: will she manage to feed this extra mouth?

Families split apart

Economic realities force most poor black families to live apart. The father may have a job on a mine. The mother may work as a “domestic” miles away from their rural home. Neither parent earns enough to afford a move in which one party would lose their job. Besides, apartheid created a norm of separating families … husband and wife, mother and child, brothers and sisters … a norm that continues almost unquestioned to this day.

Special protection for ALL our children

Our Constitution affords social assist-ance for all children under the age of 15 whose parents or primary caregivers are unable to support them financially. You can apply for a Child Support Grant by filling in an application form at your nearest SASSA (South African Social Security Agency) office. If you cannot make the application yourself, a friend or family member may bring a letter from you and a doctor’s note saying why you can’t visit the office yourself. A home visit can then be arranged. It does not cost anything to apply and it takes about 30 days to get processed.

For more information, call the free SASSA telephone line: 0800 601 011 or look them up at www.sassa.gov.za

Need help for your child, but don’t know where to go?

Call ACESS (The Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security) on 021 761 0117 or on their toll-free number: 0800 (ACESS) 022377. This organisation helps parents to access social grants and assistance from a variety of sources for children’s health, food and nutrition, education and development. You can also look them up at www.acess.org.za

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“I don’t care how poor a man is; if he has family, he’s rich.” — Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, “Identity Crisis,” M*A*S*H

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This article, written by Therésa Müller, is based on a true story.


THABISO’S STORY

Does this child have a choice?The real problem with crime in SA

Thabiso now goes to bed alone at night. He wakes up alone in the morning. The neighbours keep an eye on him. Kind of. For the first time in his life he feels lonely. He is six years old.

You don’t have to change the whole world … just your OWN

Poverty is a complex, multi-faceted problem that requires multi-faceted solutions. Yet, if each of us accepts personal responsibility for making a difference in our own, immediate world, we will have a profound and positive effect on many of the problems haunting South Africa. The biggest, most important difference that most of us can make is to pay the people who work for us enough to feed, clothe, house and educate themselves and their own families. Charity, after all, starts at home.

Thabiso comes in from playing outside one morning and finds his grandmother collapsed on the floor. She doesn’t answer him. He sits with her the whole day until his mother comes home. A neighbour takes care of him the next morning. His mother first has to catch a taxi to the suburbs to ask the madam for time off to arrange the funeral. (She dare not phone for fear of losing her job, because it may be assumed she was just making excuses. Too many people have relatives who are always dying.)

Children Learn What They Live If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.If children live with fairness, they learn justice.If children live with security, they learn faith.If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.If children live with acceptance and friendship, they learn to find love in the world.

— Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph. D.

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Information supplied by Thandiwe McCloy — a writer with LoveLife.

10 Things You Can DoVolunteer as a tutor, coach or mentor at a school in a histori-cally disadvantaged community near where you live.

Visit the childrenʼs section at a local hospital. Send a “Get well soon” card to each of the children you met.Go again. And again.

Build the self-esteem of any child with whom you come in contact, by giving

them your undivided attention, and by making them feel special with praise

and attention.

Teach a child a new skill — something completely different from what they would learn at school. Like how to fi sh or bake a cake or ride a bicycle.

Get to know your maidʼs children. Really. Nurture their interests.Take them somewhere you know theyʼve never been before

… like the movies, the zoo or the circus. Donʼt just give money and things. Give of yourself, your time, your love and attention.

When next your maid goes home, send a box full of

surprises for the children. Something for the mind, something for the body, something for the spirit …

Teach a child to read. Volunteer your timeand

skills at an organisation involved with makinga difference in thelives of children.

Visit an orphanage. Take toys and something yummy to eat.Stay, play and read to thechildren. Do that often.

Foster a child or adopt an orphan.

to make a difference in the life of a child


Thabiso’s mother is officially unemployed. She walks to town almost every day, looking for a job. She knows that the hour-long walk makes her sweaty and smelly, but she doesn’t know what else to do: she doesn’t have money for a taxi. Weeks and months pass and she can’t get a job. She cries a lot. There is no more meat, just pap and morogo. And sometimes, just morogo.

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One Monday not long after his grandmother died, Thabiso’s mother returns from work far too early. The house where she works was locked and the madam wasn’t there, she explains.

She goes back every day of that first week, thinking that perhaps something had happened, like a death in the family. Then she goes back every other day. At the end of the second week she hears from a man on the road that the “baas” had lost his job and that’s why the family had moved — apparently without telling anybody.

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If you employ a domestic worker:

Go to www.labour.gov.za/find-more-info/all-about-domestic-workers and familiarise yourself with the basic laws that govern employment, as well as a whole lot of very useful information specific to domestic workers.

You may not know, for instance, that if you expect your domestic worker to work outside her normal, contracted hours, on Saturdays, you have to pay her 1.5 times the normal rate. On Sundays or public holidays, you have to pay double the normal rate. And you cannot not pay her because you went away on the day that she was supposed to work. You also cannot fire her without giving her at least three written warnings and discussing what behaviour you want her to change. Even then, you have to give her four weeks’ written notice, or one week’s written notice if she has worked for you for less than six months. And then she is entitled to severance pay equivalent to one week’s salary for each year that she worked for you.

Depending on where you live in South Africa, minimum wages for domestic workers are roughly up to R9 per hour, R340 per week and R1 450 per month.

Even though this is what the government says needs to be paid, ask yourself if you could survive — never mind feed, clothe and educate your children — on such an income.

Because my mouth is wide with laughter and my throat is deep with song You do not think I suffer after I have held my pain so long? Because my mouth is wide with laughter you do not hear my inner cry. Because my feet are gay with dancing you do not know I die?

Get to know your maid, her children, her family … you may be surprised to find that, though she does not speak your language very well, she speaks eight others and she loves, laughs, cries, hopes and dreams … just like you.

Live simply so that others may simply live. — Mahatma Ghandi


Minstrel Man was written by Langston Hughes, a black American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer and columnist. (1902 — 1967)


If you are a domestic worker:

You have rights, too. Find out what they are.

1. Make sure your employer gives you a contract of employment and that you are registered with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). It is ok for you to ask for proof of UIF registration. UIF is your protection in case you become unemployed in the future.

2. Join the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers’ Union (SADSAWU) to learn about your rights and obligations. SADSAWU is affiliated to the country’s biggest labour federation: the Congress of South African Trade Unions. Contact them in Johannesburg on 011 331 1001 and in Cape Town on 021 448 0045.

3. If you have a dispute with your employer and need advice, contact the Department of Labour in Pretoria: 012 309 4000. Ask for information about a Labour office near you.

4. If you have been unfairly dismissed or dismissed without notice, contact the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation & Arbitration (CCMA) on their toll-free number: 0861 16 16 16. The Commission has been set up to listen to both parties in a dispute and to help them reach an amicable and fair solution in accordance with the law. Disputes invariably arise because people on both sides do not know their rights or their obligations.

5.If you think you have been unfairly treated or that your human rights are being violated and you can’t get help from anywhere, contact the Black Sash for free paralegal support and advice on their free helpline: 072 66 33 739. The Black Sash works to empower marginalised individuals and communities to speak for themselves in order to effect change in their social and economic circumstances. www.blacksash.org.za

Why you absolutely MUST register your domestic worker for UIF

If Thabiso’s mother’s employer had registered her with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), she would have been able to claim the following benefits after losing her job:

Financial support equivalent to 15 days worth of pay; Registration as a work-seeker with the Department of Labour; Free training and counseling; Benefits for Thabiso; And more.

And who knows, perhaps Thabiso’s life would have turned out differently. So, please do the necessary to protect the people who work for you. You can do it all over the phone or online. Call 012 337 1680 between 8 am to 6.30 pm on weekdays, and between 8 am to 12 noon on Saturdays. Or go to www.uif.gov.co.za Failure to register your domestic worker for UIF — even if she works for you as little as 24 hours a month — could cost you R5 000 in fines and even jail time.

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By the age of 9 Thabiso is a confirmed smoker. Somehow, puffing on the stubs left by the visiting men makes him feel less hungry. Thabiso’s main focus now is to find something to eat, every day. It feels stranger when he has eaten than when he hasn’t. Then what seems like a small miracle happens: Thabiso slips a banana into his pocket at the local spaza. The woman doesn’t notice. Thabiso has discovered how to steal. First it is just food. Anything to stave off the hunger: fruit, bread, Niknaks. And then the realization that it doesn’t matter what he steals: what he can’t use he can sell and if he can sell something, he can eat.

