Introducing Vuyolwethu Mbatyoti - Volunteering For The Mdantsane Way Magazine

Vuyolwethu Mbatyoti

During the last two months we have received more than 20 applications from young South Africans for an internship with the Mdantsane Way Magazine. We do not have a budget for this at the moment - not yet - but we are working on it and we are sure, that we will have one in the future. One of our objectives is to serve as an incubator in the field of journalism, photography and public relations for young graduates, that come from Mdantsane. We are positive that other companies and organizations will support us in the future with funding.

Remarkable is, that more than 90% of the applicants are willing to work with us and to contribute to the Magazine without getting paid. We are delighted about the fact, that people want to work with us for free to get working experience. But this is not the entire motivation behind the applications we have received. The driving force is, that the people who have applied with us are passionate about Mdantsane and there is the desire to give back to their community. And there are more stories to tell.

Chocolat, the editor started meeting with the applicants during the month of November and the first volunteer we would like to introduce is Vuyolwethu Mbatyoti. 

Meet Vuyo, a great deal of passion

Vuyo wrote to us:

"My name is Vuyolwethu Mbatyoti and am currently doing my Honours in Social Science and I have a degree in Applied Commnication Management from the University of Fort Hare and I am INTERESTED (please note interested written in capital letters) in your magazine and would like to contribute towards its development, not only for the magazine but for the community of Mdantsane at  large. What can I do to be part of your magazine?"

We asked her in turn how she thought she could contribute? She wrote us a a well elaborated one and a half page letter with ideas and suggestions. Perseverance does it. After a three hour conversation ( the intention was 30 min) over one Cafe Latte it became clear that her great passion is the value of education in South Africa.  

Vuyo is 21 years of age, ambitious. and hardworking. She lives in NU 3 in Mdantsane and has a twin sister as well as a younger sister.  It has not been easy for her and sometimes things were really tight in the family. What pulled her through was the love she experienced in the family.

"But look at me now, she says, today the lack of means is no excuse to not study and get an education in South Africa. There is NSFAS and there are other student loans. I studied on NSFAS. The government is doing so much for us as students."

Look At me Now!

  

She is however concerned about the high drop out rate at schools and universities at present in South Africa.

"Our parents have fought, so that we can have education and now the youth is not really interested anymore. It's all about clubbing, spending money and having fun, she says."

I know, that what I am today I will not be tomorrow. I will be better

"I know, that what I am today I will not be tomorrow. I will be better and I will find a job, earn a decent salary and be a role model for others".

The interesting thing about Vuyo is, that she has ideas of her own and tries to find ways to turn them into something

She is unique, but at the same time she is also representative of a large segment of the South African society. The graduates, that leave the universities by thousands facing now the harsh reality of finding employment. Her life and her experiences will tell us more about what it means to be a young South African in an ever changing and challenging social and economic environment.

Vuyo will write about education and we are looking forward to her stories.

So Vuyo, after having introduced you thoroughly today to our readers, we hope that you feel the pressure now (yes that was our intention) so that you can perform at your best and give us your best stories!

Bhele's Little Angels in Mdantsane

The Mdantsane Way Online Magazine can also be seen as a small scale development project with a very personal touch. One of our objectives is to introduce our readers to the life and environment of this large township, that is not covered by main stream media. 

Many of the people who contribute voluntarily to the magazine have been involved in some sort of humanitarian work before in their life. And some of us have come to the conclusion, that large development organization and bilateral collaborations between countries and continents are not the best instrument to drive development on the grass root level.

In Mdantsane live thousands and thousands of little angels. Children who will have it harder in life to advance, simply because of the fact that they have been born into living conditions much less favorable than those of other children in more a developed and affluent environment.

This fact makes parents even work harder to earn money to send their kids into a school or give them the necessary pre-school education. Most South Africans experience what we call the battle for education. In fact most Africans all over the continent experience this.

Bhele's Little Angels is a creche and kindergarten situated in an informal settlement of Mdantsane offering educare, and after-school care in a Christian environment. Pre-school education is so important because the child's mind is trained and formed at a very early age, preparing him for school and making it easier for the child to learn. The entire socialisation process of a child depends on what type information he or she had been exposed to in his first five years.

We are publishing detailed stories about projects and institutions on this site, not only to allow for a personal view on a reality, that is for many people strange and unknown, but also to introduce people to personal development opportunities as well. 

Our message is if you want to help, or let us rather say get involved, there will be a way. Everybody who wants to help can help. There are so many ways to get involved.

This is a message to our readers that if you see a project you want to get involved with, we can facilitate the contact, but we will not get involved as a development agent.  It is up to you to develop a personal realtionship with the organization or the person.

If you want to sponsor books, money, toys - you can. If you want to help develop the career of a future musician, artist or poet you can.  It does not matter if you are in the Philippines, in Russia or in Brazil.

If you do have an idea let us know!

The Garden Of The Good Samaritan

The members of the group with their certificates

I do not want to become too developmental, too political or too socially critical with this blog. In fact I do not believe in the supremacy of Western knowledge or expertise. It is sometimes even impossible to transfer or apply this knowledge to an African context, even though the good-will is there on both sides. I do believe that Africa has to find completely new solutions for it's problems. And they have to be found by Africans.

But some projects just work out fine somtimes, even if it is only for a certain time, and some things are too good to forget because they can serve to encourage others. The images that you are seeing here were still shot on film. 

In 2004 a group of people, who were interested in gardening, received a formal training in how to establish  and run a permaculture garden. Additionally the necessary equipment for this project was donated. The training and the equipment were founded by an international donor organisation.The garden was started on the ground of the Good Samaritan Child and Youth Care Center in NU 3. I have written another article about the Good Samaritan a couple of months back. 

This is how it began. The images were taken over a period of several months. At the time all the different aspects of permaculture farming, for example how to make and use organic fertilizer, the knowledge of plants that are complementary to each other, were taught by Earth Innovations, a one man consultancy from the Eastern Cape.

Rain water was collected from the roof and mulch was laid out in between the vegetable plants. 

And this is how well they did! 

The vegetables were used in the kitchen of the Good Samaritan Child and Youth Care Center, to improve the meals for the children and a certain quantity could be sold as well. I have visited the garden recently and it is still functional. It is not run by the same people, which I think should never be the objective because people have to evolve and move on and cannot be bound to one project , but vegetables are produced. It is also an example how well Mdantsane can do !

Paying Tribute To A Boxing Legend - Happy Boy Mgxaji

We have been promosing you since a while that we would start telling stories about Mdantsane's boxing history and the famous boxers the township has produced over decades. And Siyanda Nkoyeni has written the first story for us. Here it is.

It is a fact that Mdantsane is famous for boxing and has produced not only South African but many world champions as well, and thus has placed South Africa on the world map. There are many stories as to why boxing is popular in the Eastern Cape and mainly in Mdantsane, but there is one thing for sure that the sport is like a culture in the province. 

Over the years champions came and went, and many local boxing fans will agree that the name Nkosana "Happy Boy" Mgxaji, is so synonymous with boxing in Mdantsane that the history of the sport cannot be told without mentioning his name.

Happy Boy Mgxaji at his prime

 

The huge attendance by hundreds of boxing fans at his funeral, from all over South Africa on 13 February 2011 at Sisa Dukashe stadium, was a true testimony to this man's stature in the sporting frartenity. Mention must be made that it was only befitting for this Mdantsane hero to be buried in the same venue where he used to mesmirise his fans with this boxing skills.

Some are taking refuge under their umbrellas from the sun at the Grand Stand during Mgaxji's Funeral

 

Born in Tsolo location in 1949, a black township just outside East London, Mgxaji came from a poor family where his mother sold vegetables for a living. Like many township kids at the time, Mgxaji did not go far in school and dropped out in standard six. 

He grew up in the rough neighbourhood where he took up the sport of boxing so as to defend himself, and also later to earn a living to help his struggling mother, unbeknown to him that this was the beginning of his illustrous boxing career.  

Former boxers forming a guard of honor at Mgaxaji funeral

 

It was the 1963 amateur championships in Port Elizabeth, that Mgxaji's star started to shine, and where boxing officails took note of this wonder kid from Mdanstane. He became an amateur champion that same year and in 1968 turned professional, remaining unbeated untli 1971.

"Happy Boy", a name bestowed to him by his brother, Nzimande Douglas Mgxaji, was known to be a fitness fanatic and disciplinarian, a reason why he never had a trainer. He preferred to work out alone and only strategised when facing the opponents in the ring.  Mgxaji fought many memorable fights and had an incredible record of 101 professional fights, winnng 88, with 27 KO's, drew 4 and lost 9. 

Dignitairies and MEC's also attended the funeral

Those old enough will tell you that there was only one reason why large crowds of boxing fans would descend upon Sisa Dukashe stadium in the 1970's and 80's on Sartudays afternoons, only to watch Happy Boys' boxing craft in the ring. Sadly, like many local boxers, Happy Boy died a pauper due to an asthma attack at the age of 61. Driving down Qumza Highway, his house in NU 3 casts a monumental picture of this trailblazer's history.  

A Story  By Siyanda Nkonyeni

MEET THE GOOD SAMARITAN

The Good SAMARITAN Child and Youth Care Center in NU 3

has not been given this name for nothing

It is a safe haven for abused, orphaned and HIV positive children and young adults.

When I started working with NGO's and self help initiatives in Mdantsane in 2002 one of the first people I was introduced to was Mazozo.

Or let me rather reformulate she introduced herself !!

Meet Mazozo!

Working as an independent consultant and trainer in her free time, being a single mother of now three adult children and a powerful woman, she is overseeing this institution since many years. 

It is my life, she says. There is no way you could not believe her.

The guard has changed but the institution is still there. 

But we are not allowed to take pictures of the children anymore, Mazozo says, because two employees of the Good Samaritan have conducted fundraising on their own websites for themselves with the children's pictures. 

It took seven years to finally get the funds to have the leaking roof repaired.