UNIVERSIT Y OF PRETORIA SUMMER 2012
Mamelodi Voice The
Ishmael Mohlabe
P rimary schools in Mamelodi
East increasingly focus on
sport to combat the threat of
drugs and alcohol.
According to France Mmatli,
head of sports at Pfunzo Ndi Tshedza
Primary School, the pupils‟ futures
are safe with sports.
“There is no doubt that if students
participate in sports, especially after
school hours, they avoid being ex-
posed to future-threatening substan-ces like alcohol and drugs,” he said.
Sport is not only seen as an alter-
native to drugs. Kabelo Maleka,
sports manager at Meetse-a-Bophelo
Primary School, believes students
who do well in sports stand a good
chance of improving academically. “I
have been getting feedback from
teachers that the sport programmes
we have are making a huge difference
in the learners‟ school tasks and that
the sports pupils are shining in their
results,” said Maleka.
Despite their lack of resources,
teachers and coaches are excited
about learners‟ involvement in sports.
“We could do with a helping hand.
Even though we have limited re-
sources we do our best to encourage
the children to participate in the vari-
ous sporting codes,” said Mmatli.
Some local students who are ex-
celling in their respective sports get
the opportunity to showcase their
talents on a bigger stage.
Legora Primary School has six
under-12 soccer players who are part
of the Mamelodi Sundowns Acade-
my. One of the players is 12-year-old
Kgothatso Mohale. “My dream is to
play for Sundowns and Bafana
Bafana. I would also like to play
overseas, preferably in the Spanish or
Portuguese league,” said the ambi-
tious footballer.
Mohale‟s coach, Nomsa Mavim-
bela, described the boy as a talented
player who is shy of the field but
exudes a no-nonsense, tough-tackling
approach when game time comes.
Meetse-a-Bophelo has a star of its
own in 12-year-old Philani Zwane.
The grade seven football player has
caught the attention of South Africa‟s
national women‟s under-17 squad.
She has been invited for open trials
with the junior team at the University
of Pretoria‟s High Performance
Centre. “I was very excited when they
called me and I am committed to
doing my level best to impress the
national coach,” said Zwane. She
hopes that this opportunity will give
her an advantage when Banyana
Banyana searches for fresh talent.
For many of the children in
Mamelodi‟s primary schools sport is
not only viewed as an extramural
activity but as a stepping stone to
achieving their dreams.
I n the darkness of their classroom,
forty children chant the alphabet
in rhythm with their teacher.
Their electricity supply has not been
activated today, and their only source
of light is fading behind the clouds.
More than 200 children receive
early-childhood learning here at the
Berakah Educational Foundation in
Lusaka. Without their own electricity
unit, Berakah is forced to continue to
do their teaching in half-light. Their
only power comes from an illegal
electricity connection.
Currently this power supply is
mainly used to run the kitchen‟s
fridge. There is no constructed power
unit on the property, and the organisa-
tion is forced to operate without the
use of an independent meter.
“We have a stand number and a
meter box number but we need the
money for the electricity box [unit],”
said Glenton Magalela, groundskeep-
er and caretaker. “We get our electric-
ity from the neighbours, [whom] we
pay,” he added.
Open wires can be seen running
from a plastered house on the adjoin-
ing property to the kitchen on
Berakah‟s grounds. “We pay the
neighbour R400 every month to use
her electricity but sometimes she
doesn‟t turn it on [until] late in the
day,” explained Magalela.
No person may sell electricity that
is supplied to their premises to any
other person for use on any other
sites. This is according to the City of
Tshwane Metropolitan Municipali-
ty‟s Standard Electricity Supply by-
laws. The by-laws also stipulate that
only one electricity service connec-
tion may be made available to a
stand.
According to Berakah Education-
al Foundation CEO, Bryan Hill, the
Berakah Trust owns the property on
which the centre is situated. The
Trust is still in the process of author-
izing the documents needed for a
legal electricity application. Hill said
the centre has all the equipment
needed to get the electricity running
but is waiting on authorization and
funding.
It is estimated that Berakah will
need R30 000 to construct a legiti-
mate electricity supply unit and es-
tablish a legal connection.
“We are currently putting togeth-
er a proposal for funding to submit to
the Community Impact Trust, our
sponsor, but I‟m not sure how long
this will take,” said Hill.
Caylene Marais
Learning without lights in Lusaka
Two under-11 players challenge each other for the ball before soccer practice at Pfunzo Ndi Tshedza Primary School.
Photo: PIETER VAN DER MERWE
Poetry
p. 14
Animal
health
p. 10, 11
Spotlight
on SOS
p. 6,7
Kids kick off
their futures
with sport
Sydney King
2 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
Alayna Magaseng, a Thuthukani volunteer, assists Tshepo Mgidi, one of the
children involved in the after-school homework sessions at Legora.
Photo: SYDNEY KING
Danielle Petterson
A new ministry organisation is
mobilising the people of
Mamelodi to make their
home a greener place to live. Mustard
Seeds puts emphasis on the environ-
ment and sustainable livelihoods.
On Mandela Day (18 July) this
year the organisation arranged a clean
-up in Mamelodi in partnership with
WastePlan. Approximately 100 peo-
ple volunteered to clean up the area
from the BP Garage on Solomon
Mahlangu Drive and Mamelodi Hos-
pital, to the railway bridge on Tsama-
ya Road. More than two truckloads of
waste was collected and transported
to a registered landfill site by
WastePlan. Absalom Boroto, a ward
councillor for the Tshwane Munici-
pality, helped mobilise the communi-
ty for the clean-up.
According to Vici Napier, founder
of Mustard Seeds, far more people
volunteered than anticipated and vari-
ous community members pitched in
throughout the day. “Given the short
timeframe to organise such an event
we did really well and the community
was really amazed and impressed,”
she said.
In celebration of Arbour Day,
Mustard Seeds planted ten trees at
Emasangweni Primary School with
volunteers, Bhubesi Fire Projects and
grade six educators and learners from
the school. The organisation also
taught learners how to plant succulent
slips into old food tins. These plants
will be used for a rockery project in
November. The school principal said
he would like to have a rockery with
succulent plants at one of the school‟s
entrances.
According to Napier, members of
the surrounding community came to
watch the activities. “The learners
thoroughly enjoyed themselves and
were appreciative of the trees and the
fact that outsiders had an interest in
them and their school,” she said.
Mustard Seeds hopes to imple-
ment several projects in the future.
These include waste and recycling at
schools, electricity generation using
bio-digesters and arts and crafts pro-
jects using recyclable and waste ma-
terials. The organisation also hopes
to implement rainwater harvesting at
local schools to provide water for
vegetable gardens, sports fields and
school properties.
Mustard Seeds welcomes volun-
teers. Participation is needed in the
following areas:
Professional/expert knowledge
and advice on projects.
Donation of resources (funds,
equipment and project compo-
nents).
Assisting in securing funding/
project partners to implement
projects.
Volunteering at projects.
Mustard Seeds helps Mamelodi go green
A grade six Emasangweni learner fills his tin with soil for a succulent slip to be
planted. Photo: HAROLD PRICE
Volunteers pick up litter at the Mandela Day clean-up.
Photo: THOMAS MALULEKE
Children put the finishing touches on the tree they planted at
Emasangweni Primary School. Photo: VANESSA PRICE
N thando Khorombi*, a grade
seven learner at Legora Pri-
mary School, sits at a desk
flying through his numeracy home-
work. Nthando is one of 66 pupils
who benefits from the Thuthukani
Youth Project.
The project is hosted at the Le-
gora Primary School in Mamelodi
East. This initiative was started in
2004 by social work students from the
University of Pretoria (UP). Thu-
thukani aims to prevent young learn-
ers from dropping out of school and
hopes to help them steer clear of teen-
age pregnancy and substance abuse.
This is according to UP lecturer
Martie Booyzen.
The programme offers an after-
school homework session run by vol-
unteers every Thursday afternoon.
Learners are encouraged to attend
these sessions because they receive a
meal. They also receive attendance
credits they can use to buy school
uniforms or stationery. Booyzen be-
lieves that incomplete uniforms and
stationery supplies contribute to a
poor self-esteem and unfinished
schoolwork. “The kids earn these
credits, budget and plan their purchas-
es, and are therefore not receiving a
„hand-out‟ but feel proud of their
purchases,” said Booyzen.
The 66 children currently in the
programme were selected because
they are orphans or pupils who strug-
gle academically.
A Thuthukani volunteer, Alayna
Magaseng, believes that Thuthukani
empowers those who are selected.
The programme teaches them the
importance of homework, which con-
tributes towards better marks. This is
proven by the school‟s overall in-
creased pass rate for English, which
rose from 10% to 45% since the pro-
ject was introduced in 2004.
Thuthukani also offers recreational
activities hosted by UP‟s social work
students. The children are taken on
quarterly outings and once a year they
go on an adventure camp. Legora
Principal, Mohlamme Mathebe ex-
pressed his gratitude for the camp.
“[It] exposes these children to a holi-
day. It connects the students to areas
outside Mamelodi.”
Mathebe appreciates the outside
assistance from tertiary learners who
helped start and volunteer in the pro-
ject. “What the students are learning
at university is filtering into Legora,”
he said. In previous years UP Educa-
tion students have been involved with
Thuthukani, assisting the learners
individually during the homework
sessions. Despite not being involved
this year, the education students will
return in 2013 to help the pupils.
Hanlie Dippenaar, an education
lecturer at UP, believes that
this programme is not only vital for
Legora pupils, but for university stu-
dents too. “Here our future teachers
are able to apply theory learned in the
lecture hall in a real life context.”
Annette Jooste, a third-year stu-
dent in Intermediate Phase education,
recalls her Legora experience, ex-
plaining it was not easy communi-
cating with children who cannot
speak, read or write fluently in Eng-
lish. She added that her learner tried
his best, making it a truly rewarding
experience. Jooste found the practical
involvement invaluable, saying, “I
learnt that there will be challenging
scenarios in my classroom, I just need
to be creative and open minded when
approaching them.”
Mathebe said he is pleased with
the positive results of the project. “I
hope that the Department [of Educa-
tion] will consider ensuring that pro-
jects such as Thuthukani will be seri-
ously implemented.” He also applaud-
ed the University for undertaking the
project without concerns of the finan-
cial aspects.
Magaseng believes, “Thuthukani
gives the spirit that everything is go-
ing to be okay. It is making a differ-
ence each and every day.”
*Nthando Khorombi is not the child‟s
real name. The Mamelodi Voice was asked to keep his name private.
To get involved contact Vici Na-
pier on 078 278 2898 or email her
Volunteers make homework
fun for learners
Thuthukani gives the spirit
that everything is going to
be okay
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 3
T he community of Mamelodi is
suffering from the damage
caused by a new drug called
Nyaope. Nyaope is becoming increas-
ingly popular amongst teenagers and
poses an imminent threat to the com-
munity. The leaders of Legora Primary
School have already noticed the effects
of this drug on their students and facili-
ties and are striving to prevent the drug
from further infiltrating the school.
A security guard at the school,
Dina Mokweti, said she has seen
young men staggering through the
streets, “obviously high on Nyaope”.
She describes their eyes as barely
open, and their mouths and hands
being black from smoking.
Nyaope is a relatively new drug
combining cheap heroin and dagga.
To enhance Nyaope‟s euphoric ef-
fect, rat poison is sometimes added.
Mokweti said that at night and
sometimes on weekends, the
“Nyaope boys” try to come
inside the school and steal cables.
Legora‟s Principal, Mohlamme
Mathebe, acknowledged that
Nyaope is creating problems within
the schools and community of Mam-
elodi. Legora has been directly af-
fected by the drug as it is alleged
that the young addicts break into the
school and steal property such as
electric cables and taps in order to
sustain their habit. The television
and some computer equipment has
been stolen from the school library.
“They are stealing almost every-
thing,” said Mathebe. He has report-
ed these cases to the police. “Even if
the police can catch these boys, they
are not going to solve the problem.
The problem they need to solve is to
get the people who are dealing
Nyaope, because, really, they are
killing our children.”
The police were unavailable for
comment.
The threat of Nyaope
Stephanie Van Der Plank
I n response to the increasing use
of the drug, Nyaope, Legora Pri-
mary School has introduced a
number of drug-related initiatives.
The teachers have decided that the
situation created by the drug calls for
serious attention. Substance abuse
workshops have been incorporated
into the Life Orientation curriculum
and a Drug Awareness Campaign was
held during the school holiday.
The Drug Awareness Campaign
is held in conjunction with the Mam-
elodi Police Station and the School
Based Support Team (SBST), headed
by Angie Manana. It will be available
to learners of all ages. The SBST has
been part of the school for many
years and assists learners with social
and learning challenges. It provides
support and guidance to orphans and
child-headed families.
These new changes and develop-
ments in the school are part of the
Love Life Games initiative, put into
place by the Departments of Educa-
tion, Sport and Health. Love Life
Games aims to deal with all issues
involved with the upbringing of a
child. Head of Department of Natural
Sciences at Legora, Modise Talane,
has been instrumental in these opera-
tions. He said the initiative is about
bringing people together to educate
and instruct their children in the con-
text of their community.
The current focus is on drugs and
substance abuse and Talane believes
it is going well.
Recently Principal Mohlamme
Papile Mathebe received a phone call
from a distressed parent of a past
pupil, who wishes to remain anony-
mous. The child was in Grade Seven
at Legora in 2010 and had just been
released from rehab after having been
addicted to “this dirty drug called
Nyaope,” the parent told Mathebe. He
recalls the mother saying, “I want
you, as the principal, to please contin-
ue informing the parents [about] this
problem of Nyaope.” Mathebe re-
membered the student as being a very
fine boy and said he would do every-
thing he could to educate the parents
and children in order to prevent a
similar phone call.
The Drug Awareness Campaign‟s
substance abuse workshops were the
first step towards this prevention.
Driving back dirty drugs from school grounds
Drug abuse warning signs
Significant changes in appetite or
eating habits, unexplained weight
loss or gain
Significant changes in sleep pat-
terns
Unexplained physical problems
including tremors, nausea, vomit-
ing, excessive sweating.
Change in overall attitude or per-
sonality with no other identifiable
cause
Drop in grades at school or per-
formance at work; regularly skips
school or is late for school
General lack of motivation, ener-
gy, self-esteem, an „I don't care‟
attitude
Excessive moodiness, irritability,
or nervousness
Unexplained need for money,
stealing money or items
Silliness or giddiness.
Paranoia
Harmful effects of drugs
General mental and physical
health effects include: respiratory
and heart problems, memory
loss, neurological damage and
mental health disorders such as
mood disorders
The abuse of a drug can lead to
addiction. Increased use of drugs
can lead to overdose and possibly
death
Drugs often alter a person‟s be-
haviour, negatively affecting
relationships
Many drug users resort to com-
mitting criminal acts to support
their drug habit
Using drugs while pregnant can
cause miscarriages, birth defects
and intellectual disabilities. Alco-
hol abuse during pregnancy ex-
poses the foetus to Foetal Alco-
hol Syndrome, which causes the
baby to be born dependent on
alcohol.
V irtual adoption acts as a rem-
edy for the increasing
amount of vulnerable house-
holds found in Mamelodi. One such
programme is run by the Viva Village
Foundation situated in the Alaska
informal settlement.
Abie Mokwena is alone, underage
and uneducated. He has lived in a
single room tin shack since the death
of his parents four years ago. He has
no birth certificate which means that
he cannot go to school or apply for an
identity document, making finding
work a struggle. Mokwena‟s best
friend, Sipho Nkosi, introduced him
to the Viva Village Foundation at the
end of 2011. He is now virtually
adopted here.
Viva‟s Virtual Adoption pro-
gramme started in December 2010
and acts as a sponsorship for Orphans
and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and
the families that care for them. The
goal of the programme is to strength-
en underprivileged families through
home-based care and provide accom-
modation to OVC in crisis. The pro-
gramme provides for the needs of the
whole family and not only for vulner-
able children within a household.
“If you assess two orphans stay-
ing with extended family, you can‟t
just give the orphans food and expect
the family to cook it for them and
watch them eat it,” explained Meleny
Kriel chairperson of Viva.
The Viva Foundation cares for
153 families of which only eight are
virtually adopted. Mokwena is grate-
ful to be one of the eight. “Viva is
[my] family,” he said with a smile.
Jared Burchell, Manager of the Virtu-
al Adoption programme at Viva, said,
“One cannot imagine that someone
living in his conditions and circum-
stances could still adopt and maintain
a positive outlook.”
Virtual adoption starts with a virtual
family, consisting of an individual, a
company or any number of friends
from anywhere in the world who
want to adopt a family in need.
An in-depth assessment of the
families determines their level of
vulnerability. This and the amount of
money that the virtual family is will-
ing to sponsor, determines which
family is adopted by whom. Child-
headed households, critically ill par-
ents caring for children and granny-
headed households are considered
most vulnerable.
According to Kriel, the average
cost of a family‟s needs ranges be-
tween R600 and R1200 per month.
R600 is used for smaller families,
such as a granny caring for small
children who is only receiving grant
money, while a family of ten would
use R1200 because of school fees,
food and other necessities.
“Through the sponsorship of vir-
tual families, the Viva Foundation is
able to provide the adopted families
with a service,” said Kriel. The ser-
vice includes a monthly food parcel,
weekly visits, medical care, school
fees and logistical support. She add-
ed that special volunteer days can
also be arranged for the virtual fami-
ly to help their adopted family repair
their house or simply to become
acquainted with one another.
In addition to this, Burchell pro-
vides the virtual families with a feed-
back report once a term that includes
pictures of the adopted families re-
ceiving their food parcels and news
of events in their lives.
Since his adoption at the begin-
ning of the year the Viva Foundation
has been able to enrol Mokwena into
the Reneliwe Adult Centre for learn-
ing. Mokwena clearly has big
dreams: “I want to be a pilot; to see
the United Kingdom and America,”
he said.
According to Kriel, education is a
priority for the foundation because it
provides OVC with an exit strategy
from the poverty and despair they
face. “It allows them to realise their
self-sustainability and dreams.”
The Foundation helps Mokwena
with food, clothes and transport
money for school through the
sponsorship. Ultimately Viva can
now take Mokwena to the hospital in
Venda where he was born 17 years
ago to get his proof of birth in order
to apply for a birth certificate.
Aimee Delagey
Virtual adoption brings hope
Stephanie Van Der Plank
To enhance Nyaope’s
euphoric effect, rat
poison is sometimes
added
Abie Mokwena at the Viva Village. Photo: NARINA NEL
You can’t just give
the orphans food and
expect the family to
cook it for them and
watch them eat it
Danielle Petterson
4 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
A tiny playground and a lack
of school supplies do not
stop the Berakah Educational
Foundation from playing a “big role”
in preschool children’s lives.
Berakah started in 1999 with one
volunteer and ten children. Today it
caters to 230 children aged six
months to six years and has ten staff
members. Facilities comprise five
classrooms, a kitchen, and separate
boys and girls bathrooms situated
around a small playground.
The playground - a patch of sand,
two swings and a jungle gym - is too
small for the children. Not everyone
gets to use it regularly which often
leads to fighting. The small, dark
kitchen with its broken sink tap and
knee high gas stove has no cupboards
or floor tiles.
“The kitchen is a disaster,“ said
Nomthandazo (Sophie) Mashego,
founder and staff manager.
Teachers constantly experience
frustration at the lack of stationery.
“We often have to borrow from other
classrooms,” explained Mashego.
Shortages include paper, pencils,
chalk and crayons. An insufficient
number of desks and chairs leave
many children sitting on the floor.
Mashego said that teachers have to
“make a plan”. This includes letting
two children use the opposite sides of
the same piece of paper or being
forced to work in groups which ham-
pers their learning.
According to Berakah CEO, Bry-
an Hill, the Foundation receives ap-
proximately R24 000 a month in par-
ents’ fees. This he says decreases to
R18 000 by September because par-
ents can’t afford the monthly pay-
ments. In July and December parents
do not pay or pay less because of
school holidays, resulting in a
R36 400 yearly shortfall. Parents can
volunteer at Berakah as payment if
they can’t afford the monthly fee.
Mashego said Berakah can’t
charge parents more because they
can’t afford it. According to Hill, fees
can only be raised by R10 to R20
rand every year. Because of this and
the lack of funding the completion of
a sixth classroom has been put on
hold indefinitely.
Berakah is paying staff very basic
salaries. Mashego said that the salary
she receives is not adequate, but she
stays at Berakah because she loves the
children. “I want to bring a change in
our community, I want to [build] a
strong foundation.”
Hill has had to cut staff in the past
due to monetary shortages and staff
is often back-paid when donations
are received.
Despite Berakah’s shortcomings,
Mashego claims that children do not
often repeat a year. Glenton Magalela,
Berakah’s centre manager, receives
feedback on children who have gradu-
ated from the Foundation to primary
schools. Feedback is positive and the
children go on to be very successful.
“Berakah plays a big role in chil-
dren’s lives; it helps them out a lot.
They are very [happy] to come here,”
said Mashego.
Always travel with the car doors
locked.
Keep all windows closed or, at
most, not open more than would
allow a hand to fit through.
Leave enough room between
your car and the one in front to
avoid being boxed in.
Call the attention of other motor-
ists or pedestrians if you think
you are in danger. Use the hoot-
er, flash your lights, put your
emergency lights on or shout.
Be aware of anybody who ap-
proaches your car or is loitering
near traffic lights, stop streets,
parking areas or your driveway.
Don't pick up hitchhikers or un-
known passengers.
If you suspect that you are being
followed, you should ideally
drive to the nearest police sta-
tion. If this is not possible, drive
to another safe place but don't go
home.
A view of Berakah’s facilities, including some classrooms and the playground. Photo: DANIELLE PETTERSON
Hijacking leaves students afraid
A student was hijacked outside
the Mamelodi campus of the
University of Pretoria (UP)
on Friday 17 August, only a few me-
tres away from the campus entrance.
The incident has sparked safety con-
cerns among the students as well as a
re-assessment of campus security.
According to the UP Director of
Security Services, Colin Fouché, the
student exited the main entrance of
the campus and before entering the
main street was confronted by two
armed men. The men forced her
from her car and sped away. A UP
security guard stationed at the cam-
pus entrance realised what was hap-
pening and rushed to her aid.
Abigail Smith, a first-year nutri-
tion and food science student at
Mamelodi campus said, “My friends
are very afraid of driving to and
from campus.” According to Fou-
ché, UP has a bus service available
from Hatfield campus to Mamelodi
campus and from the Mamelodi UP
residence, Tuks Naledi, to Hatfield
campus. Fouché strongly advises the
students who feel unsafe travelling
by car to make use of this service.
However, the busses only make
one round trip daily. They depart
early in the morning and return in the
late afternoon when most students
have finished class. Smith explained
that many students bring their cars so
that they can leave earlier during the
day if they want to.
Shodi Maeya, a first-year biologi-
cal science student takes the bus every
day. “The problem is when you travel
by car you attract attention,” she said.
Maeya added that the students are
also concerned about sharing the cam-
pus with the public. Community out-
reach facilities such as animal and
legal aid clinics and a science reading
room for school children means that
no swipe system can be implemented.
There is a constant influx of new visi-
tors, making scheduled appointments
impossible.
However, all community mem-
bers are registered after their first visit
to the campus.
Edwin Smith, Mamelodi campus
director, explained that a question-
naire has been prepared for all the
community programme staff to com-
plete. These will then be forwarded to
UP security services in order to re-
evaluate the balance of student aca-
demic programmes and the communi-
ty interaction on campus.
The UP Student Representative
Council (SRC) head of the external
campus portfolio, Claudette Veld-
huizen, reassured students that both
the SRC and the University are very
concerned about the safety of the
Mamelodi campus students: “The
safety of UP students is always im-
portant. Although the event technical-
ly occurred outside the boundaries of
the Mamelodi campus, the university
was prepared to engage with SAPS,”
said Veldhuizen.
Veldhuizen added that in a recent
meeting with the Vice Chancellor of
UP, Prof. Cheryl de la Rey, security re
-assessments such as proper accredita-
tion of security guards and a park-and
-ride initiative was put forward. Since
the incident, two new security guards
have been allocated to monitor the
situation in and around campus.
The campus director encourages
all students to make use of the bus
services available, and if anyone
needs to travel back earlier than the
bus is scheduled to leave, they can
make arrangements with him.
A security guard stands at his post outside the Mamelodi Campus of the University of Pretoria.
Photo: AMY-MAE CAMPBELL
Amy-Mae Campbell
Berakah beats
the odds
Safety tips to avoid hijacking
The men forced her
from her car and sped
away
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 5
The importance of Grade R
T he Grade R programme at
Legora Primary School is cur-
rently run by a single educator,
Miriam Tsholo. The programme,
which was introduced last year, con-
sists of 35 students.
This primary school caters for
learners from grade R through to
grade 7. The school has over 2000
learners which has led to a problem of
overcrowding due to the lack of class-
room space. To combat this the De-
partment of Education has supplied
the school with a number of contain-
ers. One of these containers, the
Green Container, has been allocated
to Miriam Tsholo and her 35 Grade R
students.
Despite the outer appearance of
the container, upon entering, you are
transported into a bright classroom.
Colourful posters cover the walls,
creative crafts and books stock the
shelves, and the vibrancy of the learn-
ers fills the class.
Tsholo is qualified with matric and
Level 4 in Early Child Development
(ECD). The passionate teacher says
that she finds the job immensely ful-
filling because the children listen to
her and show her respect, and because
she is responsible for providing them
with important life skills.
Corrinne Freeman is an Early
Childhood Development (ECD) Phase
teacher with over 20 years of experi-
ence and is the current Head of Grade
00 at Heronbridge College in Johan-
nesburg. Freeman said in the ECD
phase children need to develop cogni-
tively, socially and emotionally. She
also commented on Tsholo’s situa-
tion: “It is quite remarkable and an
enormous challenge for one teacher to
be responsible for the entire Grade R
group.” Freeman said the toughest
obstacles Tsholo would have to over-
come would be the absence of other
teachers to discuss ideas and solutions
with, as well as the emotional atten-
tion children require at such a funda-
mental development phase.
The Grade R learners at Legora
come from Zulu and Sepedi homes, so
the teaching medium is English to
cater for both groups. However,
Tsholo said that the language differ-
ences can cause some difficulties
which is why she wants separate clas-
ses. Tsholo feels that being taught in
their mother tongue would make
learning more effective and beneficial.
However, Freeman seemed confident
about the success of the Grade R pro-
gramme at Legora:“If handled proper-
ly, Miriam has the ability to teach all
of the children, regardless of their
home language,” she said.
Although Tsholo loves her job,
the grade R programme at Legora is
not exactly the way she would like it
to be. She would like to see the pro-
gramme grow and become more fo-
cused. This means there is a need for a
bigger budget. The budget they cur-
rently have barely covers the basic
costs of education and the materials
needed to make teaching and learning
most effective. Due to this lack of
funding, Tsholo believes that parental
involvement and support is vital. Par-
ents currently provide their children
with materials the school could pro-
vide if they had sufficient funds.
The programme has become pop-
ular and there is a waiting list of stu-
dents to be enrolled. “It is a positive
programme that fits well with the
school’s spirit of improvement,” said
Tsholo. The principle of the school,
Mohlamme Mathebe said, “Grade R is
a must in South African schools.” He
insists that in order to eradicate the
problem of illiteracy in South Africa
Grade R is vital in any school system.
Mathebe has great hopes for the future
of Legora. With the help of the gov-
ernment and the efforts of his lone
Grade R educator, he hopes to have
up to four Grade R classes by 2014.
Miriam Tsholo teaches her Grade R pupils at Legora Primary School.
Photo: NARINA NEL
Staff and students from The
University of Pretoria’s (UP)
Mamelodi Campus, offered
help to victims of the pipe burst in the
Phomolong settlement.
The pipe burst on 20 August, and
resulted in the death of three children.
The flood caused parts of Solomon
Mahlangu Drive to be temporarily
closed. Since the incident the burst
water pipe has been repaired but ap-
proximately 3 500 people have been
left displaced.
Christine Kraamwinkel, an assis-
tant lecturer at UP’s Mamelodi Cam-
pus, has been trying to provide relief
with the aid of students, friends and
UP personnel.
Kraamwinkel has created a Face-
book page called Mamelodi Disaster
Relief (20 August 2012). It raises
awareness and gives anyone wishing
to make a difference the chance to
join and connect with others who
seek to help.
Kraamwinkel visited the site after
the incident to offer the families af-
fected by the burst pipe donations.
She recalled the reaction of an elderly
woman on her first visit to the ruined
community. The woman expressed
disbelief and gratitude at the amount
of help the victims were receiving.
Since then more trips to families have
been organised, allowing UP Mame-
lodi Campus students to visit and
interact with the affected residents.
Unemployment in the area makes
it difficult for families to start over
again, said Kraamwinkel. She urges
people to go out and see the damages
for themselves.
Maxwell Kamlongera
K wenzeke ukugqekeza
okuningi Epfunzo Ndi
Tshedza Primary School,
Mamelodi East. Kwantsontsha
amakhebuli, futhi kwalimaza
izimpahla. Abafundisi bakholwa
ukuthi abathintandaba bebenza nje.
UNorman Sebudubudu, umgadi
omunye waseskolo, wathi ngesikhathi
abathintandaba bangena esikolweni,
babhuqa amabhulakubhodi
nezimpahla nefanisha namafasitela
namaphosta. Kwenzeka kaningi
ngamaholide waseskolo. Ngoba,
kwathi du esikolweni ngamaholide,
akekho lapho. Ukubhuqa
kwezimpahla zaseskolo kuvimbisa
abafundi nabafundisi ukusebenzisa
amakhompiyutha nezinto ezifanayo.
USebudubudu ucabanga ukuthi
ukulondeka kwesiskolo akwanele.
Ucabanga nje ngoba abazali
basebafundi basePfunzo Ndi Tshedza
abakhokheli imali. Imali yasekolo
itholwa ngezipho zomphakathi
nazohulumeni phela. USebudubudu
usho ukuthi azanele izipho lezi
ukulwa abathintandaba. Kanti laziswe
iCommittee Policing Forum (CPF)
ngolumeni ngoFebruwari umnyaka lo.
Leli Forum lidala umsebenzi
wabagadi abathathu elangeni
nabagadi ababili ebusuku.
USebudubudu usho ukuthi
ababambekile abathintandaba, emuva
balisebenzisele iCPF, kanti
bebelisebenzise ngesikashana phela.
USebudubudu uhlale ufise ukuthi
iCPF lizovimbisa abathintandaba
ngamaholide.
Translation: Jaco van Niekerk
Indaba enhle nanxa ukubhuqa
esikolweni Pieter van der Merwe.
University of
Pretoria aids pipe
burst victims
It is quite remarkable
and an enormous chal-
lenge for one teacher to
be responsible for
the entire Grade R group
Narina Nel
The area where the pipe burst. Everything was swept away with the flood. Days later there were still pools of water
and mud everywhere. Photo: CHRISTINE KRAAMWINKEL
6 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
Spotlight on SOS
Lizo Tom, public relations officer, stands outside the SOS Children’s Village. Photo: DANIELLE PETTERSON
T he SOS Villages have made a
remarkable difference in peo-
ple‟s lives over the past 30
years. This is traceable through the
inspirational stories of previous SOS
children and current employees of the
Mamelodi SOS Village.
Pinkie Sogayise Social worker
Pinkie Sogayise gets up every day to
do administrative work until the
children in the Village arrive home
from school. When the children ar-
rive they bring with them the prob-
lems one would find in any school or
home, but also the unique issues that
arise in a community like Mamelodi.
As a social worker in the village
Sogayise helps with the admission of
new children. This is only done by
court order. The social workers in-
side the village contact external so-
cial workers working directly with
the community and who refer chil-
dren to the Village based on specific
admission criteria.
Sogayise described her daily life
in the Village: “You speak to some
of [the children], attend counselling
sessions, group work sessions and I
also go to the houses to check how
[the children] are coping with the
parent that they have.” “When you
see children coming to you and ac-
knowledging that you are there, they
know that you are there for them– it
means a lot and it changes any nega-
tive issue you had,” she said.
Lizo Tom Public relations officer
“The village raised me up to be who
I am today,” explained Lizo Tom,
Public Relations and Corporate
Fundraiser of the Village. Tom was
born on 23 February 1985 in the
Livingston hospital in Port Eliza-
beth. He mysteriously arrived at the
SOS Village at the age of two and
stayed there until he was 19.
In 2005 he decided to look for his
biological parents to find the truth
about his life and how the SOS Vil-
lage has helped him achieve his
goals. He was shocked by what he
discovered. His mother was allegedly
drinking at a shebeen just before she
went into labour. At the hospital she
used a false identity and abandoned
him. Even though it is not clear how
he ended up at the Mamelodi Village,
Tom is very grateful that he did.
With the support of the village
Tom was able to learn English, finish
his schooling and study opera. He
found success singing at the World
Peace Concert in Japan and shared a
stage with well-known opera singer
Helmut Lotti in Sweden.
He now gives back to the village
working as the public relations officer
and acting as what he describes as a
big brother to the children in the Vil-
lage. Tom wishes to contribute to
every child‟s future just as the SOS
Children‟s Village contributed to his.
“I want the children to look beyond
me – I want doctors, lawyers and
extraordinary musicians.”
Victoria House mother
The Villages would not function
without the help of the house moth-
ers. Most of the SOS mothers have
their own families whom they leave
behind to care for those with more
30 Years of making a difference
T his year marks the 30th anni-
versary of the SOS Chil-
dren‟s villages in South Afri-
ca. SOS Children‟s villages have
been home to thousands of orphaned
and abandoned children since first
founded in 1982 in Ennerdale, Jo-
hannesburg.
One of the oldest villages was
established in 1985 in Mamelodi,
Pretoria. The Mamelodi SOS
village is currently home to 162
children.
These villages have made an
astounding difference in people‟s
lives by creating a healthy close-knit
family environment for orphans and
abandoned children to live and grow
up in. The families consist of eight to
ten children who live within a sup-
portive village environment with an
SOS-mother. Guided by four princi-
ples, these homes provide parental
care, family ties between brothers
and sisters, a safe, secure environ-
ment and an extended family bond
throughout the village.
The organisation enjoys a lot of
financial sponsorships, but they can
never raise enough awareness about
the challenges both the children and
SOS-mothers face. According to
public relations officer, Lizo Tom,
raising as much awareness as possi-
ble is one of the primary goals for
the celebration of the organisation‟s
30th anniversary in South Africa.
He said that it is important for
South Africans to know about what
the SOS Villages have achieved
over the past 30 years as they pre-
pare for a promising future.
A gala evening took place on
the 12th of October to celebrate the
village‟s 30th anniversary. Digni-
taries such as the Ambassador of
the Austrian Embassy attended the
dinner where Dr Masitha Hoeane,
University of Pretoria Arts Director
was the guest speaker.
A birthday cake was made for
the children to enjoy on the Satur-
day after the gala dinner.
History and celebrations Staff writers
The village raised me
up to be who I am
today
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 7
Gontse Majopela soaks up the sun in a tyre. Photo: JANKE TOLMAY
pressing needs.
Victoria* who has been working
as a mother in the Village for over a
decade, left her young daughter in the
Eastern Cape to care for ten orphaned
and abandoned children.
She only has the opportunity to go
home every two months. She cares for
her family by handling the financial
responsibilities.
Victoria feels that although the
children can be a handful they bring
happiness into her life on a daily basis
which makes all of the sacrifices she
makes worthwhile.
*Victoria did not want to give her
surname
Khumpulile Mhlanga Assistant mother
Assistant mother at the village and
single parent to a one-year-old son,
Khumpulile Mhlanga, said that SOS
gave her a future. Mhlangu‟s role
requires her to live in the village and
stand in for the house mothers when
they go home.
She described her life as full of
children, helping them get ready for
school, assisting them with their
homework and preparing their meals
for them.
Mhlangu came to the village from
Nelspruit in October 2008 to fulfil her
dream of working with children.
Like Victoria, she has had to sacri-
fice living with her child. Mhlangu
said it is worth it because working at
the village allows her to give her son a
better life.
“It takes a lot of work to be a
house mother and it is a lot of respon-
sibility. I enjoy it and I love what I do
and I would not trade it in for any-
thing,” she said.
Staff writers: Philip Stofberg,
Metha Viljoen, Janke Tolmay
& Zeenat Patel
House mother Thabile pleased with her children doing their school work.
Photo: LERATO KHUMALO
Enzo James on the jungle gym at the SOS Children’s Village. Photo: JANKE TOLMAY
Nompi James enjoys the outdoors.
Photo: JANKE TOLMAY Gladis Monyebodi prepares for supper while the children
are at school. Photo: ZEENAT PATEL
No father figure
leaves boys
unsure Tom Aussems The lack of a male role model
leaves orphan boys in the SOS
Children‟s Village unsure about
how to shape their adulthood.
Sixteen year old Andile, or
„Trance‟ as he likes to be called, is
one of the kids living at the SOS
Children‟s Village. For him, as well
as a number of his peers, the biggest
shortfall in their lives is the lack of a
father figure.
When they reach 18, the children
in the villages are considered ready
to start their adult lives. In Trance‟s
case, being one of the older kids in
the village, this reality is not far
away. However, the road to adult-
hood and taking care of themselves
is not always an easy one. “We‟re
trained to make our lives better but
without a father figure we [can‟t],”
Trance said. He would love to start a
family one day but he is not sure
how to act like a father, nor does he
know how to fix a car or treat a lady.
For Trance the solution was an
“initiation.”
An initiation is a traditional
inauguration into manhood. For
Trance and his peers it is a way of
compensating for the gap that their
fathers have left behind. In order to
become a man the children are
required to survive and, amongst
other things, fight with sticks. Ac-
cording to the Child and Youth
Development Coordinator at the
village, Victor Mbinga, boys often
feel the need to express their newly
acquired manliness which results in
dominant behaviour towards their
caregivers and peers.
Mbinga is one of five male
staff members at the village. Many
of the children - and boys in partic-
ular - treat him as a substitute fa-
ther. Boys often approach him with
pressing questions regarding cir-
cumcision, initiation and marriage.
“There seems to be a lack of under-
standing of how to establish [their]
own families. Boys do not feel
comfortable enough to address
these issues with their mothers,”
Mbinga said.
Social workers Tresia Mannao
and Pinkie Sogayise acknowledged
the lack of a father figure in the
boys‟ lives. According to them, the
boys become very affectionate and
often smother the male visitors
with questions. Mbinga stated that
the children inevitably start enquir-
ing about their biological parents.
Mbinga noted that uncertainty
about their parents and their forma-
tive years is a sensitive issue to
many of the older boys in the vil-
lage. “The father figure [problem]
kills our kids,” said Mbinga. Many
teenage boys become rebellious
when these issues remain unattend-
ed and this often results in them
disobeying and mistreating their
foster moms.
Mannao and Sogayise remain
hopeful about the boys‟ futures,
however, saying “Those who are
curious enough, teach themselves
[how to be an adult].”
8 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
Managing editor
Philip Stofberg
Editor
Danielle Petterson
Deputy editor
Maxwell Kamlongera
Advertising manager
Ishmael Mohlabe
News editor
Sydney King
Deputy news editor
Matthew Hakim
Photo editor
Narina Nel
Deputy photo editor
Sean Nurse
Chief layout artist
Annika Mouton
Chief copy editor
Stephanie van der Plank
Layout Artists
Anna Lourens
Chloé Holenstein
Hilton Thom
Ilana van Heerden
Ischke de Jager
Lerato Khumalo
Metha Viljoen
Nyasha Bosman
Pieter van der Merwe
Rochandré Kibido
Rochelle Jansen
Zenna Muller
Copy editors
Aimeé Delagey
Amy-Mae Campbell
Dunja Raschke
Liesl de Wet
Lidia Wilken
Margeaux Erasmus
Maxine Twaddle
Melissa Kemp
Neil Pretorius
Ntombi Shilubane
Taryn Richmond
Editorial Staff 2012
Danielle Petterson
Letter from the editor
Maxwell Kamlongera
Thanks to the community
Everything starts with a word of
thanks and I’d like the opportunity
to express such gratitude on behalf
of the entire newspaper staff to-
wards the institutions that accom-
modated the University of Pretoria’s
(UP) journalism students.
Arrangements were made as to
the regions we (the students) would
visit and from there it was left to
each student’s discretion as to where
to proceed.
With help and reference from
the individuals that make up the
community, we were given an en-
riching opportunity to learn more
about the district. Whether it was
coming to grips as to how serious
tick-bite fever is or better under-
standing the utilisation of Ubuntu
amongst the schools, we weren’t left
disappointed, while there were even
those amongst us that creatively
went the extra mile to find stories
that would even amaze the residents
of Mamelodi.
It would be long-winded to
point out each and every foundation
that played a role but essentially the
list is composed of the countless
people and organisations mentioned
in this paper. Their patience not
only started long before the journal-
ism students made their first visits
but it continued long after the stu-
dents left and instead it was now the
staff of the paper doing follow-ups
on individual beats.
Many thanks goes to these insti-
tutions and the individuals of the
community who made each article
and photo a possibility. I now look
to the future and hope that the col-
laboration between these establish-
ments and UP’s Journalism Pro-
gramme can continue and that more
initiatives between UP and Mamelo-
di can emerge.
Raising The Mamelodi Voice Three years ago the Journalism
students of the University of Preto-
ria (UP) began a reporting project in
Mamelodi. Most were new to the
area, and many said they felt lost.
This changed quickly when they
met the people of Mamelodi, who
opened up their hearts and poured
out their stories of goodwill, hope
and, yes, sometimes heartache.
Since 2010 we have made many
friends here. We love coming back
to visit the projects, schools and
clinics that do so much to uplift and
encourage this community.
The Mamelodi Voice is our
attempt at giving a voice to the
friends we have made along the
way. We want to be a place where
the efforts – and struggles– of these
community heroes can be visible to
everyone around them.
However, we are not in the
business of providing only free
publicity. We do real reporting and
photojournalism. Where there is
good news, we will tell it. Where
there are problems, we will report
on them as well.
Doing reporting in Mamelodi is
also a wonderful learning oppor-
tunity for our Journalism students.
They get the opportunity to get out
of the comfort zone of the class-
room and into real-life reporting
situations. While this might be un-
comfortable, it is the quickest way
to learn. We applaud the second
year Journalism class of 2012 for
their determination and innovation
during this reporting project.
To the staff of the Summer 2012
editon of The Mamelodi Voice: you
have put together an exceptional
publication. You can be proud of
the way you worked together as a
team. But you should be especially
proud of the way you managed to
make this a community newspaper.
For in the end The Mamelodi
Voice belongs to Mamelodi.
Marenet Jordaan (lecturer)
Prof. Pippa Green (head)
UP Journalism Programme
Before being tasked with reporting
in Mamelodi I had never even seen
the place. I never imagined myself
going to Mamelodi, especially not
right into the heart of it.
When first hearing our assign-
ment, many of the journalism stu-
dents were shocked – and some I
believe a little scared. We were
even more trepidatious after being
told not to focus on the negative but
find positive, uplifting stories –
where do you find a positive story
in Mamelodi, right?
Wrong. As you can see by
this paper, there are in fact
many stories to be found in
Mamelodi that don’t only fo-
cus on the negative. The sad
fact is, bad news sells, and that
is why the public is bombarded
with negative images of this
community. This paper has
been set up to serve the com-
munity, to show the real Mam-
elodi – a colourful, vibrant
place full of interesting people,
many of whom have devoted
their lives to helping others.
There are many worthy causes
in Mamelodi that need support. It
is my dream that future editions of
The Mamelodi Voice become a
champion for the people of this
community providing them with a
platform for their voices to be
heard. I hope that this edition high-
lights the fact that if you take the
time to look you will see the posi-
tive in any place and that for every
problem a solution can be found.
As myself and the rest of The
Mamelodi Voice team came to
realise, putting together a newspa-
per is no easy task – especially
when starting from scratch. In fact,
at the start I found myself wholly
unprepared for this daunting chal-
lenge. Although this is the third
edition of The Mamelodi Voice,
every edition is something com-
pletely new for the students who
tackle the task from a vantage
point of zero experience.
In the end I can honestly say
that I have learned a lot and I am
sure that the rest of the staff has
too. Despite much hard work and
many sleepless nights, putting
together this edition of The Mam-
elodi Voice has been a great and
invaluable experience. I would
like to thank the team members
who gave their best and helped
make this newspaper a reality.
I hope that you will enjoy
reading the interesting stories that
fill its pages.
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 9
Annakie Human and Rheece Moonjava, stand in front of one of their artworks at Viva Village in Lusaka. Lewele Joseph and Lucas Seleme sit in the sun and enjoy the art
around them.
David Aphane speeds past a colorfully painted house. Another house that was transformed into a work of art outside the Viva Village.
Moshumi Street in Lusaka, where the artists have painted colorful pictures on some of the
houses.
Colourful Mamelodi Some of the houses in the Lusaka settlement have been transformed from being just an-
other house in a row of so many to a work of art. Annakie Human and Rheece Moonjava,
volunteers at the Viva Village, have painted colourful works of art on nine houses in
Mamelodi. According to Annakie the idea behind this initiative is to create something out
of the ordinary that will attract tourists and benefit the community. The artists want tour-
ists to come and view the art and leave donations to the owners of the houses.
Photos: LIDIA WILKEN
Lungile Masheba stands at the entrance of her house in Viva Village.
T ick infestations are a big prob-
lem in Mamelodi. This is
because they are found in the
environment where residents live and
keep their pets, according to Dr Cher-
rie Liebenberg, head of the Mamelodi
Animal Health Clinic (MAHC).
Tick-bite fever is a blood-born
parasite that enters an animal‟s blood
stream when the animal is bitten by a
tick carrying this disease. The para-
site then uses the red blood cells to
grow, divide and multiply. It does
this by causing one red blood cell to
explode before moving on to others.
“So what you end up with is a dog
with no blood. It is a horrendous,
painful and horrible way to die, to put
it mildly,” said Liebenberg.
“Mamelodi is pretty much riddled
with ticks,” she said, but added that
there is no reason why dogs should
die from tick-bite fever. “It is com-
pletely preventable. All you have to
do is keep the ticks off your dog.”
The MAHC aids dog owners in
preventing diseases such as tick bite
fever by providing them with the
means to regularly dip their dogs at
the clinic. Dipping is a preventative
method that keeps ticks from jumping
onto the animals for approximately
seven to ten days. Liebenberg said,
“We are trying to keep the dip-tank
free [of charge]. There is just no rea-
son not to bring your dogs and have
them dipped.”