Thabiso’s mother can no longer pay the rent for their one-roomed dwelling. They move into a zozo (a corrugated iron and cardboard shack) in the squatter camp on the edge of the township. The shack is freezing in winter and like a furnace in summer. There are always strange men around … they come and go and make strange noises in the shack, while Thabiso sits outside or stays under the bed if its late at night. At least there is food … sometimes.

Thabiso is glad to escape to school in the mornings. But that, too, soon comes to an end. His mother doesn’t seem to care about anything any more. In fact, she hardly seems to notice Thabiso. She drinks a lot of beer and she never makes vetkoek any more.

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Get to know your maid, her children, her family … you may be surprised to find that, though she does not speak your language very well, she speaks eight others and she loves, laughs, cries, hopes and dreams … just like you.

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At around 11, Thabiso discovers that smoking dagga takes the edge off of hunger much better than the cigarette stubs. I-pilisi (Mandrax, tic or any drug) works even better. He hasn’t seen the inside of a school for years.

Don’t give up. Help is available.

If you don’t know where to turn, go to your local councilor or to a church near you and ask to speak to someone. Tell them what is going on in your life. Tell them what you are struggling with. Even if they don’t have the means to help you, they will be able to place you in contact with people and organisations set up to help you help yourself.

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Crime becomes a way of life. Thabiso often breaks into houses in rich areas. He knows that what he’s doing is wrong but, he tells himself, he doesn’t hurt anyone … just re-distributes things a little.

He’s practiced shooting at trees and things — far away from home — but he hasn’t actually needed to use the gun. Just pointing usually does the trick.

When he is about 15, one of the men who sometimes visits his mother gives Thabiso a gun and tells him to hide it. He says that he will come back for it, but he never does. This gives Thabiso the means to take his food-sourcing activity to another level. He never shoots, he just points. He revels in being able to eat whenever he feels hungry … and even when he doesn’t feel hungry. He revels in the power that is all of a sudden his. Stealing cars is fun, too. And practical, because he can quickly get from point A to point B, lessening the chances of being picked up.

Never go to bed hungry again! Grow your own food … AND sell the surplus!

Food Gardens Foundation will show you how, even if you have little money or water, and even if you have land the size of a door or just a few containers, for that matter. All you will need to do is buy a few packets of seeds … and do the work. If you live in Soweto, take a walk to Office No 5, Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown to learn how to grow your own vegetables. Food Gardens Foundation also provides training throughout South Africa to rural and urban community centres and schools. Ask one of your community leaders to find out more so that people in your town can also learn to grow their own vegetables. Call 011 880 5956 or visit www.foodgardensfoundation.org.za

Emergency Support for ALL South Africans

There are times when something unexpected can derail a family … like the breadwinner losing their job or dying … or an accident resulting in unexpected loss of income as well as unexpected expenses. The government provides immediate temporary assistance in the form of a Social Relief of Distress Award to help people in exactly such situations. The award is for a short period of time (three to six months). It can be given in the form of vouchers, food parcels or money and it can be given to an individual or to a whole household. You can apply for a Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Award at your nearest SASSA (South African Social Security Agency) office. There is no charge to apply. For more information, call the free SASSA helpline on 0800 601 011. Local and regional contact numbers are available at www.sassa.gov.za

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Don’t have a job? Sell ZA Difference in your community. Phone us on 0860 92 0000 today. It costs the same as a local call, no matter where you’re phoning from in South Africa. We’ll tell you what you need to do to get started.

Children need to be loved most when they least deserve it. Grown-ups too, for that matter.


Months later, Thabiso struggles to look at his mother as the judge sentences him to 18 years in prison for hijacking, armed robbery and attempted murder. Thabiso is 18.

Then one evening a man in a big house, which he had thought was empty, startles Thabiso. They see each other at the same time, fear registering in each face. The man reaches for a drawer, but Thabiso’s finger is quicker. Thabiso is shocked at the blood and the gasps for life. He is even more shocked when they arrest him two days later.



These are

our children.

We will all profit by,

or pay for,

whatever they

become …

— James Baldwin

We should honestly question our national acceptance of families living apart. It hurts all of us, ultimately, when children grow up without their mothers, when husbands are without their wives, when siblings don’t know each other … so:

Think seriously before deciding to leave your rural home to go live alone in someone’s back yard in order to earn a meager income. Besides, not everyone who arrives here looking for a job ends up getting one.

If you are business, consider providing decent, safe, family accommodation for your staff ... or setting up a day-care centre, allowing mothers (or fathers) to bring their children to their place of employment. This will eliminate so much heart-ache: the very young will be adequately taken care of; mothers will not become despondent because they cannot care for their children; society, as a whole, will benefit if our children grow up supported and well cared for.

Help keep families together at all cost!

Make a difference in the life of at least one young person behind bars.

Visit and befriend a juvenile delinquent in jail. Get to know the human being behind the façade. Find out what happened. Listen without judgement. Give them hope and dignity. Offer support and encouragement. Find out what they need. Many inmates are school dropouts and had little or no parental support in their lives. Many have very poor reading and writing skills. If possible, tutor your young friend to read and write. Find a way to get them to study and prepare for the day they are released. Talk with them about what they could do differently when they are free. Take them a birthday cake every year and a present every Christmas. Be there for them when they come out. And continue to be there for them …

The reAl problem with crime

The real problem starts way before a young offender gets to the attention of the authorities. The real problem is poverty and all the social ills that accompany it: hunger, separated and dysfunctional families, neglected and abandoned children, overcrowding, unsafe schools and environments, substance abuse, exclusion, lack of skills, witnessing violence, experiencing crime, becoming a perpetrator … in a cycle that repeats itself, generation after generation for millions of South Africans.

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Don’t have a job? Sell ZA Difference in your community. Phone us on 0860 92 0000 today. It costs the same as a local call, no matter where you’re phoning from in South Africa. We’ll tell you what you need to do to get started.

If you employ a maid, make it possible for her to live with her family … either on your property or in her own home. Make it possible for her to see her children grow up, by not requiring her to work 12 hours a day, six days a week, and by allowing her to arrive at a reasonable time in the mornings. If she stays on your property because she comes from far away, make it possible for her to go home to be with her family at least every long weekend and during her annual leave.

Children need to be loved most when they least deserve it. Grown-ups too, for that matter.


You can always use a pen-name if you don’t want people to know it’s you. So, speak your mind! Tell us what matters to you. And don’t worry about the English: it is your thoughts and ideas that we want.

Here’s what we pay for published submissions: R2 per published word, regardless if it is a letter, poem, article or caption. | We don’t pay for fanmail, questions for Prof. Jansen or ‘Witnessing the past’ pieces.) | Photographs and cartoons: R150 per published piece. | Re-publication — except on the ZA Difference website — of any work will earn half the original payment. | Funding permitted, we will submit payment by electronic transfer to the account details supplied or by money order to the author’s name at the address supplied, within 30 days of the printing of the issue in which the contribution is published. If we do not have funding at that moment, you will be paid at the earliest possible opportunity. If you do not need the income, please donate your contribution. If you’d like to support the non-profit work of ZA Difference, please make a donation to the Contributor’s Fund.

Each contribution must include: A headline or caption for the material submitted. | Your full name (for payment purposes) and, if different, your pen name (for publishing purposes). | Contact information, i.e. an email, cell number or web address, so that we as well as potential clients can contact you. | A short description of what you do and a picture of yourself (head-shot). (May not be utilised, depending on space available.) | Your banking details for payment by EFT. | Your physical address for a money order if no bank account. | Your postal address, if different from your physical address, so that we can send you a copy of the magazine in which your contribution appears. | Do not separate this information: include it at the bottom of each article or list of captions. Do not assume that we have your information because you previously wrote to us.

Submissions are accepted on the understanding that the contributor: Holds and retains copyright to the material submitted. | Has permission to publish from any public figure or the parents of a minor who is clearly the subject of a photograph. | Has cited all sources and has given credit where due. | Remains 100% liable for the truthfulness and accuracy of the information submitted. | Understands that it is their responsibility to keep copies of their own work. | Will notify ZA Difference should the same work be submitted to another publication.• Poemsmaynotbelongerthanonepage;articlesandessaysmustbebetween800and1000words;

short stories must be between 1 000 and 3 000 words.• Entriesmustbeyourown,original,previouslyunpublishedwork,inEnglish.• Photographsmustbehighestpossibleresolution,withinformativecaptions.

ZA Difference: Will acknowledge receipt of material received, but cannot engage with the author about the merits of the submission. | Does not guarantee the publication of any material received. | Does not accept liability for the safekeeping of material in its possession and cannot return any material. | Will credit the author, artist or photographer, will include contact information (i.e. URL or cellphone number) and, space permitting, the contributor’s picture and bio.

ZA Difference reserves the right to: Accept, reject, cut or otherwise use any text contribution as it sees fit. | Edit text for clarity, accuracy, grammar, spelling, presentation, sources and copyright, without obtaining permission for altered material prior to publication – unless otherwise requested by the author, in writing. | Decide whether or not to publish any material submitted in any of its publications – printed and online – at any time, with no prior re-confirmation with the author.

Please look at our editorial calendar at: www.zadifference.org

Post your material to: ZA DIFFERENCE | Postnet Suite 84 | Private Bag X75 | Bryanston 2021 | Johannesburg. Or email it to: [email protected] Send photos free via: www.filegooi.co.za

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We look forward to hearing from you!

If nobody listens to you or you’re too afraid

to speak, write about it. — Hetile Mabunda

we want to hear from you! Wherever you are in South Africa:

ZA


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Photo: Will van Engen | www.willvanengen.comZA DIffERENCE

EDITORIAl POlICIES

in making a positive, sustainable impact on the issue of poverty and its related ills.

Non-partisan• ZA Difference is a non-political, non-religious publication.

Constructive, positive contribution• Wemaintainapositive,nurturing, constructive, compassionate and respectful stance towards South Africa.• Wesupportgoodgovernance, democracy and the rule of law.• In the interest of a vibrant and free press, we do not shrink from publishing conflicting views.

Self-reliance, sustainability and entrepreneurship• Webelievethataidoften retards rather than promotes development. Some of the negative side effects of aid are: decreased local production, increased corruption, escalating dependency and a culture of entitlement. As such, we publish material:• About economically viable

and sustainable activities, products and services that restore dignity, hope and self-determination to people.• About programmes, initiatives, opportunities and solutions in which people can participate to change their own lives.• That promotes self-reliance and entrepreneurship.

Diversity, dignity and equality• Weendeavourtoreflectthe diversity of South African society. If you want your voice heard, write to us!• Werespectfullytreatall South Africans as equals, not as donors and recipients, haves and have-nots.

Professionalism, excellence and integrity• Wearecommittedtothe highest standards of intellectual endeavour, creativity and professionalism, and aspire to integrity and excellence in everything we do.• Wesupporttheprinciplesadopted by the South AfricanPressCode.

Focus & intention• ZA Difference aims to highlight the desperate plight of South Africa’s marginalized — whether caused by poverty, age, disability, illness, geographic location or race. • To highlight the impact of marginalisation on society at large. • To explore solutions and options open to each of us — as individuals, communities and businesses — to create the kind of world we want to live in.• To provide a forum for dialogue among people who would not ordinarily engage with each other.• To promote cultural awareness, tolerance, compassion and respect for our differences. • To create jobs and income-generating opportunities for unemployed South Africans.

Non-competition and collaboration• Wherepossible,wework in collaboration and partnership with individuals and organisations involved


EDITORIAl POlICIES

In addition to carrying a

diverse range of topics and

viewpoints — of interest to

a broad audience — every

issue of ZA Difference

focuses on a particular topic

of concern to people who

are marginalised. Themed

information includes:

Real-life,• human-interest stories, articles and photographs to highlight a particular problem faced by many South Africans.

Useful Information about •resources available to address the problem.

Options for action to make •a meaningful difference with regard to the problem described.

Commentaryondifferent•aspects of the situation.

Statistics and comparison •with what’s happening elsewhere in the world

Anything else that is relevant •to the topic.

Advertising, where relevant, •grouped with the topic.


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90% of the people who would benefit most

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Get fRee exposure in ZA Difference — a national, printed non-profit magazine with a directory of services for poor, vulnerable and marginalised people and communities.

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Bridging the divide ...

Can’t afford to advertise your non-profit

anywhere but online?

90% of the people who would benefit most

from what you have to offer do not have sustained access

to the Internet. So why advertise there?

ZA

ZADIffeRenCeResource Directory

The ONLY printed directory of solutions, resources and services that address the issues that affect the majority of South Africans.

A bridge between a marginalised world and mainstream society ...

Use this space to tell the 90% of South Africans who do not have meaningful, sustained access to the web — where most of this information is available — how to access your offerings.

Listings in the Resource Directory are free to registered, non-governmental NPOs that subscribe to the magazine. You may list in these pages as often as you like during your subscription period.

CSI, commercial, community or municipal listings are charged at R244 per column x cm. More than one listing: 25% discount. Inclusion of a small logo (no wider than the column), for any organisation, is charged at R3 000 per insertion. All listings are subject to the Editor’s approval.

Use the sample listing, below, as a guide in compiling your own. Only submit information that is relevant to your particular offering. Feel free to add additional fields and to order the information to suit your needs. Address the people who need what you have to offer.

To get started: Simply e-mail your finished listing to [email protected] Please indicate from which month to which month the listing should appear. If approved for placement, we will edit and typeset the listing and send you a proof along with a quotation based on the length of the listing @ R244 per column x cm. Once we receive your signed approval, you will be invoiced — unless, of course, you are a non-profit, non-governmental organisation. Proof of payment or NPO status and a paid subscription is required before your listing will be placed.

CoNTENTSHere’s how to list your NPO, CSI, commercial, community or munipal resource

Page category: Skills development & training; Funding sources; Resources for the unskilled & unemployed;

Resources for entrepreneurs & the self-employed; Community development; Health resources; Crisis support;

Human Rights; Development training & capacity building.Sub-category: “Cancer” in the Health Resources section or “Jobs” in the Unskilled / Unemployed section.

Title: Headline or brief descriptionLocation: Nationwide, province/s, town/s, suburb, etc.Full description: If the title does not say it, please spell out what is on offer.Accreditation / registration / credentials: In other words: are you a bona fide supplier? (If applicable.)

What people say: Testimonials of benefits received by past participants add credibility.

What to expect: Outline of how things will transpire and possible outcomes of participation ...

For: Who should attend? Who qualifies? Who is this offering intended for?Requirements / criteria: I.e. must have a matric or be of a certain age or be in possession of an ID.

Next intake: When can the reader start participating?Duration: How long does the training or application or request for support take ...

Take action: What to do to register or gain access to the offer. Given that roughly 10% of our population

can afford uninterrupted access to the internet, please supply non-web-based ways of contacting you, i.e. a

telephone number (preferably an 800 number that doesn’t cost the caller) or give the physical address where

people can sign up.Offered by: Organisation’s name (If not supplied earlier.)More information: Web address for more info or postal address to write to for a brochure, etc.

Contact information: Telephone numbers (this is most important), e-mail, physical address, etc.

Contact person: Who to ask for — someone who can take immediate and informed action.

Scholarships or funding available: Specify.Cost: The offering must be accessible to people who have few options and do not have much money. Or

support must be offered so that marginalised individuals can participate ... or take action that will lead to a

solution to their particular problem. Where possible, refrain from outright hand-outs.

Wish list / Community involvement: Use this space to tell the broader community or the corporate world

what you need as an organisation, i.e. volunteers, funding, equipment, skills development, and any support

that will strengthen your ability to continue doing your good work. Many people would like to help, but don’t

know what to do. Tell them how they can participate and make a difference through your organisation.

2 List your resource

3 Skills development

5 Funding for learning

7 Entrepreneurship

9 For the unemployed

11 Health resources

13 Substance abuse

15 HIV / AIDS

17 Disability

19 Family & community

21 Children

23 Youth

25 The elderly

27 Basic services

29 Crisis support

31 Human rights

33 Migrants & refugees


Speak to all of South Africa from one platform.Whilewemayhavelittleincommonotherthanliteracy, all of us have a vested interest in the well-being of our country — if only because our own well-being is closely tied to it.

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