I Push a Wheelbarrow for 5km to Fetch Water as South Africa Celebrates Freedom Day

Zanele Ngwenyama

@zanelengwenyama

Image: www.colormagazine.com

I am from the rural areas of Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga and as South Africans in the cities I started living in when I left home for my studies celebrate the various freedoms that came with our democracy nearly two decades ago, I feel areas such as the one I come from have very little to celebrate. People from villages in the area get tricked every four to five years during national and municipal elections as representatives of various political parties would promise the poor a better life, a life where they also don’t have to live in fear because there would be better policing. They often believe these promises that are seldom or never met.

As South Africans from the rest of the country celebrate the milestone of 19 years since our parents voted for the first time, my province of Mpumalanga has announced that two municipalities have been placed under administration. This is the same province that has failed to produce favourable Matric results despite all the tweaking and changes that happen which are done so it is much easier for high school pupils to pass. 

Township Students Getting Public to Pick up Rubbish

Paseka Menyau
@King_Matthews

They hope other township students will join their 'green' group.

A group of students from the Tshwane University of Technology have taken it upon themselves to clean the university’s two Soshanguve campuses and its residences. They’ve even stretched their campaign further and are now picking up rubbish around the township as well. They call their project the “Green Campus Campaign”.

Campaign coordinator, Tsediso Nthakhe, says “this campaign started small, but because of the hard work and dedication, we have managed to sustain the campaign and it’s still going strong.”

Nursing Students Crown King & Queen

Sthembiso Sithole 

@sitholesthe

Nursing students often go through tough training as they learn how to save lives and often nurses get little credit for the important that they do. Recently those training to get into this profession got a chance to let their hair down as South Africa’s largest hospital selected Mr and Miss Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital 2012.

Hospital project officer, Londiwe Ntuli, says this was to boost the youngsters’ confidence. “Today’s event, we want our students to feel confident with their bodies, especially ladies. We want our students to have fun as they work hard in their studies.”

Soweto Derby Brings Excitement to South Africans Even Days After the Final Whistle

Khuliso Nemarimela

@willeinstein

A group celebrating in Soshanguve after the match.

While Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs matches often pack stadiums, many who can’t make it there often fill public viewing areas in townships, university television halls, houses with the biggest television sets in rural villages and many other places. Township streets are often empty during these matches as was the case in Soshanguve, just outside Pretoria, on Saturday 17 March 2010 when the two met for a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match. What was even more thrilling this time is that there were four goals scored during the match – a first when South Africa’s biggest clubs meet.

In Pretoria there is another team that would fill viewing rooms in a similar fashion and that is the local team, Sundowns. The matches between the two Soweto giants though are often boring as the two would be careful when they play against each other – but despite this they leave a lot of talking points. The latest however was thrilling!

Township School Received Important Gifts

Sthembiso Sithole

@sitholesthe

Pupils with their new and needed pots.

Many township schools often struggle to compete with former Model C schools and private schools as they are under resourced. Feladelfia High School which caters for pupils with disabilities in Soshanguve is one of these schools. Despite its struggles, it managed to receive a pass rate of over 70 percent in 2011. Even so that doesn’t mean its pupils, many of whom are from poor families, don’t need cooking equipment and other basic needs for children to eat.

To make things easier for the pupils of the school, recently a donation of several important needs were given to Feladelfia by Denel Land System at an event attended by government representatives. “We decided to finance the school. We told them to tell us what they need from us; from then we developed the partnership,” explains Denel’s Human Resources Manager, Thulani Mahlinza.

Young Entrepreneur Needs Funds to Attend Bright Minds Conference

Robert Mabusela

Paseka Lesolang with the toilet he says can save a lot of water and lives.

Twenty-three-year old Paseka Lesolang from Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, could be taking his invention of a hygienic toilet system to the United States of America to represent South Africa at the Third Annual Unreasonable Institute. His participation in the event depends on him raising R80 000.

Lesolang is one of 25 young entrepreneurs who have been accepted into the Institute after 306 applications from 55 countries were received. He believes his toilet could save 288 billion litres of water annually if installed in a million houses. His invention came after realising the system installed in his township wastes water. “The toilet system was a dual flush system. When you flush with the half flush for a given period of time you flushed the whole tank and when you flushed with the full you automatically flushed the whole tank. Therefore the objective was good but the implementation wasn’t so good,” explains Paseka.

Impoverished School's New Method Increases Academic Performance

Sthembiso Sithole

@sitholesthe

Lindokuhle Cindi, with her father,  received the five distinctions she'd planned for.

Often when Matric results are released the focus would be on schools with a history of producing brilliant results. The pupils of these schools too would often be some of the best performing in the country. But as this happens, South Africans would neglect those which are disadvantaged and as a result have a history of poor performances. Phafogang Secondary School in Rockville, Soweto, is one of those schools. This year they increased their pass rate and the number of distinctions went up to eleven with one student obtaining five.

The principal, Tuska, Matlejoane, says he believes the increase is due to his changed approach to educating the predominantly financially disadvantaged pupils of the school. “I designed a new tool that will help indicate whether the progress is moving on.”