According to Liebenberg her four
main projects at the MAHC are tick-
bite fever, worms, parvovirus (parvo)
and distemper. She said that these
diseases are prevented through dip-
ping, vaccinations and de-worming.
“We should not be seeing these is-
sues,” she said, “and unfortunately
Mamelodi is full up on all of [these].”
Parvo is a highly contagious virus
that attacks dividing cells in the ani-
mal‟s body resulting in a lowered
immune system. Distemper is caused
by a virus that is similar to human
measles. It is also life-threatening and
easily preventable through vaccina-
tions. The MAHC provides vaccina-
tions for both of these diseases.
Rabies can be prevented by vac-
cinations offered by the MAHC. Dr
Quixi Sonntag from the University of
Pretoria‟s Department of Companion
Animal Clinical Studies, said that
rabies is by far the most fatal disease
that can be transmitted from animals
to humans. Rabies is transmitted by
the infected dog‟s saliva. Dogs with
rabies often behave unusually, typi-
cally becoming intensely aggressive.
“The dog dies within a few days
of showing symptoms, [but] for peo-
ple it is a slow and horrible death and
it can take months before people show
the symptoms of the disease after
having been bitten,” she added. If
people receive immediate treatment at
a hospital after being bitten by a rabid
dog there is a chance of survival. The
only way to diagnose the disease in
dogs is by way of a special test done
on the brain of the deceased dog.
Rabies is a controlled disease
which means all cases have to be
reported to the government through
the veterinary or medical state depart-
ments depending on whether the carri-
er is an animal or human.
To prevent rabies, owners need
to vaccinate their dogs when they are
approximately three months old and
again before a year of age. From then
on vaccinations every three years will
be sufficient. “A simple vaccination
can save the lives of people,”
Sonntag said. The dog vaccine is
cheap and often given free of charge
by state veterinarians. However, it is
more complicated and much more
expensive to vaccinate people. There-
fore the best way to prevent rabies is
to vaccinate dogs.
“That is one of the things we are
really trying to drive home: That pre-
vention is better than cure,”
Liebenberg said. “We are looking at
primary health care and these are
easily preventable diseases.”
Animal diseases need not be deadly
Margeaux Erasmus
Worms:
Parasites that infect the
canine intestines. The most
common types of worms
are Hookworms, Round-
worms, Tapeworms and
Whipworms. Owners
should de-worm their dogs
regularly. It is also good
practise to remove canine
faeces frequently from the
yard.
Distemper:
Very similar to the measles
virus that affects humans.
Distemper is a very serious
viral disease in dogs. The
distemper vaccine should
be administered every 3 to
4 weeks, from 6 to 16
weeks of age with subse-
quent annual boosters.
Parvovirus:
A virus that could attack
the intestines of any canine
species. Puppies are espe-
cially susceptible to the
disease and it can result in
death. Easily preventable
through vaccination. First
vaccination should be ad-
ministered at 6 weeks and
then at 9 and 12 weeks.
Annual booster shots are
then advised for general
pet health.
Rabies:
A fatal disease that affects
all warm-blooded animals.
It is spread through saliva
and may be prevented
through vaccinations at 3
to 6 months.
Hepatitis:
A highly contagious viral
infection which affects the
liver, kidneys, spleen,
lungs, and eyes in dogs.
Puppies under the age of a
year are vulnerable to this
and should receive a vac-
cination as early in its life
as possible. Annual revac-
cination is often recom-
mended.
Initial symptoms include
behaviour and personality
changes such as fearfulness,
anxiety, shyness and with-
drawal.
Symptoms progress to rest-
lessness, agitation and over-
reaction to sights and sounds.
These lead to full-blown
aggression, then disorienta-
tion followed by seizures.
Dogs may experience paraly-
sis in the head and neck area.
This causes inability to swal-
low, resulting in excess sali-
vation or foaming at the
mouth.
After this death soon follows.
Puppy Julius at Mamelodi Animal Health Clinic, diagnosed with a progressed form of tick-bite fever.
Photo: ANELDA MARX
Joe Masinga's pet dog, Bushka, who has ovarian cancer. Her ribs stick out
because of the disease.
Photo: MARGEAUX ERASMUS
The blood cells of puppy Julius show that he has tick-bite fever.
Photo: ANELDA MARX
10 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
Symptoms of
tick-bite fever
Symptoms of rabies
Dog diseases
Fever
Lameness
Loss of appetite
Vomiting and diarrhoea
Coughing
Excessive salivating
Sudden pain in your dog's
legs or body
Swelling in your dog's joints
Lethargy
Depression
P eople donating blood is a com-
mon occurrence. However,
blood donors can also be found
in the form of man‟s best friend - the
domestic dog. Like humans, animals
often need blood transfusions.
Canine blood transfusions are
needed in a variety of cases; most
often through loss of blood from inju-
ries in road accidents or dog fighting.
Other cases include instances of blood
poisoning and immune-mediated hae-
molytic anaemia where the immune
system attacks the red blood cells.
In this case, a constant flow of new
blood is needed to prevent fatal anae-
mia while treatment is at work.
The Mamelodi Animal Health
Clinic (MAHC) has become the pro-
vider of this much needed animal
healthcare to the pets of Mamelodi.
Most veterinarians rely on their
own resources in the procurement of
life-saving blood. Internet sites such
as dogblooddonors.com provide vets
with an online database of potential
canine blood donors. Registrations are
similar to those of the South African
National Blood Service (SANBS) in
human medicine, as dogs, like people,
become certified and frequent donors.
In the case of the MAHC, they
have a number of Greyhounds serving
as their frequent donors. The dogs
work on six week rotations and live
with the veterinary science students at
the University of Pretoria‟s Onder-
stepoort campus. They provide the
blood needed by the clinic‟s patients.
Greyhounds are ideally suited to the
work of blood donation as they have a
unique physiological trait in their
blood. They are the dog-equivalent of
the „universal‟ Type O blood type
found in humans. This blood type is
found within 70% of the Greyhound
species. Their blood has a higher red
blood cell count than other dogs have,
as well as a lower count of white
blood cells and platelets.
The blood is collected from both
sedated and non-sedated animals. Dr
Cherrie Liebenberg, a veterinarian at
MAHC, treats Greyhounds that have a
calm temperament, allowing for non-
sedated donation. Standard human
blood bags are used along with sy-
ringes containing anti-coagulant. A
normal donation is 450ml, the equiva-
lent of „One Canine Unit‟. This can
safely be obtained from a 25kg dog.
Smaller breeds may also contribute
smaller amounts if the need arises.
Larger breeds, such as the St Bernard
and Irish Wolfhound are able to con-
tribute three bags at a time.
Greyhounds are the preferred
breed, not only for racing, but also for
the task of donation. Humans are
regularly asked to provide this life-
saving service for their fellow man,
but sometimes the pet‟s need for
blood donations is forgotten.
If you would like to find out more
about the process or whether your dog
is an eligible donor, contact the
MAHC at 012 842 3451 or get in
touch with your nearest vet clinic.
A helping paw Hilton Thom
Feeding
An all round balanced diet
consists of six parts: protein,
carbohydrates, fat, vitamins,
minerals and water.
The dog food you buy should
be labelled „complete and
balanced‟.
Feed your dog twice a day.
Ensure your dog always has
fresh, clean water.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations and booster
shots will help keep your dog
safe and healthy.
Yearly vaccinations include
those for the more common
fatal diseases.
All-in-one shots will general-
ly protect your dog from
distemper, hepatitis, parain-
fluenza and parvovirus. De-
pending on local risks, pro-
tection from coronavirus,
leptospirosis and Lyme dis-
ease may also be included.
Ask your vet about heart-
worm testing and prevention
A rabies shot will be needed
every few years.
Sleeping arrangements
Your dog should have shelter
from sun, rain and wind.
Make sure your dog has a
warm place to sleep in winter
and a cool place in summer.
If you have a doghouse your
dog should be able to stand
up, turn around, and lie down
comfortably in it.
Bedding should be washed
weekly in hot water to re-
move odours and kill para-
sites such as fleas and their
eggs.
Dog-proofing your yard
Make sure you have a sturdy
fence around your yard with
no way for your dog to es-
cape.
Your dog shouldn‟t be able to
jump over it, dig under it or
squeeze through a hole.
Don‟t tie your dog up with
chains, wire or thick rope.
This can hurt your dog.
Grooming
Regularly brushing your
dog‟s hair keeps it from mat-
ting and keeps skin healthy
by stimulating blood flow
and distributing natural oils.
Trim your dog‟s nails and
often check your dog‟s paws
for cuts.
Dogs don‟t need to be bathed
regularly - only when they
become dirty or smelly. Use
dog shampoo or human baby
shampoo. If you want to
bathe your dog more than
once a month: use a soap-free
or moisturizing shampoo to
prevent the skin from becom-
ing dry.
Dog blood donation
Dogs, like humans, have
various blood groups. There
are eight blood types to
which donors and recipients
should ideally match.
The ideal donor should be a
friendly, healthy, clinically
normal animal that is not
pregnant nor has produced a
litter, if it is a female.
All donors must be vaccinat-
ed, but not within 10-14 days
of donation.
The dogs should be free of
infections, parasites and
blood- born diseases such as
tick-bite fever.
Greyhounds are the pre-
ferred breed, not only for
racing, but also for the
task of donation.
Dr Cherrie Liebenberg, a veterinarian, works at the Mamelodi Animal Health
Clinic.
Photo: NICOLENE OELOFSE
Puppy, Lucifer, recovers from diarrhoea, caused by unhealthy circumstanc-
es at home.
Photo: ANELDA MARX
Gareth Cronje, a first year BSc Natural and Biological Science student, exam-
ines one of the puppies for tick-bite fever.
Photo: ANELDA MARX
Joe Masinga shows off his chow puppy, Sam, after facial reconstructive
surgery.
Photo: NICOLENE OELOFSE
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 11
How to care
for your dog
12 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
A client pays Noah Chaya for fried chicken legs.
Photo: ANNIKA MOUTON
The under-13 (red) and under-11 (blue) players enjoying a practice game at Pfunzo Ndi Tshedza
Primary School. Photo: SEAN NURSE
A boy finishes his lunch at the Viva Village day care centre. Photo: NATALIE THOMPSON
Student nurse Adelaide Se/okelo speaking
to Auntie Dina at the Frail Care wing of the
Mamelodi Society for Care of the Aged.
Photo: NEIL PRETORIUS
Jacquoline Senoamadi, a kitchen staff volunteer at Legora Primary
School, prepares to hand out oranges to pupils as they leave school.
Photo: SYDNEY KING
A group of schoolchildren crowd the windowpane from inside their grade four English classroom at
Legora Primary School. Photo: ILANA VAN HEERDEN
A local resident with his dog about to
receive treatment at the Mamelodi Animal
Health Clinic.
Photo: NICOLENE OELOFSE
Tshepo Mahlanti and fellow students line up to receive their afternoon
snacks of oranges at Legora Primary School. Photo: TARYN RICHMOND
G reen areas planted for food
production or recreational
purposes are scarce in Mame-
lodi. This makes the existence of a
school garden in the Pfunzo Ndi
Tshedza Primary School quite re-
markable. Since 2006 food and me-
dicinal plants have been grown in the
area around the school building.
The lack of green areas in Mame-
lodi make planting and cultivating
quite challenging. “Overcrowding as
well as a hot and dry climate result in
water scarcity and lack of space,”
explained Jacob Mabe, the principal
of the school. Moreover, illegal waste
burning and garbage dumping abuses
many of the public green areas.
“Our school garden is open to
[the] neighbours and constitutes,
therefore, a service to the communi-
ty,” said Mabe. He said that the
school is somewhat dependent on the
engagement of neighbours for
maintenance.
The harvest provides for the
school kitchen as much as possible
and is also distributed amongst, or
sold to, the people within the com-
munity. This is important in light of
the widespread malnutrition of many
children in Mamelodi, resulting from
the poor socio-economic circum-
stances. Many children receive their
only meal of the day at school. Some
are orphans, and in an especially
precarious nutritional state.
Ben Mashele, the coordinator of
the school garden, said teaching the
children the skills necessary to grow
edible plants may positively affect
their overall nutrition.
Indigenous plants are preferable
to exotic plants. Mashele explains
that indigenous plants have an ad-
vantage because they require far less
water through their alignment with
the South African climate conditions.
They also require less maintenance.
Next to the garden of edible plants
a smaller section is reserved for
plants with medicinal usage. Many
families cannot afford medicine at
all, making access to medicinal plants
important to their overall health care.
On a walk through the school
garden, Mashele explained that the
„chips‟ and „kulufulu‟ plants are
grown because of their robustness
and vast usage against infections and
the flu.
Dried up plants, garbage in the
plant beds and ripe fruits that have
not been harvested, cause large parts
of the school garden to appear aban-
doned. Mabe pointed to issues with
personnel that have made keeping the
garden on track problematic.
He stated that they have voted for
a new garden committee with
Mashele as main coordinator, and is
positive they will work hard.
Currently a handful of gardeners,
consisting of occasional supporters
from the community and pupils of the
seventh grade, take care of the vast
school garden.
“Obviously, the school garden
cannot be prioritized over more sali-
ent issues, like [education] or infra-
structure,” admitted Mashele.
He said that they try to acquire
enough resources necessary to keep
the garden going with the help of
sponsors. Mabe agreed: “We won‟t
let the school garden down. Teaching
gardening skills is our contribution to
mitigate the impact of malnutrition
and rising food prices.”
A stroke survivor has found a
way to support his family by
growing spinach and making
furniture at Viva Village in the Alaska
informal settlement in Lusaka, Mame-
lodi East.
Stephen Lehoko was born in
Evaton, Vereeniging, where he grew
up and started a family of his own.
However, after suffering a stroke all
he could do to support his family was
to plant and tend to his own tomatoes
and spinach.
His circumstances changed in
January of this year when his brother,
Ishmael, a taxi- driver in Mamelodi,
discovered Viva Village.
According to missionary Leon
Kriel, CEO of Viva Foundation, Viva
follows the example of the Roman
Catholic missions. The centres behind
high walls looked like paradise; a
strategy that invited people in to
absorb and learn from their beauty.
Viva Village however, is not
behind high walls. It is a fenced-off
area, about the size of a soccer field,
with grass, trees and flowers that do
not otherwise appear amidst the
shacks of Alaska.
“A people are only informal until
they get themselves organised. Then
they become a community,” said
Kriel, citing Stephen and Ishmael as
good examples.
Kriel‟s wife Meleney, Chairper-
son and Fund Development Manager
of Viva Foundation, said that the
brothers showed up one day without
demands and ready to work. They
have each been given a spinach
garden to oversee.
The kitchen uses the spinach grown
for V-Food, a programme that feeds
Viva‟s Day Care children and orphan
families. Stephen and Ishmael can
eat or sell what is left over from the
garden. They also receive V-Food
meals – as does everybody who
works on the premises and is present
at mealtime.
Stephen and Ishmael are at Viva
Village every day. When they are not
tending the vegetable gardens, they
are in the carpentry workshop. Here
they learn woodwork skills and
business knowledge from Kriel as part
of Viva‟s Enterprise Development
Programme.
The brothers are encouraged to
take orders for furniture from the
community and begin selling while
they are still training.
Meleney Kriel hopes that this kind
of approach will cause the entire
community of Alaska to benefit. “The
more people in the neighbourhood
that earn money, [the more] the place
will come alive,” she concluded.
For Leon Kriel it is all about
standing back and letting the Viva
initiatives run on their own. He
hopes that through the training he
provides, Stephen and Ishmael
will learn the skills, safety proce-
dures and business knowledge
needed to become workshop man-
agers and factory owners.
Garden of hope
Cultivating plants empowers community
Grow your own vegetables at home
Stephen Lehoko tends the spinach garden at Viva Village in Lusaka.
Photo: BRONWYN CURRIN
Stephen Lehoko clears away weeds and dead plants in the spinach garden.
Photo: BRONWYN CURRIN
A people are only
informal until they
get themselves
organised. Then they
become a
community
Bronwyn Currin
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 13
Spring vegetables:
Beetroot
Baby Marrows
Carrots
Cucumbers
Potatoes
Lettuces
Peppers
Tomatoes
Peas
Summer vegetables:
Beetroot
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Carrots
Cucumber
Lettuces
Squash
Sweet corn
1. Find a spot that gets plenty of sunlight that isn‟t
near other plants and trees. If your veggies are
planted near other plants, they compete for nutri-
ents from the soil and water.
2. The area where you want to grow your veggies
should be a space of 5x4 metres. This is large
enough to grow a good variety of vegetables and
herbs.
3. Mark out where your walkways are going to be.
Lay a network of pathways that are about 1,2m
apart. This allows you to move around your gar-
den, without standing on your plants.
4. Prepare the soil for planting. Turn the soil between
the pathways with a garden fork to a depth of
25cm. Remove all stones, weeds and rubbish.
Make sure the soil is broken up, then add compost,
manure and slow release veggie fertiliser (optional)
to the turned soil.
5. Work the compost and manure into the ground.
You want soil consistency that is not too sandy,
but also not clumpy. Your veggie patch is now
ready for planting.
6. Head to your local garden shop to purchase seeds
for various herbs and vegetables. If you want to
save money you can plant a tomato into the ground
and tomatoes will grow.
Veggies like butter lettuce also keep growing
when it is in the soil. You can also remove the
seeds from peppers or chillies and plant it in your
garden.
Indigenous plants
are preferable to
exotic plants
Annika Kirbis
14 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
My Dream
I dream to be someone special,
someone kind,
someone that wants to bring happiness into the
world and make it a better place for everyone in it.
Some one strong,
Some one fearless,
Some one brave,
Some one who would happily risk her life to save another.
Some one who will be well known for her braveness and kindness.
I will help the poor,
I will give hope to those who don’t have any
left in them
I won’t be a goddess or a queen but
I will just be someone trying to make a difference.
I will be a normal person like you but with
the gift of making others happy.
That my dream!
Whats yours?
By Hobukhosi Ndlovu
Zakhele Primary School
1
My dream
When I dream is like a black and white paradise,
but when I wake-up the sky is so blue and so clear
When I sleep I see money in my hand,
but when I wake-up its gone.
When I sleep I see everybody being so nice,
but when I wake up everybody is shouting for no reason.
I dream about Mom and dad holding me,
but when I wake-up they are gone.
I dream flying like an angel,
but when I wake-up I have no wings.
My dream is my dream it can’t be anyone’s,
My dream is like a fairytale that never ended and never been told.
By Phoku Magdaline Popina
Legora Primary School
My dream
My dream, my dream
I always get this visions
of being a lawyer, I sometimes
get happy, sad there after
I don’t know where I will end up
being something special, but I know this is
what I want
My passion, my mission and vision
I know I am supportive I can be a lawyer
I know I am innocent I can be a lawyer
Changing lives in Africa
Changing things in my poverty stricken country
I will be there for my people
I will be there for my country, My dream, My dream!!
By Mande Mamatshele
Meetse-a-Bophelo Primary School
3
Poetry Competition Editor’s Note
The staff members of this edition of The Mamelodi Voice decided to hold a
poetry competition for the learners of various Mamelodi primary schools, after
the success of last year’s competition. Learners from Meetse-a-Bophelo,
Legora and Zakhele Primary Schools were invited to contemplate their futures
in a poem entitled “My Dream”. The poems were unique, creative works and
learners impressed the staff with their use of English. Out of the 76 poems that
were entered, a winner was selected from each school from which an overall
winner was chosen. All the winners received stationery hampers.
My Poem
My dog ate my homework.
That mischievous pup got hold of my
homework and ate it up.
My dog ate my homework.
its going to be late
I guess that the teacher
will just have to wait.
My dog ate my homework
He swallowed it whole
I shouldn’t have mixed it with his food in his bowl.
Lesego Koshane
Zakhele Primary School
Honorary Mention
2
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 15
Our Olympic and Paralympic heroes
Go For Gold
Poballo Kekana: “I play football and was inspired by the
Olympiads in that I dream to see myself going around the world
to represent the country I live in.”
Mandisa Ledwaba: “I watched athletics because I would like to
see myself representing South Africa around the world one day.
A South African athlete who I was inspired by watching is Caster
Semenya - she has a good pace.”
Mologadi Maluleke: “I watched athletics and I liked the way
Caster Semenya has been improving. I want to be like her and run
with the same pace she has – that is my dream. And I would like
to send a message to her that she should hold on, stand firm, and
keep it up.”
Lazarus Manyaka: “I liked the way South Africa performed,
more especially because they brought something home. They did
not just go there without having to return with a medal.”
Kgothatso Mohale: “What I learnt from athletics is that you do
not have to drink a lot of water before running. Also you do not
have to give up during the race.”
Also known as the Blade
Runner, Oscar Pistorius
was born on 22 November
1986 in Johannesburg. He
secured gold in the men’s
400m, setting a new
Paralympic record and was
part of the gold medal
winning 4x100m relay
team who set a new world
record. The runner went on
to win silver in the men’s
200m, setting a new world
record in the semi-final.
This year Oscar became
the first double leg
amputee to compete in the
Olympics when he entered
the men’s 400m race and
was part of the 4x400m
relay team.
Natalie du Toit was
born 29 January 1984
in Cape Town. Her left
leg was amputated at
the knee in 2001 after
she was hit by a car
while riding her
scooter. She won gold
in the women’s 200m
individual medley,
400m freestyle and
100m butterfly. The
swimmer also secured
a silver medal in the
100m freestyle.
Natalie became the
first ever amputee to
qualify for the
Olympics.
Achmat Hassiem was born on 6 May 1982 in Cape
Town. His right leg was severed by a four-and-a-half
meter long great white shark in 2006. He has since
been nicknamed Sharkboy. The swimmer won bronze
in the men’s 100m butterfly at the Paralympics.
Caster Semenya was born on 7 January 1991 in Polokwane. She won silver in the women’s 800m at the 2012 Olym-
pics in London.
Bridgette Hartley was born on 14 July 1983
and grew up in Johannesburg. Bridgette won a
bronze medal in the 500m women’s kayak
singles at the 2012 Olympics.
RIGHT:
Chad le Clos was born on 12 April
1992 in Durban. He won gold in the
men’s 200m butterfly, setting a new
South African record. The swimmer
also secured a silver medal in the men’s
100m butterfly.
LEFT:
Cameron van der Burgh was born on 25
May 1988 in Pretoria. Cameron won a
gold medal in the men’s 100m breast-
stroke at the 2012 Olympic Games. His
time of 58.83 seconds was a new
Olympic record.
Achmat Hassiem
Photo: HERMAN VERWEY (Foto24) Bridgitte Hartley
Photo: LISA HNATOWICZ (Foto24)
Caster Semenya Photo: LAUREN MULLIGAN(Foto24)
Natalie du Toit. Photo: HERMAN VERWEY (Foto24)
Cameron van der Burgh (left) and Chad le Clos.
Photo: FELIX DLANGAMANDLA (Foto24)
Oscar Pistorius Photo: HERMAN VERWEY (Foto24)
Children’s views on the Olympics
16 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
2 1 7 8 3
4 3 2 9
1 6
8 6 3 5
3 4
6 7 9 2
9 2
8 9 1 6
1 4 3 6 5
Across:
2. What World Cup did South Africa
host in 2010?
4. Name of a mountain near
Mamelodi.
5. Name the street where the
University of Pretoria's Mamelodi
campus is found.
8. What word means "Mother of
Melodies"?
9. Who is the science reading room
named after on Mamelodi campus?
