Inselelo November 2012 - Diakonia Council of Churches

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INSELELO NOVEMBER 2012 - PG 10Advocacy groups shareexperiencesseventy members of four advocacy groups fromNsimbini, Luganda, Molweni and Clermonton 29 August.gathered in Clermont for a joint advocacy meeting,The purpose of the meeting was to share information andexperiences on lobbying and advocacy for change, as well asactive citizenry, with a view to deepen democracy in theircommunities. The meeting provided an opportunity forbeneficiaries to share their experiences, and how bottlenecksin community development could be avoided.In his keynote address, Sithembiso Madlala, anindependent consultant, spoke about the concepts of lobbyingand advocacy and then moved to the practical activities of bothconcepts.Also on the panel, was Bongi Sibiya from the Department ofSocial Development who provided information on how to applyand register for NPO status. She gave delegates a perspectiveon social grants and how they could be assessed.SHGs celebrate independenceAbout 200 members from the various Self HelpGroups (SHGs) gathered at Umzinyathi to celebratethe independence of twenty two groups,on 24 August.Also in attendance were new members who recentlyadopted the concept, as well as community members, churchleaders and the local Chief Ngcobo's wife.Inkosi Khumalo from KwaBhulushe at Amatata, sent amessage of support affirming the SHGs for the good work theyare doing in his area, and encouraging them to take the conceptto other poor areas of the province.Testimonies of how their lives have changed since theyjoined the groups were shared at the ceremony. Theindependent groups shared that they no longer depend onDiakonia for designing their projects, implementing them andlooking for markets for their products.They informed the gathering that they are getting substantialorders for their products from different customers, and that theynetwork with other people from other organisations. One of thegroups shared that they opened a traditional outfit market atone of their member's house and that they no longer buy fromthe shops some items for household use, such as jam and floorpolish, because they make the stuff themselves.Meanwhile, the SHG concept was introduced to Samungu,Molweni, Emaus, Nazareth and Klaarwater. All these are areasin the Methodist Clerpine Circuit. These groups are guided bythe community facilitators who were trained by Diakonia.Delegates share ideas in groups.“The meeting was a success because we were able toshare our stories,” remarked Nosipho Mjoka from Nsimbini.“We need more meetings like these for us to know whatother advocacy groups are doing in their areas,” said HlengiweMakhathini from Clermont.The purpose of advocacy groups is to mobilise localchurches and communities to advocate for better and effectiveservice delivery.R150 + R25 forpostage (SA only)Contact Hester Joseph:+27 31 310 3521+27 83 7994136This new, abridgedversion of Guardian ofthe Light tells the storyof how Hurley becamethe youngest Catholicbishop in the world at 31,his fearless criticism ofapartheid, denouncingit as 'blasphemy' and'intrinsically evil' andbeing regarded as oneof South Africa's 'mostwanted' politicalopponents and how hecontinued to work asa parish priest well intohis eighties.“Archbishop Hurley was one of our greatest South Africans.This biography reveals what gave him that stature – his integrity,fearlessness, gentleness of spirit and his magnanimity.It is a must-read for all of us.” - Desmond Tutu.
INSELELO NOVEMBER 2012 - PG 11Why are South African youth so angry?Arecent discussion on the impact of apartheid warson South Africans, held at Diakonia Centre, leftme asking why there is so much anger in our youngpeople and why it is that they seem to be retaliatingagainst the apartheid system more than our elders whoactually experienced its horrors. Why is it that they arestill angry about that horrible past eighteen years afterthe fall of apartheid?For many frustrated young South Africans to get by,violence is the solution. The infliction of pain onto others isthe only way they can release the tension and frustration ofunexpressed anger. Unfortunately, because of thehopeless situations they find themselves in, repressed by asystem handed down to them, they turn onto each other intheir bid to get ahead. The stigma of belonging to a blackcommunity keeps one paranoid, terrified of scrutiny orscorn. It is the fear of open abuse from one's neighbour - thetownship resident, full of venom due to his/her owninferiority complex. To me, it appears that the process ofhealing and reconciliation happened too quickly and ourminds were not properly prepared for the new environment.The greedy quickly forgot what the struggle was allabout as they scurried hastily to collect their millions, whilethe not-so-lucky were left behind to fight over the crumbsthrown at them. Their love for power and wealth has madethem lose sight of that vision and instead, they fight to bringone another down.Then you ask yourself 'why are we still so angry'? Couldit be the psychological and genetic inheritance that weadopted from our parents that we see the need tocontinually fight and take back forcefully what belongs tous? Is it because we have been repressed in backwardthinking for so long that our minds have not gotten used tonew ways of dealing with issues?The residue of the apartheid era left visible divisionsamong races in South Africa. The resentment still lingers inthe tissues of our being. It is all being sugar coated withpretence from both sides. There seems to be a culture ofnot trusting one another. It is as if we are just waiting for thedirt we have been sweeping under the carpet over theyears to erupt in one go.Ramoroka shares her thoughts at a discussion on impact ofapartheid wars.We are merely tolerating others because it is arequirement. However, it does not have to be that way. If wecould have a platform where things are not done forcefully,but by mutual agreement; not by entitlement but out ofmutual respect for humanity, then we would be half way toresolving some of the issues faced by young people today.I commend the work done by groups and individual SouthAfricans to facilitate the realisation of nonviolence in ourcountry. It is such discussions that should have beenhappening since the emergence of a democratic SouthAfrica. It is my view that issues need to be dealt with head onand resolved for us to be able to move forward. We cannotplaster pretty looking wall paper called freedom over a roughsurface of discrimination and hurt and expect things to justfall into place on their own. It is about time we talk aboutthese issues, heal our internal wounds and try to build acountry that we can all be proud of, a country where ourchildren can be self-realising. To some, this may sound tooambitious. But it is better to have tried than to have given intothe notion that we always have to use violence to get whatwe want.By Lerato RamorokaWe need your newcontact details...As time goes by, we all change our addresses, phonenumbers or emails. PLEASE keep us informed of yourchanges as we would like to keep you in the News!Contact us at (031) 310 3500 orEmail: the.director@diakonia.org.zaCare to share?Inselelo is your magazine!We invite churches and individuals to share theirstories and experiences wth us. For more details,please contactKudzai Taruona at (031) 310 3551 orEmail: kudzai.taruona@diakonia.org.za
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Inselelo November 2012 - Diakonia Council of Churches

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