Unlocking Potential - Imizamo Yethu And National Development Agency

The 12 meter long container donated by the NDA to the Imizamo Yethu Elders Group in Mdantsane NU 12

The Slogan of NDA - the National Development Agency is "Unlocking Potential". 

On the first of February 2013 the NDA showed us, that they are in fact serious about their mission statement.

The National Development Agency (NDA) has partnered with the Imizamo Yethu for Elder Persons Group in Mdantsane to implement a capacity building program for the elderly by facilitating a working place in Mdantsane in NU12 for the crafters. 

A fully furnished 12-metre container, funded by the NDA, that houses an administrative office and work stations for 30 elderly persons, mostly women, has been handed over to the beneficiaries, who were previously based in a classroom at a school next to Imizamo Yethu ECD center.

Beaded Shoes - Products of the Imizamo Yethu Group for Elders in Mdantsane

The center is the first of its kind in Mdantsane, where the elderly can gather and make handcrafted products ,that they can offer for sale to generate additional income.The handover of the container to the ladies of Imizamo Yethu showed to the public the importance of centers such as this one. 

 

The Ladies of Imizamo Yethu Are Listening To The Speach Of The CEO of The National Development Agency

The handover ceremony took place in a white tent in NU 12, that was stylishly decorated on the inside The tables were adorned with flowers, fruits and refreshing cool drinks.

A Woman Of Powerful Words Delivering Her Speech

The ceremony was attended by high ranking officials of the Eastern Cape Government like the MEC of Social Development, Pemmy Majodina, Mayor of Buffalo City, Cllr Zukiswa Ncitha and the CEO of the NDA, Dr. Vuyelwa Nhlapo.

Upholding Traditional Values

One Of the Beneficiaries Of Imizamo Yethu Thanks the NDA Representative For The Support They Are Receiving In Form Of A 12 Meter Long Container

Mbulelo Mdayo of the NDA had his turn in expressing his opinion

Mbulelo Madyo

We had the pleasure of meeting Mbulelo Madyo before at another event sponsored by the NDA on Nelson Mandel Day last year at the Ethembeni Old Age Home in NU 1 and we came to know him as a person who is very serious about the development of the Mdantsane communities.

The honorable guests were listening attentively

Powerful words about old age and the situation of elders in South Africa were spoken by more than one speaker

When I was told I was coming to handover a new office/work space to an elderly center, I thought to myself: "I wonder who is defined as an older or elder person". I could not find an universal definition due to a number of factors such as cultures, location, age etc. However, what I found in the form of a quote from Jules Renard made complete sense to me. Jules Renard said: "It is not how old you are, but rather, how you are old".
(From the speech of the CEO of the National Development Agency delivered at the launch of the container for the Imizamo Yethu Group For Elders on the 1st of February 2013)

The situation of the elderly people in this country is marked by hardship and often dire poverty

Old people in this country do often face a grim and non-deserved fate. They are exploited by loan sharks, have sometimes to lend money to buy even food. 

Their government grants, destined to help them ease the burden of their life, are abused by family members and they do not get the care they need at the end of a long life. Additionally they are victims of gender based violence, like rape in the last years of their life. 

The look of a long life

Old Age in South Africa - can mean hardship in some cases

After all the speeches had been delivered the national South African Anthem was sung to close of the function.

Hopefully A Look Into A Brighter Future

 a reason to celebrate

The Team of Mdantsane FM

This lot, many of you living in Mdantsane, might know already very well and listen to everyday. The core of Mdantsane's most popular and successful community Radio "Mdantsane FM" was invited too.

The Beneficiaries of Imizamo Yethu, The CEO of the National Development Agency and the MEC For Social Development at the launch of the container in NU 12, Mdantsane

At the end the eagerly awaited handover and a guided tour of the container took place.

Handing over the keys of the new workstation to the "elders"

Traditional Exquiste Xhosa Clothing manufactured by the Imizamo Yethu group was shown to the dignitairies

Trying on was a must

and who can deny the beauty of it

Mkhokeli Radiators Is Always Open

We have received a beautiful comment from one of our readers from the United States. Ann Malaspina is an author of books for children and teens. She lives in the Greater New York City Area and we thank her with this article for her comment. Words like hers are what keeps us going and make us stronger and better. Thank you Ann! 

"What a lovely online magazine. I really enjoyed the beautiful photographs and commentary. I feel like I had made a trip to South Africa, where I've never been, and met some wonderful people. Thank you for your work."

Posted by Ann Malaspina

In this spirit we are going to show you another interesting place on Hi-Way in Mdantsane.

Mkhokeli Radiators At Hi Way in Mdantsane

 

The good thing in having a small business around the Hi-Way market area in Mdantsane is, that if you have to go away for a couple of minutes, somebody (usually a close friend) is going to watch your shop. 

Everything is close together and should the unlucky incident occur, that an unexpected costumer arrives in your absence, you will be called right away! 

Business can be done from any place in Mdantsane, from you backyard, from your house, from a shack and from a container. The only thing you need is a roof over your head and a big hand-painted signboard outside telling the world that you are there.

Business Can Be Done From Any Place

The Story Of Welile The Cane Weaver

Welile Melane The Cane Weaver

Welile Melane has been living in Mdantsane for a very long time. Welile is a basket weaver and he works from a container in the Mdantsane Arts Center. He has not always been a cane weaver.

During the political unrest in the 1980's when the whole of South Africa was in turmoil Mdantsane was also put under a curfew to keep protesters under control. One day Welile came into a violent confrontation with the police, was beaten severely and lost his eye. Half blind in a time of great insecurity he faced a grim fate.

At a later stage when peace was restored in the township and the country's regime had changed Welile found help from the South African organization of the blind in East London. He got involved in a skills development program and was trained in the century old craft technique of basket weaving.

Basket weaving is like pottery one of the oldest trades and crafts techniques in the world and is practised in many countries. The role basket weavers and ceramic artists played in the community was an important one. People always needed containers and before the arrival of plastic and other modern materials baskets and ceramic pots were valued household goods.

The techniques differ depending on the region, culture, history and the material available. It is a skill that deserves great admiration. But some of the very old technique are known only by old people in the rural areas anymore and are dying out now.  It is a skill from the past.

Welile is weaving with cane. He has to buy the material from suppliers in East London or even from Durban. Cane is not available in Mdantsane. 

"Now, I had a skill but I had no money to start a business", says Welile.

Somebody told him about the Mdantsane Art Center. The Art Center of Mdantsane is a story of its own. It has its ups and down. It is riding a constant wave. At the moment it is in the upwards face and there is life. The premises are filled with artists because the center has received new funding from the government.

Welile's Baskets

Welile was given a container from where he operates his business now. He called his business WEZA'S CANE WEAVING and works still alone. These are some of the beautiful baskets he makes. 

Working Material

WEZA'S CANE WEAVING

Welile was facing the same situation like many other participants, that have completed successfully skills development programs. To develop a skill takes time and dedication. You have to be hard working and patient.
But it is even more difficult to start a business. Once the skill is there, what next?

There are business start up programs in East London that assist artists like Welile.
"But then again financial input is not the only thing that matters", Welile reasons, "equally important are management skills. And these are not easy to transfer in a couple of days or in a week long workshop to an uneducated person".

But Welile tries! 

He has learned about costing and knows now how to get his prices right and not to sell his products to cheap.

"But if the price is right and fair to him people tend to buy less", he says

If you have enjoyed the story about Welile don't miss our 60 min road and documentary movie MDANTSANE - ANOTHER AFRICAN STORY  (click the link to watch the trailer). We have included an interview with Welile in the movie.

 A peak into Welile's workshop

Exams In Progress At Inkwenkwezi High School In Mdantsane

The Mdantsane Way Magazine is like a story teller from the old Orient. Our stories go on and on. The stories we tell, continue over time. And when we have really finished telling a story, and if we have told it well, the reader has the feeling that he or she somehow knows the person or institution. But we always leave the door a little open, to be able to continue with a person's story at a later stage, due to the fact that a persons life does continue as well and interesting and surprising things might happen.

We are not publishing what is called breaking news - disastrous news to use another word. 

The Mdantsane Way is a new kind of online magazine: authentic, personal and interactive, with engaging long-form storytelling. To us storytelling means we have to be narrative with a strong sense of place, character or time. We have to leave some beautiful images behind of the things we have seen. 
Our words have to be carefully selected when repeating what we have heard to respect every body's life and to be not superficial. Our stories have to convey a message as well. The message is that the example of somebody else can trigger your own success simply because you see it is possible, somebody else has done it. Everybody can become the master of his own mind and live his own life. 
Sometimes help from the outside is needed to realize your dreams, but the help is always there. The important thing is to realize in your mind, that what you want can be done. Once this has been achieved helps comes because people start taking you serious! 

Empty halls and silence before

We have a considerable number of new readers from Russia. And we have new readers from Lebanon and Singapore.Thank you to our Russian Readers. Thank you to our readers from Lebanon and Singapore. To us this is amazing!

The Mdantsane Way is published digitally, so we can distribute globally across borders and cultures, instantaneously. This has always been our objective. But we are still amazed how well it works. We are in a relatively unknown place compared to the rest of the world and still people from other countries find us on the net.

Our mission is to leave something behind, that readers can come back to. Our images will not die. They will keep their beauty. Our words have been chosen in a way that they will not loose their meaning in a couple of years.

We can see from our statistics that our new and old readers go back now to the stories we have told a year of two ago.

So may be if we continue our work, we will become something like a point of reference that is like a cut through the South African society, that readers can come back to even in ten years.

We are also getting a lot of feedback from South African readers. 

Vuyolwethu Mbatyoti has an applied degree in communication management, is doing an Honors in Social Science (we have not yet met but we will next week) and has send us a letter commenting on the topic of education.

"Mdantsane is a big township and it is full of uneducated and unemployed people especially the youth, an emphasis on the value of education is not a bad idea. Sharing success stories on education can encourage young people to value education and improve their lives for the better. In this way the magazine is contributing toward the development of the community."

That is exactly our opinion and the reason why we are running several stories on the Inkwenkwezi High School in NU 6.

The teachers were not the ones to be concerned about the exams

When we visited the Inkwenwkezi High School the other day exams were in progress. We have in South Africa what has been labelled an education crisis by the South African government and the Eastern Cape is the poorest performing province. Very low matric pass rates and a high percentage of learners that drop out of school, non interested teachers are characteristics of this situation.

The Inkwenkwezi High School is an example of a school making a difference.

Intense discussions after the exams

While the halls were empty and there was a deadly silence when we arrived, a couple of minutes later the school premises were humming with voices and sounds.

Concerned faces, worries....

and ways to de-stress had to be found!

The girls of South Africa are of a striking beauty but most of the real supermodels of this world are not discovered, no matter how great their beauty. But education can and will take a young person to where he or she wants to be.

Some had the feeling they had done very well

while others were just happy everything was over!