14. Where can orphans be virtually
adopted in Mamelodi?
15. Tourists go to the Kruger
National Park to see these
animals.
18. In which province is Mamelodi
situated?
19. How many provinces are in
South Africa?
20. What type of competition did
this newspaper host?
21. South Africa's national soccer
team.
Down:
1. Where can you take your dogs or
cats if they are ill?
3. On what continent is Mamelodi?
6. Well-known soccer player from
Mamelodi.
7. What municipality is Mamelodi part
of?
10. How many official languages does
South Africa have?
11. This newspaper is called the
Mamelodi __________?
12. The administrative capital of South
Africa.
13. In what city is Table Mountain
found?
16. The South African currency.
17. Soccer team from Mamelodi
Note: If an answer is more than
one word leave an open block
between the words.
How to Play
Sudoku
A Sudoku puzzle
consists of a 9 × 9
square grid subdi-
vided into nine 3 × 3
boxes. Some of the
squares contain
numbers. The object
is to fill in the re-
maining squares so
that every row, eve-
ry column, and eve-
ry 3 × 3 box con-
tains each of the
numbers from 1 to 9
exactly once. Solv-
ing a Sudoku puzzle
involves pure logic.
No math skills or
guesswork are
needed.
Entertainment
By: Simon-Kai Garvie
The Kruger National Park is home to the greatest variety of wildlife species in Africa.
The Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world. The Grand Canyon in Ameri-
ca is the largest and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia is the second largest.
The only street in the world to be home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners is in Soweto. Nel-
son Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu both have houses on Vilakazi Street.
South Africa is the only country in the world to have hosted the Soccer, Cricket and Rugby
World Cup.
Three of the five fastest land animals live in South Africa: the cheetah (98km/h), the wilde-
beest (80km/h), and the lion (80km/h).
The oldest remains of modern humans were found in Klasies River Cave in the Eastern Cape.
They are over 100 000 years old.
The world’s first heart transplant was done in South Africa in 1967 by Dr Chris Barnard.
Did you know?
Q. What’s the difference between a new husband and a new dog?
A. After a year, the dog is still excited to see you.
Q. What’s blue and smells like red paint?
A. Blue paint.
Q. It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you
eat it you’ll die. What is it?
A. Nothing. Nothing is greater than God, nothing is more evil than the devil, the poor have noth-
ing, the rich need nothing and if you eat nothing you’ll die.
Q. Until I am measured I am not known, yet how you miss me when I have flown.
A. Time.
Jokes & riddles
Masego Ramathoka
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 17
Go fa thušo go ditšhuwana le bahloki
Erene Oberholzer
Bibliotekaris bou
leerlinge se toekoms
Prince Mavundla, bibliotekaris van die Mae Jemison-leeskamer.
Photo: DANIELLE PETTERSON
S tanza Bopape Community Cen-
tre e dira pharalogano ya bo-
phelo go bana bao ba hlokang.
E ba thuša kudu ka tša thuto, ga
mmogo le tša maphelo mo Mamelodi.
Bana bao ba hlokang, ke bao e
lego ditšhiwana le bao ba dulang ba
nnoši go sena batho ba bagolo go ba
hlokomela. Bontsi bja bona, ga bana
mangwalo a boitsibišo le a matswalo.
Ga ba kgone go hwetša thušo
mmušong ka mokgwa wa mphiwafela.
Ba bangwe ba bathuši ba bana
mo motseng ga ba kgone go ba
hlokomela ka mo golekaneng ka baka
la hlaelelo ya mašeleng. Bjale
mokgatlho o lemogile gore bana ga ba
na kgotlelelo ka diphaphošing, ebile
go na le go šalela morago dithutong
tša bona.
Lebo Ratlhagana ke o mongwe wa
baithaupi sekolong sa Pfunzo Ndi
Tshedza Primary School. Ratlhagana
o lemogile gore ba dirile phetogo e
kgolo maphelong a barutuana ba
bangwe.
Go ya ka Ratlhagana, bana ba be
ba sa tle gabotse dithutong tša
tlalaletšo e be bontša o ka re ke tša
bana bao ba dulago ka fase ga
bahlokomdi ebile bao ba hlokang fela
leba humanegi. Bjale barutwana ba,
ba fetogile ka morago ga gofiwa
tlhahlo ke mokgatlo, le baithaupi ba
go swana le Ratlhagana.
Bana ba, ba kgona go bopa
kgwerano le tshepo go mokgatlho.
Ba bangwe ba bana ba go swana le ba,
ke bao ba ka welago ga bonolo
dikotsing tša go swana le diokobatši le
madila.
Ditlamorago tsa dikotsi tsa go
swana le tseo di ka dira gore bana ba
be le maitshwaro a sa swanelago -
bjale ka go lwa, go utswa, go homola
kudu, go bolefa maoka le go hloka
taolo - ge ba le sekolong goba mo
motseng
Ratlhagana o ile a hlaloša a re,
Barupwana ba bala buka ko sekolong sa Pfunzo Ndi Tshedza Primary. Photo: JACQUES MYBURGH
“Barutiši ka batho ba tlwaetše go
bona maitswaro a bjale. Barutuwana
ba ga ba dire mošomo wa gae ebile ga
ba itapiše ka go fetša tšeo ba
laetšwego gore ba di dire gae.”
Mathata a go swana le a, a tlišwa
ke go hloka ga ba thuši gae. Baithaupi
ba thuša bana go dira mošomo wa gae
le go bafa dithuto tša tlaleletšo ka
nako ya manthapama. Ba raloka le
bona meralako ya go ba thabiša gore
ba kgone go theelefetša ka
phaphošing.
Bana ba ba fiwa dijo ka nako yeo.
Ratlhagana o lemogile gore ba
bangwe ba bona ke dijo tša go lalela.
Ka go dira bjalo Ratlhagana ore
baithaupi ba dira go tletše seatla ka
gobane bana ba fetogile ebile ba
humane legae le borutho sekolong.
Morutši sekolong sa Pfunzo Ndi
Tshedza LNJ Jiyane o hlatsetše se
sebotse seo se dirwago ke mokgatlho
mo sekolong. Jiyane o boletše gore
barutwana ba kaone kudu dithutong
tša bona. O leboga mokgatlo ka
gobane o dirile gore mošomo wa
bona o be bobebe kudu.
D ie Mae Jemison U.S Science
Reading Room is waar die
bibliotekaris, Prince Mavund-
la, gevind kan word. Met sy liefde vir
Mamelodi wat vanaf sy geboorte kom,
wil Mavundla homself nog ’n hele ruk
lank hier vestig.
Die leeskamer, geborg deur die
Amerikaanse ambassade is op die
Mamelodikampus van die Universiteit
van Pretoria. Dit akkomodeer 50 tot
150 kinders per dag met die doel om
leerlinge se vaardighede in wiskunde
en wetenskap te bevorder.
Hoërskoolleerlinge van Mamelodi
het die geleentheid om na die
leeskamer te gaan en van die fasiliteite
gebruik te maak. Daar is akademiese
programme wat Woensdae tot Vrydae
aangebied word.
Rekenaars met internet en ’n ka-
mer met allerhande wiskundige en
wetenskaplike speletjies is tot die
kinders se beskikking. “Ons wil
kinders die kans bied om ingenieurs,
dokters of rekenmeesters te word,” het
Mavundla gesê.
Die leeskamer het baie streng reëls
vir die kinders. Die rekenaars mag
slegs gebruik word vir akademiese
werk. Mavundla het gesê die leerlinge
moet werk en nie “in die hoekie
rondsit nie”. Dit gebeur dat die leer-
linge musiek van die internet wil
aflaai, of soms speletjies speel. Dit
word nie toegelaat nie. “Kinders is
hier om hulle opvoeding te verbeter en
ek is baie ernstig daaroor,” sê hy.
Mavundla het self nie op skool pres-
teer in wiskunde en wetenskap nie,
maar hy wil graag sien hoe kinders
met die vakke hul toekoms bou.“Ek
wil handig wees vir Mamelodi en vir
die kinders. Ek het die geleentheid
gekry om iets te doen met my lewe en
ek wil dieselfde vir die kinders hê.”
Mavundla geniet sy werk as bibli-
otekaris. “My persoonlike doelwit is
om eendag my eie biblioteek oop te
maak in Mamelodi,” sê hy. “Ek is lief
vir Mamelodi en ek geniet dit om met
kinders te werk.” Mavundla is ook
tans besig om Inligtingkunde aan
Unisa te studeer.
Met sy werk en sy studies, is
Mavundla se skedule baie vol. In die
oggende werk hy by Laerskool Meetse
-A-Bophelo se biblioteek, en smiddae
by die leeskamer. “Ek leer oor naweke
en in die aande. Ek is baie besig. Ek
het by my vriend gaan kuier, toe vra
hy my waar ek die laaste drie maande
was,” het Mavundla vertel oor sy
skedule.
Ten spyte van Mavundla se besige
program staan hy graag tyd af aan die
kinders. Hy speel Vrydae saam met
hulle basketbal.
Volgens Amy Canby, organi-
seerder van die leeskamer, is Mavund-
la ’n groot aanwins vir die leeskamer.
“Hy is baie goed met die kinders en
kom goed oor die weg met hulle.”
Mavundla wil graag sien hoe die
leeskamer oor tien jaar ontwikkel. “Ek
sal die plek wil sien as ’n dubbelver-
dieping met die hoop om sewe skole
se leerlinge te kan ontvang. Verbeel
jou ons kan al die kinders van Mame-
lodi akkomodeer.”
Ek het die
geleentheid gekry
om iets te doen met
my lewe en ek wil
dieselfde vir die
kinders hê
18 SUMMER 2012 The Mamelodi Voice
L egora Primary School is work-
ing with government, the Uni-
versity of Pretoria and non-
governmental organisations to im-
prove literacy levels amongst its
learners.
Principal of Legora, Mohlamme
Mathebe, said since the school’s es-
tablishment it has struggled to in-
crease the pass rates of learners. He
attributes the high failure rates direct-
ly to poor literacy skills amongst his
pupils which he feels reflects the
poverty that is seen in the communi-
ty. The biggest obstacle learners’
face, Mathebe believes, is the lack of
educational support they receive from
parents because the parents them-
selves are unable to read and write.
The school places an emphasis on
“developing in learners the ability to
handle information confidently and
correctly.” Numerous initiatives have
been introduced to address and im-
prove the inadequate literacy levels.
Quarterly reading competitions,
readathons, and Scrabble aim to im-
prove pronunciation comprehension
and confidence in the learners. The
Thuthukani Youth Project, Extra
School Support Programme and the
Stanza Bopape Health and Develop-
ment Centre are also playing a role in
combating the literacy problem.
Sarah Sibayoni, a grade three
teacher, identifies the language barri-
er as a fundamental problem to im-
proving literacy. While the school
teaches in both Zulu and Sepedi, the
learners speak many other languages
including foreign languages like Sho-
na and Portuguese. Sibayoni also
problematised an insufficient focus
on reading and writing in the govern-
ment given syllabus. “I do more my-
self because reading is little [in the
syllabus],” she said.
Lindiwe Masimula, a grade six
learner, spends her Fridays and other
free time in the library. She uses the
library books to do research for
homework and is eager to share her
passion for reading. Students like
Lindiwe show that success in improv-
ing literacy skills can be achieved.
Lifting literacy levels
Marina Gemeliaris
Community Corner
For more information, check us out
on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MJRRpretoria
Or email us at
The Mae Jemison U.S.
Science Reading Room is a FREE
math and science library for
Mamelodi-area
secondary students.
-Over 3,000 books, magazines, &
DVDs
-Internet computers
-Science programs on Wednesdays
-Games and interactive displays
-Over 1,000 members and growing!
Our programs include:
· Hands-on workshops in science,
math, and technology;
· Talks on careers in science by
local and
international experts;
· Tutoring and English language
programs
Solutions: Sudoku
6 2 9 1 7 8 4 3 5
8 4 5 3 6 2 7 9 1
1 3 7 5 9 4 8 2 6
2 7 8 6 4 3 5 1 9
3 9 1 2 8 5 6 7 4
4 5 6 7 1 9 2 8 3
9 6 3 8 5 7 1 4 2
5 8 4 9 2 1 3 6 7
7 1 2 4 3 6 9 5 8
Crossword Across:
2. Fifa
4. Rooiberg
5. Hinterland
8. Mamelodi
9. Dr Mae Jemison
14. Viva Village
15. The Big Five
18. Gauteng
19. Nine
20. Poetry
21. Bafana Bafana
Down:
1. Mamelodi Animal Health
Clinic
3. Africa
6. Themba Mguni
7. Tshwane
10. Eleven
11. Voice
12. Pretoria
13. Cape Town
16. Rand
17. Sundowns
Mamelodi Animal Health Clinic Mon-Fri: 9:00 - 14:30
Address: University of Pretoria Mamelodi Campus,
All welcome:
Vaccination against rabies at a small charge
Dip tank for ticks & rabies for free
Sterilisation & castration
Advice: all aspects of raising puppies & answers to
any questions/enquiries
Mamelodi Society for Care of the Aged Mon-Fri: 10:00 - 16:00
Tel: 012 7510 193
Volunteers wanted: cleaning / laundry / cooking / any
specific skills. Volunteers for 1 hour a week
Mamelodi Law Clinic Mon-Fri: 08:00 -16:00
Tel: 012 842 3631
Fax: 012 842 3763
Address: University of Pretoria Mamelodi Campus, Cnr
Solomon Mahlangu & Hinterland
Legal aid is given to clients over a broad spectrum of
matters including divorces, maintenance, evictions, debt
review, contractual and delictual disputes.
Clients need to qualify through a means test in order to
be assisted, and clients are not charged for services ren-
dered but qualifying clients are liable to pay for dis-
bursements such as sheriff fees.
Peter Mahlantu, Sam Mafude, Sipho Fesima and Busi Lehluwa learn
together in the library at Legora Primary School.
Photo: TARYN RICHHMOND
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 19
Feeding scheme nourishes hungry children Sean Nurse
T he Stanza Bopape Community
Centre runs a feeding scheme
at several primary schools in
Mamelodi. The centre has many vol-
unteers whose aim is to feed or-
phaned and vulnerable children.
The community centre was
established in 1994 by community
members. It is located inside the
Stanza Bopape Clinic in Hector
Peterson Street, in section eight of
Mamelodi. The food given to the
children is provided by National
Social Services. Supermarket chains
such as Shoprite and Pick n Pay also
donate food. In addition to providing
food, the centre provides some
children with school uniforms.
The Pfunzo Ndi Tshedza Primary
School’s kitchen staff prepares food
brought to the school by Lebogang
Ralthagana and her fellow volunteers
from the centre. The centre calls its
work the “drop-in programme,”
which means its volunteers visit
various schools, deliver food and
assist with homework.
The feeding scheme occurs after
school hours and gives 53 children
sustenance. “Some of these children
are orphans and it is their only food
for the day,” said Ralthagana.
An orphaned child does not have
parents, but may have a guardian. A
vulnerable child is cared for by a
relative (who is not a guardian), or is
part of a child-headed household.
Children who do not receive social
grants may request assistance from
the centre. The centre helps them
apply for grants, often giving the
required references.
“The children are not the only
ones who benefit from this pro
gramme,” Ralthagana explained.
“Sometimes, when the community
centre has spare food parcels, we
send [them home] with the children.
Then the people at home can have
something to eat too.”
Pfunzo Ndi Tshedza Primary
School is one of three satellite
schools which the Community Centre
assists. The two other schools in
Mamelodi that benefit from the pro-
gramme are the Motheo Primary
School and the Legora Primary
School where 130 children receive
food on a daily basis.
Most meals contain a variety of
ingredients including maize meal,
bread, rice, meat (in the form of
chicken or mince) and vegetables
such as beetroot, cabbage and pump-
kin. Diluted drinks and milk accom-
pany these meals. An eight-year-old
child told The Mamelodi Voice, “I am
happy on Wednesday because we get
samp and beans.”
Children eat a lunch of pap, sweet potato and vegetables at the Viva Village Day Care Centre in Lusaka. Photo: NATALIE THOMPSON
Roasted garlic lemon
broccoli
Ingredients 2 heads broccoli (separated into
pieces)
2 teaspoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic (chopped up)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions 1.Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.
2. In a large bowl, toss cut up broccoli
with the cooking oil, salt, pepper and
garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an
even layer on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until
broccoli pieces are soft enough to
pierce the stems with a fork.
4. Time in the oven: 15 to 20 minutes.
5. When finished in the oven, remove
and place on serving platter.
Squeeze lemon juice over the broccoli
before serving for a refreshing, tangy
finish.
White cabbage and thyme
Ingredients 565ml chicken or vegetable stock
½ a handful of fresh thyme leaves
(herbs)
1 white cabbage. Remove outer
leaves, halve the cabbage and
slice very finely
2 blocks of butter
cooking oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions 1. Place your stock and thyme in a pan
on the stove. Bring to the boil and
then sprinkle in your finely sliced
cabbage into the pot.
2. Mix it all up, put the lid on the pot
and boil well for 5 minutes.
3. Turn the heat down to a simmer and
continue to cook until the cabbage is a
pleasure to eat.
4. Top up the stock a little bit if you
feel it’s reducing too much (If you
want more liquid)
5. Add the butter, a little bit of cook-
ing oil, season with salt and pepper
and serve right away.
Whole baked cauliflower in
tomato sauce
Ingredients:
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 large head of cauliflower, outer
green leaves removed, stalk chopped
cooking oil
parsley, leaves roughly chopped,
stalks finely chopped
2 cans good-quality chopped plum
tomatoes
vinegar
Directions: 1. Find a pan in which the whole head
of cauliflower will fit. Ensure about
an inch of space around the cauliflow-
er.
2. Add the onion, garlic, chopped
cauliflower stalk and a little bit of oil
to the pan. Slowly fry for 10 minutes
until softened and with a little colour.
3. Add parsley stalks and fry for an-
other couple of minutes.
4. Add your tomatoes, then half-fill
one of the cans with water and add
that to the pan, with a litte bit of vine-
gar. Stir everything together breaking
the tomatoes down to make sure there
are no big lumps.
5. Bring to the boil.
6. Take your cauliflower and gently
push it down into the sauce. If you’ve
got the size of your pan right, half of
the cauliflower will be in the sauce,
half above it.
7. Drizzle with cooking oil, put the lid
on and let it sit on a low heat for 50
minutes.
Recipes
Some of these children
are orphans and it is their
only food for the day
Julius Sacerla prepares food at the feeding scheme for the students of
Pfunzo Ndi Tshedza Primary School. Photo: JAQUES MYBURGH
Mokgadi Makgopa, a kitchen staff member and Thuthukani volunteer, cleans the kitchen at Legora Primary School.
Photo: SYDNEY KING
The Mamelodi Voice SUMMER 2012 20
Historically, “Mamelodi”,
meaning mother of melodies,
was the name given to Paul Kruger by the Africans for his ability
to whistle and imitate birds. It is in
this settlement, northeast of Pretoria,
that the Ma Lerato Centre for Hope
can be found; nestled between well-
built brick houses and shacks.
The founder of the centre, Lerato
Jacobs, is affectionately known by the
children in her care as „Ma Lerato‟. It
holds the special meaning, “mother of
love”, an appropriate name for the
woman whose centre has cared for the
elderly, destitute, sickly, abused and
orphaned since its commencement in
1990. Though slight in stature, she is
great in love “for all the children she
looks after.”
Gloria Mdluli said that “[Ma Lera-
to] takes the people in and looks after
them with her own money and lets
them stay in her own house.”
Ma Lerato never completed prima-
ry school, is illiterate, speaks Sotho
and only knows bits and pieces of
English. Despite this she obtained
certificates from the Department of
Social Development for HIV/Aids
Care, Counselling and Home–Based
Care and Child Care.
Today, the centre is operating out
of her four-bedroom home and is man-
aged by three people at a time. There
are currently 35 children residing
there, ranging from eight-month-olds
to 18 year-olds. On average, there are
about eight children per room with 11
chil-dren sleeping in the garage.
According to Ma Lerato‟s daugh-
ter, Mapule, the biggest challenge for
the centre is the lack of space. In addi-
tion to the overcrowding, there is not a
big enough area for the children to
play or enough bathrooms to accom-
modate all of their daily needs.
Ma Lerato says that they don‟t have
enough funds to expand the building:
“The government won‟t help us. They
say I must write a report, but I tell
them I can‟t write.” Since her husband
passed away in 2004 it has been diffi-
cult to cope with the burden of caring
for so many, as well as the huge finan-
cial load associated with managing the
demanding centre.
Despite these hardships, some
organisations and individuals have
come to the aid of the centre. A few
local churches have been generous
with their donations, which were used
to purchase new toys and stationery
for the children.
Private companies donated clothes
and blankets for the cold winter sea-
son and Woolworths and Pick „n Pay
often donate surplus food to the cen-
tre. Ma Lerato also makes sure that
every single child attends school, and
personally sees to it that they all keep
up with their grades. Some students
from the education faculty at the Uni-
versity of Pretoria stop by the centre
twice a week to help the children with
their homework.
As for the future, Ma Lerato‟s
request is simple; she wishes for her
legacy to live on through her daughter
and for the centre to be on-going.
This is a daunting task which
Mapule says she is willing to take on.
“When my mother dies, I will take her
place. I am already being groomed for
the position,” she said. Ma Lerato
strongly emphasised that the children
are always welcome at her centre for
hope and “must never go unless they
are ready to go.”
Mamelodi’s mother of love
Kayleigh Voges
“I t is a calling.”
That is how the CEO of the
Mamelodi Society for Care
of the Aged (MASCA), Ivy Mothiba,
describes her job.
MASCA is one of the only care
facilities of its kind in Mamelodi. The
organisation has 28 staff members
who provide care for 56 residents,
many of whom are frail and bedrid-
den. The facility is not understaffed
but Mothiba said that they struggle
with inadequate funding. In particular,
the facility has trouble covering medi-
cal expenses and monthly wages.
Mothiba said, “Many simply
dump their elders here and never
bother to visit them. Last Christmas
only five residents were visited by
their relatives.”
Also, community members are
not eager to volunteer at the home.
She blames this lack of community
involvement on cultural mispercep-
tions about the facility, saying that
many in the community view old age
homes as foreign to African culture.
She said that the elderly of MASCA‟s
loved ones often feel pressured to
extend financial support, making them
unwilling to visit. Financial support is
welcomed but not obligatory.
Mothiba said her time at North
West University, where she studied
social work, helped her discover her
passion for caring for the elderly.
“When the residents are first
committed many of them do not want
to be here, but after a while they say
they do not want to leave,” she said.
She believes the main elements
involved in the care and treatment of
the aged is making them retain their
dignity and social identity in a secure,
family environment.
Mothiba believes that a family
environment is what the elderly most
yearn for. In response she has devel-
oped several activities, such as discus-
sions, painting and board games,
which are aimed at the individual as
well as the group. “I feel that they are
happy here, although there will
always be one or two who constantly
complain. We put in all the love that
we can in everything we do for them
and that is how we make them feel at
home,” Mothiba said.
Family
for the
forgotten
A resident of MASCA in his wheelchair stares into the horizon. Photo: EUNICE SERFONTEIN
Neil Pretorius &
Rochandré Kibido
.
Ma Lerato, founder of the Hope Centre. Photo: NARINA NEL
Many simply dump
their elders here and
never bother to visit
them
The government
won’t help us. They
say I must write a
report, but I tell
them I can’t write