Masupatsela

DORA NKWANYANA
DIRECTED by AYANDA MNCWABE
EDITED by TINA-LOUISE SMITH
TX 10th May 2010

Dora Nkwanyana grew up in a household where the family was always bigger than simply biological family. She learnt to share not only with her brothers and sisters, but also with friends and neighbours. It’s this understanding of family as those who live close by that feeds Dora’s caring attitude towards the community around her.

Today Dora runs a business in Nseleni, but she is often away from work – as her husband, Mtsekwa, laughingly remarks – taking care of the elderly people around Nseleni. There are elderly men and women who have no families upon which to depend – they have no-one to help them with housework or to help them buy food. Fortunately Dora cannot bear to see vulnerable people on their own and she goes door to door to find out what people need and how she can help.

Dora, herself a pensioner, and the elderly of Nseleni have also formed an organisation called Sesikhulile Luncheon Club. The members of this club, both women and men, congregate at the local community hall to share stories, offer advice and have fun. Some members do craft work, from which they earn a small income. Teachers also go to the Club to teach the members how to read, write and work with numbers. An important element of Sesikhulile Luncheon Club is that the members are also fed lunch, which means that they are assured of a solid meal on the day that they meet.

Dora’s family supports her caring work and often help out.

TO CONTACT DORA NKWANYANA AND CONTRIBUTE TO HER WORK:
call her on +27 82 496 3357 or on +27 35 795 1584.

TO FOLLOW IN DORA NKWANYANA’S FOOTSTEPS YOU NEED TO:
- approach social workers for advice
- approach elderly communities to find out how you can help them
- with the elderly, work out ways that they can generate income for themselves
- gather enough members (50) to register and start your non-governmental organisation
- continue to consult with the social workers and others

PLEASE SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO VIEW SCREEN GRABS FROM THE STORY ON DORA NKWANYANA

JOSEF ISAKS
DIRECTED by AYANDA MNCWABE
EDITED by RUAN SCHWARTZ

As a teacher, Josef Isaks was disturbed by the high levels of crime in Louisvale, Upington. What really spurred him into action, though, was the brutal rape of Baby Tshepang, which made him determined to turn the negative image of Upington into a positive one.

Josef believes that the police are meant to be the friends of communities and to help people, rather than kept at a distance and treated with the suspicion they often are in South Africa. As a result, one of the first things Josef did was to form a Community Policing Forum (CPF) in Lousivale. He called together leaders and representatives of various organisations and they elected a chairperson for the CPF. Then they called on the local police to deliver their contribution and today, the residents of Louisvale work hand in hand with the police to solve any problems that arise.

Josef, however, does not only belive in fighting crime, he also looks after those who need his help. As the principal of the local school, he is often aware of problems amongst the learners and rallies volunteers together to attend to these. He has also helped some small businesses to get off their feet.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE DO NOT HAVE CONTACT DETAILS FOR  JOSEF IN LOUISVALE AT THE MOMENT

TO FOLLOW IN JOSEF’S FOOTSTEPS AND TAKE POSITIVE ACTION YOU WILL NEED TO:
- identify people to be part of your local community policing forum
- form a CPF
- organise meetings for people to talk about addressing the need for security where you live
- get the local police on board to support your community policing work
- work with the local police to share their resources as you need them
- get training that teaches you how to empower victims of crime
- work with community organisations and schools to distribute pamphlets and get your message to the community

SCREEN GRABS FROM THE STORIES ON DORA NKWANYANA AND JOSEF ISKAS: