Guest post by Debbie

Good omen as I embark on my 2-month journey in South Africa:

 

No major delays encountered on the long trek to Johannesburg. My one regret was having a window seat for the 11 hour flight from Amsterdam to Johannesburg. I was glad to be greeted by Catherine with a big welcome smile and open arms. We drove back from the airport entertained by a spectacular sound and light show of thunder and lightning. Accompanying the warm summer are also tropical storms, which usually don’t last longer than 2 hours.

Christmas was celebrated with the opening of cards and presents from back home. Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful and yummy presents from Canada. The local hawkers did well by Catherine who bought several small beaded Christmas decorations to hang on the tiny black beaded Christmas tree.

Our festive Christmas at the Melville cottage

World’s biggest man-made forest

One of the striking things about Johannesburg is how green it is. It’s known as the ‘city that’s a rain forest’ with more that 10 million trees. The tree canopy is fantastic. Right in the middle of this sprawling metropolis of 600 suburbs is the Melville Koppies Nature Reserve, one of the most beautiful natural settings in Joburg. Catherine’s cottage overlooks this lovely green area covering more than 150 hectares. On the Sunday after arriving I did a rigorous 10 km group hike through the Koppies. The 3-hour walk was rated a 2 out of 3 difficulty, with some relatively steep, rocky slopes. Given the high altitude of Joburg (almost 1800 meters) and it being a hot and humid day, I certainly felt tired and winded when finished. I plan on taking a guided walking tour this Sunday so maybe I’ll write more of the geology and the flora (entirely indigenous!) in the Koppies. A gem indeed!

Walking in the Koppies. Many dogs, great views of Joburg.

The protea, S.A.’s national flower

Most progressive constitution in the world

A walk and guided tour of Constitution Hill was a very moving experience for me. This notorious prison complex was where Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and many other anti-apartheid activists, including the students of the1976 Soweto uprising were detained, at “Number Four”. During the height of the apartheid era, as many as 2000-3000 black men and women a day were incarcerated under appalling conditions for merely not carrying their pass books.

Solitary confinement cells for political prisoners

This entire site has been transformed into a place of teaching, and it demonstrates that the injustices of the past can be turned into a place of present and future justice. It is now the location of the highest court in South Africa, dealing with constitutional matters. The Court building is a beautiful piece of architecture and highly symbolic. They have reused the bricks from the demolished Awaiting Trial Block, now part of  a circular, welcoming and transparent space, where natural light streams into the forum from many angles and one can see in from the outside.

Inside the Constitutional Court

The use of slanted columns throughout is a metaphor for trees, the place where traditional Africa would resolve disputes. It is definitely an architectural space that pays homage to the work done there. Sometimes architects do get it right!

The view from Con Hill

 

Mall Culture & Driving around

On Tuesday, I got up my gumption and took the wheel. Remember, driving is on the left side of the road here. Luckily it appears that everyone has left town for the holidays, so no traffic to contend with. It wasn’t too bad except when the “robots” (we call them traffic lights/signals) at the major intersections were not working (note: this happens regularly). Starting to get my bearings and know my way around in the immediate neighbourhood.

What’s up with this mall culture? Everyone goes to the malls and there are many of them…Guess in part, it has to do with the safety factor. Wherever one parks, there are lots of “car guards” everywhere; guys looking for money to take care of your car. Everyone’s got some sort of job here…

Stylish glass toilet doors at the Cresta Mall

December 31, 2014

New Year’s eve, we headed down to Newtown to the Mary Fitzgerald Square to take in some local live music and food. Mary Fitzgerald was the first female trade unionist in the country and in 1911 she led the wives of striking tram workers. The square is the centerpiece of this area’s (Newtown) urban renewal project, which includes 650 mixed income housing apartments delivered by the Johannesburg Housing Company, major private investment to develop shopping, sports and cultural facilities. The verdict is still out as to whether it has been successful.

One of many colourful characters ringing in the New Year

We ran into some youth wearing “Ambassador” t-shirts and started chatting with them about the event. This led to us asking about their take on politics in South Africa. They are not of the current ANC Zuma regime and although they appeared interested in the Ecomomic Freedom Fighters (EFF), they were still hesitant about putting hope in the party. Turns out they are part of a City led initiative, called “Cities Yeah” (?) which involves youth aged 18 to 24 in mentoring initiatives. They were fun, engaged and thoughtful youth and a highlight of our New Year’s eve.

The future of Joburg wishing you a great 2015!!

Happy New Year to all my friends, family and co-workers.

That’s all for now folks….

 

Where is everybody?

Don’t atheists get a happy new year too?

It’s true, everything in S.A. shuts down mid-December and nothing much happens till mid-January. Every email gets bounced back with an “out of office” message, my favourite coffee shop is closing at noon today until Jan. 19th. And there’s no traffic in town, other than taxi vans full of folks “going home” for the holidays.

Work, what’s that?

So, there’s nothing to report on the work front. I’m planning a workshop early February with my RESHI (?) (Rapidly-expanding Social Housing Institutions) to discuss their property management systems (computer programs, basically). My back door wish is that they will agree to work on a sector-wide system that could be managed through NASHO, but we’ll see.
One thing I’ve learned about systems is that every social housing provider hates theirs but is always reluctant to move to a new system. Devil you know and all that…

16 Days of Activism

From November 25 (UN day for Elimination of Violence) until December 10 (Human Rights Day), people are encouraged to participate in actions and events to highlight the need to reduce violence against women and children. There’s lots of media coverage, people calling in to talk shows, banners and parades, bike and foot runs.  And on the street where I work, I felt something as I passed under a tree on my noon walkabout.

An angel on Main St.

The angel’s story

Yesterday in the Star there was a report about the allocation of widow’s pensions. Apparently the allocation panel takes into account the widow’s “marriage prospects” when making their decision. So if the widow is young and attractive, she’s not as likely to receive benefits. ARRGH! There’s some activism required on that file, I’d say…

Drug safety

At the DisChem, where I had to line up for 30 minutes to buy some Ibuprofen, which is kept behind the counter, I was pleased to see that no one could steal my drugs while I walked back to the other 15 minute line up for the cashiers. My 200mg pills were jailed for the duration and only “released” once I’d paid up and the cashier snipped off the plastic tie!

Now, there’s a system!

And the receipt slip came with this affirmation from my cashier, Ntombele: “Always remember you are BRAVER than you believe, STRONGER than you seem, SMARTER that you think and twice as BEAUTIFUL as you’d ever IMAGINED!”  Better than ibuprofen…

Informal Economy, part II:

Since I arrived, I’ve had to duck around the 7th Street hawkers who sell their “beadwork” to tourists. I’ve not been entirely successful, but I have been adopted by Shepherd. He is my official hawker, much to the dismay of the others.

He is my Shepherd…

The City of Joburg does have a formal recycling program, at least in my neighbourhood where people are given special bags, one for paper and one for plastic/metal/glass. However, there is a very large informal economy of “binners”.  We see them in downtown Ottawa too, of course, looking through blue bins on garbage day. Most of the guys here are either from Zim or some other nearby country and can’t get work permits.

Next stop, 41 Florence porch

Recycling and traffic calming!

They walk in the middle of the street, pulling these large plastic bins on a makeshift cart system. It’s very dangerous and dirty work.

They mostly live either on the street or in dismal flophouses, sharing floor space in shifts.

 

 

 The Rusty Radiator awards

Are put out each year by the Norwegian Students and Academics’ International Assistance Fund. They are meant to remind people that “foreign aid” comes with a whole bunch of misconceptions and that we need to think twice (three times) about how we “help”.

Watch this, it is hilarious!

Only four more sleeps…

Until my Christmas present arrives at OR Tambo. Yes, Debbie is due in at 10 PM on Xmas and that will be soooo good.

If anyone is looking for help with Christmas shopping, I think a gift certificate for a session with Professor Musa would be a great stocking stuffer:

This guy could replace Dr. Phil. 100% guarantee!

That’s it for now, folks

 

 

One more rat changes the world…

and “Africa” becomes a non-colonized continent. In a scenario where everyone in Europe gets wiped out by the plague, by 1355 no one is left to “colonize” other parts of the world. Swedish artist Nicolaj Cyon was intrigued enough with this idea that he re-mapped the continent.In this non-eurocentric map (merci Michel), where Alkebu-lan is actually at the top of the map, the countries are aligned by languages and peoples and have no relation to current borders. For more on this, check out: map of africa

The Canucks are coming,the Canucks are coming…

Yet another Canadian invasion this week, when eight Rooftops Canada visitors arrived in Joburg. This is the Study Tour contingent and I was part of it two years ago, when I fell in love with Joburg.

They spent a week in Nairobi first, visiting Rooftops partner NACHU, a wonderful union of housing cooperatives making miracles with so little. Right now, Rooftops is helping with NACHU members’ struggle to bring potable water to their homes. As one coop member says: “Water has no alternative. If you cannot install electricity, you can use a kerosene lamp, but water has to be water,” – Peninah Wanbua. So, if you haven’t yet checked it out, here is a bit more info on the work we are doing there: Water in Kenya

Apart from having some lovely dinners at various Joburg eateries, the visitors had a full agenda, including a day in Soweto, and walking in Hillbrow with Josie Adler (always an eye-opener!). I spent most of Saturday with them, visiting Constitution Hill, which is the old prison site, now turned into a museum and new building housing the Constitutional Court. It is a very well used public space and while we were walking around a terrible memorial to those who were jailed and tortured for believing in human rights, there was a huge Peoples’ Pride event, mainly attended by a very young GBLT crowd. These “born frees” were celebrating on the same spot where they would have been put into solitary only 20 years ago.

The visitors headed out to CapeTown on Wednesday and will be flying home soon. They will bring with them some incredible stories and share them with Canadian colleagues. If you get an opportunity, take one of them out for lunch or better yet, have them come speak to your bridge club or church group or work colleagues and, if you work for a social housing organization, your Board!

Constitution Hill

Roland, Keith, cb, Hugh, Shelagh, Vanessa & Heather @ the Leopard

Hey Melissa, nice rug you got there!

a girl and her kitty

Melissa Bachman, who apparently has a hunting show in Minnesota or somewhere, has now bagged herself a lion. There are indeed sanctioned areas where these animals can be legally hunted. If you have the cash (not cheap!), you too can go canned hunting for lions. These animals are actually bred to be hunted and killed. They’re penned up until a hunter books a kill and then they’re released into a fenced area where they can be “tracked down” (like fish in a barrel).

This great “conservation technique” is applauded by many and reminds me of Ducks Unlimited in Canada, which sounds like they might care about ducks, but really…. (guess the rest).

Oh, how many Strategic Planning Sessions must one attend?

Well, this week it was NASHO’s turn to have a 2 day facilitated workshop about it’s 3 year strategy. Unlike at CCOC, we did not make alien-proof hats out of aluminium foil, but we did use a lot of post-its and masking tape!

financial sustainability, branding, lobbying, blah blah fish paste

Of course, some of the discussion was about member dues (how much, who pays more/less) and all that took me back to many similar debates at the ONPHA table, and then later at CHRA. And then there are user fees…That delicate dance of associations – how much are members willing to pay to help others?  I always think of the fable by La Fontaine about the lion and the mouse, and remind people that the big guys need to agree to pay more so that the little guys can survive. Because sometimes the little guys have more political heft. On a souvent besoin d’un plus petit que soi.

All in all, it was a good two days. Those who came were engaged and the suggestions were made with thought and care. It will mean more work for staff, as these sessions always do. But there were offers of help from the members and I know they are willing to make sure NASHO continues as the effective representative of the social housing sector.

“and now we’re going to break up into groups….”

 

The Informal economy, part I

As you can imagine, with an unemployment rate of over 25%, South Africans find ways to earn cash without the help of a regular job. In my neighbourhood (cool Melville) there are many “hawkers” who try to sell  their wares to tourists and locals. These two mammies work 7th Street, just up the block from my home. The one in the red skirt is Busiwa, I can’t remember the other gogo’s name.  Joseph sells household cleaning tools to the large informal economy ladies who arrive from Alexandra or Hillbrow every morning to all the Melville houses to clean and look after the kids.

how do they do that??

 

“get your brooms, get your mops….”

And the reindeers are prancing…

At the mall, the seasonal fever is on. It’s strange to walk around in a hawaiian shirt and sandals and be surrounded by snowflakes, elf hats and snowmen, and even stranger when you think that the holiday is a celebration of something that happened in Egypt, but there’s no avoiding the hype.

Everything is big in Africa!

I’ve been humming a terrible and beautiful song from one of the true geniuses of American music, Randy Newman. It’s not for everyone, so it comes with a warning. Here’s “Christmas in Cape Town”:

December 5 today

And it’s year since Nelson Mandela died. Much died with him, it seems…

Rest, Madiba, rest now

That’s it for now, folks.

WHOA! I wasn’t quite ready….

where gogos go ….

For the frail care wing, that is. But here I am in Cape Town, staying at the Berghof Retirement Village ( http://www.caperetirementlifestyles.co.za/rv-berghof.html ), one of NASHO member Communicare’s projects. AND my next-door neighbour in 202 really is Mrs Boucher!!!

Apart from this episode from the Twilight Zone, all is well here in Cape Town. CT reminds me of Banff, but way bigger and hipper. Everywhere you look, there’s a mountain and it’s nice that rich and poor share the same view.

view from my room

Joburg or Cape Town?

I came down at Malcolm’s suggestion (well, In fairness he was also responding to my chronic whining about none of my work taking me to Cape Town). He and I were scheduled to call in to the ONPHA conference Saturday afternoon and he didn’t really want to leave home just for that. So he organized a couple of SHI visits for me, and that worked out great!

Malcolm and his lovely wife Emmanuelle sold their house down the road and bought a loft in the heart of town, across from a great coffee spot! I totally understand why he’d rather be here.

cool crib

queen st west, 1974?

 

 

 

 

 

 

But apparently, Joburg is named #2 Good City, and I’m going to support that contention for now. Check it out: http://magazine.good.is/features/johannesburg_rank_2014 (Thanx Babs!)

Joel’s baby

On Friday, I spent the day with Joel Mukunqwana and some of his great folks at Communicare, the oldest social housing institution in South Africa. They started 80 years ago, mainly as a charity providing housing and supports for the elderly, depending on private donations (including land and buildings!).

When the government put out a social housing program, Communicare decided to hop on board. So now they have a portfolio of over 3,000 units and have used their existing sites to intensity and build family units into their mix. This has caused some consternation in their long-standing tenant base. Ottawa providers who are familiar with the “age mixed” OCH building challenges will understand this.

So Communicare is struggling to move away from being a kind of care provider to more of a “regular” SHI. They are slowly decreasing their home/medical support staff component and going more towards a community development model.

But because the current social housing funding model is not sustainable, they are also very keenly looking at some income mixing or other ways to change the revenue base.

Frail gogo, Jerome, Wasima, Waleed, Joel

 

 

 

 

 

 

those seniors at Dromadaris know how to garden!

jackie, cb, andrew @ dromadaris community space

When we arrived at Bothasig, a tenant was busy weeding in the vegetable garden. As I was chatting with staff about converting a rubbish bin building into a meeting room for tenant events, it came to me that they needed a gardening shed too. I put this to the gardener and here he is, making a case to Jerome, who then encouraged him to bring a plan. A few minutes later, as we were walking elsewhere on site, the gardener arrived, holding a glossy magazine to show Jerome what he meant. I gave him a big “thumbs up”!

Bothasig Gardens: corn, chard, onions, celery, etc….

“And we need a water tap, some shelves, rakes….”

Some technical glitches having been resolved,

Malcolm and I managed to speak to folks in Ottawa who were attending the ONPHA conference. Did I say I might bore you with a Power Point someday? Well, here is my take on how social housing can have impact on breaking up the spatial inequalities left by apartheid. Here’s hoping the technology works….

ONPHA Rooftops PPT Nov 2014

Like Lebreton Flats and Lowertown, but worse 

District 6, where Malcolm lives now, used to be a very poor but vibrant community of people of all colours, religions and origins. And then they were all forcibly removed in order to declare their neighbourhood a “whites only” area. Pushed out into the Cape Flats, housed in shoddily built, leaking and overcrowded buildings, separated from their street “family”, their livelihood and ability to easily get to school or work, District 6 folks lost their identity.

And Cape Flats is now the area with the highest crime rate, topping the murder charts in South Africa every year.

District 6 back then

Cape Flats now

This one’s for Dennis and Debbie:

On November 5 and 6, the RESHI (my guys) came to Joburg to hold a 2-day workshop on all aspects of building and managing social housing. We also invited two WESHIs (Well established SHIs) to join us.

Renier Erasmus, the CEO of Madulammoho Housing, a very innovative and capable SHI with lots of development experience was talking about moving tenants in to new projects and he said:
“We always schedule the move in date 3 months after the contractor’s estimated time. We want all the deficiencies corrected before tenants move in!”
I had to smile….

It was a great workshop, everyone learned a lot (even the WESHIs).

Tooting our own horn!

Ever wonder what happens to

Old VW vans?  Saw one the other day at the Joburg Photo Umbrella event in Newtown.

After following the Grateful Dead for 10 years…..

That’s all for now folks….

 

 

On my way to work….

Coca Cola, Allah, Jacaranda

Summer arrived, and now the city is a purple splendour.  The picture above is part of my daily drive to work. My office is near the Coca Cola ad building.

Johannesburg has an amazing tree canopy, like driving through parts of the Glebe and Rockliffe, even in poorer neighbourhoods. I’m guessing they haven’t been hit by any bad tree critters (ash borers, pine beetles, etc). And jacarandas abound, so right now there is a splash of bright purple everywhere you look!

And on the 2 minute walk home from my parking spot this week, I’m greeted by these:

 

And the marathon continues…

Well, it’s not over yet for the Pistorius trial junkies! Apparently the Crown is filing an appeal to the original verdict.  It’s a tricky subject to raise in various venues here. Hard for me to tell how much of this is due to the background of race, so I’m being cautious  about comments. People seem to feel sorry for him at the same time as they think he got off easy, so go figure!

Another Canuck visits

Last week, Steve Pomeroy (Ottawa housing research wonk) was here as a Rooftops consultant working on Long term Financing (LTF) of the Social Housing Sector for NASHO. Apart from having lovely dinners at the Leopard, the Lucky Bean and Ant (my neighbourhood haunts) with him, I also attended a very interesting 2-day workshop on LTF.

There were SHIs, government funders and policy makers. All agreed that the current funding model does not deliver long-term sustainable housing in good locations (hmmm… anyone having a déja vu?). The funding here is all capital grants, leaving most SHIs to carry mortgages (called “bonds”) of about 30% of the the costs. But that does not reach down enough to house poor people and keep the buildings well maintained over time.  So the idea of putting some market rent units into the mix to cross-subsidize was brought up and there was lots of nodding.

But we all know that governments agree to income mixing in principle and then recoil when they have to pay something into it…

Here’s the thing. The government is ready to pour money at the housing problem right now, and who knows when that will end, as surely it will. So, the SH sector doesn’t currently have the capacity to deliver big numbers, but who likes to give up wads of cash when they’re available (hmmmm… anyone having a déja vu?).

Private sector says “we can do that” – but we know they can’t/won’t provide long term affordability. Government is being lured by their siren call (fast, cheap, efficient), so it’s a problem for the SH sector.

Steve checking his IPhone for weather in Cape Town

No need to call the Sheriff, just get the Red Ants

Evictions are a constant problem here. For obvious reasons people have squatted on land and erected shacks and more permanent structures over many years. Depending on where you live and forces of the market and politics, you may wake up to find a bulldozer at your door, or just a bunch of poor black guys in red overalls and a white guy with a shotgun.

knock knock, who’s there?

I don’t want to be entirely glib about this, it’s a hard nut to crack for everyone. The housing activists are getting lots of attention every time there is an eviction. But the owners of the land, as well as the municipal officials and politicians all have something to say too. And they don’t always agree with each other. Where should people live when they don’t own land, have no jobs and need to be near some kind of opportunity to earn something each day to feed their family?

It’s illegal for municipalities to render people homeless without providing alternate accommodation (and there is much debate about exactly what that is/means). So the whole problem is fraught with complications for everyone involved. It’s a mess, and here’s more on that if you’re interested:
http://www.groundup.org.za/article/after-decades-walmer-estate-residents-brink-being-homeless_2395

Ottawa Heritage, take note!

These folks are not kidding. They target abandoned heritage buildings, sneak into them at night and then make them visible by pouring pink paint all over. Clegg House (below) is a building I often drive by on my way to work.

The paint is apparently water soluble, but since it hasn’t really rained yet since I’ve been here, it looks the same now as back in May… Here is the poem from their website:

this is an urban experiment.
it is a questioning of what the city is, what it has been, and what it will be.
it is a re-framing of buildings that have been forgotten. they re-appear before us through pink.
it is a re-invention of space. a celebration of the unapologetic.
it’s a new story that needs to be written.
a love letter from our creatives to our land owners, our chief executives, our politicians.
we look at buildings that have been left behind by time and we caress their walls with our paint brushes.
we tickle them in hopes that they will tickle her.
she who walks to work in the morning her heels clinking and clanking.
we play with them in hopes they they will play with him.
he who sits around in the afternoon after waiting long hours in the unemployment line.
we whisper out their windows in hopes that they will whisper in their ears.
whisper to them: messages of hope instead of fear.
we know well that safety thrives in bright pink and danger dwells in muddy browns and faded greys.
hot pink laughs.
dark brown frowns.
hot pink dances.
grey merely moves.
together, we dress fear in pink in hopes that she will smile a little and join us in reinventing much.

 

That’s all for now folks!

 

And just when I was about to hang up laundry…

Is this Beijing…??

Last Thursday at around 4:30, a huge sandstorm enveloped Joburg! No one has taken responsibility for it yet, but the folks at the laundromat were blaming the Free State.

And when all else fails, go for more bureaucracy!

Last week, the Minister (Lindiwe Sisulu) held a housing Indaba, a big picture consultation with all  interested parties. The Minister feels that the housing issue needs to be ramped up and that the results need to be seen, and soon.

NASHO’s ED, Malcolm McCarthy, made a presentation and felt that spending a couple of days there was worthwhile on the network front. The Minister promised him lunch soon. All the presenters, including NASHO, had to sign a promise to achieve certain goals.

Coming out of this , the Minister said: “We have agreed that the department of human settlements will establish the ombudsman office for the housing sector by 14 November 2014 to monitor the implementation of all policies and the resolution of this indaba.”

I can see it now. Another layer of bureaucracy will no doubt lead to demands for whatever is the  equivalent of a Royal Commission!

Oh, and she also announced that there will be priorities to address the housing needs of “pensioners, orphans and veterans”.  Augh!  What about women, most of them holding up the hard end of the world here, and looking after orphans and pensioners while they’re at it!

 What’s in a name, you say?

Ntombizanele/Cynthia

Well, if you were born Zulu, it usually means quite a bit. My teacher, who changed her name to Cynthia from Ntombizanele, brought a list of over 120 names for me to learn about. Here are a few of my favourites:

Dingane (m) – one who is searching
Khanyisile (f) – bringer of light
Lwazi (m) – the one with knowledge
Nobuntu (f) – mother of kindness/humanity
Nomvula (f) – mother of rain
Most names reflect something that was going on for the family, a wish for someone to provide or just a statement about things as they are. Some early form of birth control names like:
Sanele (m) – we are satisfied/have enough
Siphelele (m) – we are complete
And, as expected, some names speak to how girls are regarded, like
Ntombizanele (f) – enough girls

My homework this week is about learning times of day and practicing my verbs. I have to make sentences and came up with a few, including: “Ngiphuze kakhulu no Sisifo izolo ebusuku”, which I think means “I drank too much last night with Sisifo”.

Water, bringer of life.

Rooftops Canada’s campaign this year will help bring water to our housing cooperative partners in Kenya. Imagine yourself coming home after a day at work and then having to walk a couple of kilometres to get water for your family, carrying a pail of it on your shoulder in the dark before being able to make supper.
Our Kenyan partner, the National Association of Coop Housing Union (NACHU) helps its members build boreholes and wells so that women’s lives are improved. The ability to have enough accessible water to grow food, cook, bathe and do laundry is life changing.

Please watch this short video, then go to the link to donate. You will see a list of fundraisers in a box on the right hand side and may recognize some names (Jo Ferris-Davies, Barry Pinsky, Janet Kreda, Calinda Brown, Hugh Lawson).

Link to Rooftops Campaign page:
http://rooftops.akaraisin.com/Common/Event/Home.aspx?seid=9404&mid=8 

Thanks!

Speaking of the power of water….

Water and metal sometimes meet in unusual ways and the results can be amazing. My oldest friend Marie-Té, who is a long time west coast hippie, sent me a picture of something she found on the beach in Kaslo. I’d like someone to use it as a book cover someday….

Africa on the beach in Kaslo

That’s all for now folks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sitting on the patio at Picobella’s, having a beer….

Oh look, two shoes!

Yes, the boot came off last Wednesday! The doctor said I could do anything “in moderation”, so I spent the evening dancing in the aisle at a Sipho Mabuse concert. Listen to this and try not to dance:

Work is ramping up

I had my first workshop with the RESHI (Rapidly Expanding Social Housing Institutions) participants on September 23rd. It was held in Durban, although I’m trying very hard to get something held in Cape Town (haven’t been there yet!)

There were 10 folks around the table, plus Malcolm and I. We reflected back what we heard as we met with the groups back in August. The idea here is to build a program (or programme, as they like to spell it here) to help these SHIs to have the capacity to manage a huge increase in stock over the next year or two. After the presentation, we used the old flip chart system to get folks to identify their priorities. This was with the use of different coloured sticky dots, a method which Derek Ballantyne and I named “Dotmocracy” back at a CCOC retreat in the Gatineau Hills.

Everyone got a bag of gummy bears and a little hard bouncy rubber ball. Felt like I got my facilitator groove back!

Once I’ve figured out how to attach a PPT to a blog post, I’ll attempt to bore you with that!

So, anyway, I think the workshop went well and we shall see how the follow up goes. Next meeting is early November, in Joburg.

The vervet “townies” in Durban…

Other stuff is coming up too. Trying to set up a meeting with the Joburg SHIs to discuss the role of social housing in urban regeneration.

And Harmen Oostra, a Dutch transplant for 12 years, who just returned to Holland before I got here, is in the country for some weeks. So I have the opportunity to pick his (very knowledgeable) brain. When I got here, I was introduced as “Harmen’s replacement”, but I had to insist this was not the case. I cannot possibly replace this guy!

On Friday, Harmen asked me what I was going to do once my year was up and I said “Go home”. He suggested I might try to extend or do stuff from home once I’m back. I guess this is what happens to a lot of “Technical Advisors”.  Hmm…..

Dinner with my neighbour

And I mean my neighbour on Willow Street, Robert Fox!  Robert was in town for some OXFAM meetings last week and we had a lovely dinner at The Leopard (my “go to” Melville resto) and he delivered my CCOC 40th Anniversary t-shirt, some CCOC tenant handbooks and Crema (hair conditioner to help with my dry weather follicles ). Robert is stepping down from OXFAM in four days and taking 6 months of well deserved R&R.

CCOC Fashionista

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How the other half defecates…

Although 81% of lower income households in South Africa (less than $6,000K annual income) have a cellphone, the statistics on toilets is interesting too!

 

And while we’re on the subject of sh..t

The Zuma government, bowing to the gods of capitalism rather than those of democratic discourse, have refused entry to the Dalai Lama. Yup, the government that is just celebrating 20 years of democratic freedom and all that that means, has decided that the Nobel prize winner can’t come to a meeting of all Nobel-ists that was to be held in Cape Town.

Now the meeting has been cancelled and Desmond Tutu (another Nobel winner) has come out saying: “I am ashamed to call this lickspittle bunch my government”. Right on, Des!

For more on that, check out: http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2014-10-03-dalai-lama-debacle-whose-country-is-it-anyway/#.VDJ29b5i_G4

I thought I would do some traffic calming…

When I arrived, I used to deliberately walk slowly across intersections and glare at motorists. My colleagues had trouble restraining their snickering and mumbled something about whether I had suicidal thoughts.

Turns out I gave up after a few near misses. Pedestrians have found a way to survive in Joburg traffic and it’s quite a feat. Many will cross on  a red light, but somehow they know to get out of your way if you’re driving.

Vehicles rule and it’s apparent that drivers have no compunction about taking up space. Here’s the sidewalk in front of my house:

Take that, you damn pedestrian!

That’s it for now, folks!

 

 

 

 

Mothballs? Cotton swabs?

Folks say they get as big as tennis balls!

Saturday night, about 7pm, I heard strange noises all around. Then I opened my door and saw what was just a regular Joburg hailstorm! Accompanied by a most amazing lightning show and the whole thing lasted well over an hour. I hear there are more great storms to come…

A visit to a Fine Town

Keith Hambly, the President of ONPHA and E.D of Fife House (a Toronto supportive housing organization for PLHIV) was here the last couple of weeks. He was part of a Rooftops week-long workshop on Housing and HIV/AIDS, but came early to visit the housing sector in Gauteng.

Last Saturday, Josie Adler took Keith and I south of Joburg. She wanted to impress upon us what will happen if planning is allowed to run amok (just like home, in many ways). After the expansion of the city to the North, it’s now heading south, and not in a good way. Many
informal settlements (newish word for squatter areas with lots of tin shacks and some RDP houses). As part of the Black Sash movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sash), Josie worked here in the 80s and 90s, doing hard but real community development.

One of her accomplishments is in a settlement called Finetown. She worked with members of the community to set up a school, which has now been running for over 20 years. They scrounged and begged and did it for their kids. We were privileged to meet with two of the original activists, Victor and Emily, who told us the story as we sat in the schoolyard.

Victor, Gogo Catherine, Alice, Emily and Teboho, Keith

 

Behind us is part of the original school. After some more begging and scrounging, Anglo American Mines ponied up for a 2 storey addition and a “crèche” (daycare).  That’s all good.

Finetown school, part II

 

 

But then they got what they really wanted, which was to have the government deem it to be a legitimate public school. That means they no longer had to find ways to pay teachers and supplies, and parents were relieved of that financial burden. BUT, in the “beware of what you ask for” mode, things have not turned out the way Victor and Emily hoped for. The new teachers, unlike the original ones, don’t live in Finetown. They have no attachment to the community or the struggle. Victor told us that the School Trust had built up a nice reserve to do more capital work and now the teachers want to use it for bonuses. The parents are being left out of decisions and are no longer welcome as volunteers either. So it goes…..

And, oh yes, there was the Pistorius verdict:

Hard to think someone could fire four shots into a room the size of a broom closet and not think he was killing whoever was in there, but apparently the Crown didn’t make the case on that… The decision was a surprise to many, there were calls for the judge to be fired, word on the street is there will be appeals and some are convinced that he will get off without having to do any time. It consumed the media for a week and now it’s died down.  We will be subjected to it 24/7 in a about a month, when the verdict will be decided. There is a special TV channel devoted to this, so it will no doubt ramp up again.

HIV/AIDS and Housing in sub-Saharan Africa

Last week, Rooftops and some local and regional partners held a workshop and seminar on the issues of HIV/AIDS and how they relate to the housing problem. I learned a lot, not much of it very good news. It’s not “the end of AIDS” is South Africa, not by a long shot! There was a lot of data, a lot of power point presentations (I’m going to start a NO PPT movement, I think!)

South Africa’s leadership missed the boat on HIV/AIDS in most of the early decades of the plague. Mandela picked his battles and this wasn’t one of them but his successor, Thabo Mbeki (1999-2208) was an out and out AIDS denialist. Only after his demise did the ARVTs (anti-retroviral therapies) become available to all.

In 2008, a Harvard researcher estimated that Mbeki’s policy caused the death of over 300,000 South Africans. And during his term, the country only achieved 30% reduction in mother-child transmission, whereas neighbouring (and much poorer) Namibia achieved 85%.

Here are some numbers for you to ponder:

• 1 in 5 South Africans have HIV and it is suggested this may ramp up to 1 in 2 over next 25 years
• 18% of children under 17 have HIV
• HIV is now a manageable disease, but many socio-economic factors work against that.
• Poor housing conditions here also mean lack of sanitation and potable water
• ART (anti-retroviral therapies) need to be taken daily and with food. Food costs money.
• Having safe sex (putting a condom on in a tin shack you share with 9 other people) is more difficult/unlikely.
• TB is the concurrent disease here, not hepatitis. Over 88,000 people die of it each year.
• Think of sitting in a taxi van in winter, all the windows closed, with a seat mate that has TB.
• Earning a livelihood here often means being a migrant. That means poor housing, poor nutrition, poor social supports. All this is a recipe for bad stuff happening.
• Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are almost as bad, but S.A. is the worst

Paste and read the link below, it will make you cry (it’s good to cry about this):

At the workshop, folks came from Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi and Uganda and told their stories, hopes and struggles. So I met some great people of course and spent quality time with Keith talking  about Rob Ford and other really important Canuck things. At one point, I looked across the table and noticed that 6  participants had their shoes off. This seems to be very common here. There is a young man down the hall from NASHO who always walks around barefoot!

Hermien, Nicodemus, Aloysius, Timothy, Mercy

Part of me wishes it was back home….

Thanks to the twitterverse and other e-gods I am avidly following the Somerset Ward election race. I know everyone is trying to have a car-free campaign, but my favourite campaign thing is to go out in the car at 4 am, not wearing a seatbelt, ignoring stop signs and red lights and decorate lawns with non-recyclable coroplast signs! So much fun….

Go Cat Go!

That’s it for now, folks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This and that…

Winter is on it’s way out….

People say summer is coming and I know it because my allergies are acting up. Itchy, watery eyes tell me there is pollen around. Strange season tho, yesterday afternoon it was 29 degrees, but in the morning you need a sweater. The weaver birds are busy tearing strips of palm off the trees in my yard…

Something not working? Just say “shame” and shrug. 

Seems to be the way things go here.

There was a water main break down the street about a month ago, It took the better part of a week to get fixed, but the road hasn’t been resurfaced yet, still just a big dirt pile.

And then there are power outages, a weekly occurrence thanks to metal thieves who regularly strip the wire*.

My wifi at home stopped five days ago and I’ve been harassing my landlady since then. Means I have to “clomp” up to sit at the coffee shop for connection.

The lifts (elevators) at work have been on the fritz for 3 days, forcing me to work at home (where there is no internet!). Now these elevators are probably 60 years old, so you can imagine the problem getting parts!

Ok, enough kvetching already

this and a manhole cover will get you a couple of beers

A coup in Lesotho               

Tom Thabane, the Prime Minister of Lesotho, was (“apparently”, as there is some dissent on that point) victim of a coup last week. He fled to S.A. for a couple of days but has now gone home.

Lesotho, right in the middle of S.A.

Lesotho is a country that is entirely within the boundaries of South Africa, so there is an interest here to ensure it is stable. Also, it is the source of what is called “white gold” (water) and apparently most of the Gauteng water comes from Lesotho.

The current government is some coalition of 3 different parties who can’t agree. So Thabane asked the King (yup, no GG there, a real King) to prorogue parliament and that triggered the coup.      Do you think we could get Mulcair and the Dauphin to do the same in Ottawa?

Speaking of the King’s prerogatives

Check out the Reed Dance ceremony. This took place last week in Kwazulu Natal. When I visited one SHI in that region last month, they told me that their local Councillor had asked them to make a donation for the King’s Reed Dance. (!) Apparently this is part of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini’s anti-AIDS program. No comment

Fire, meat, beer, guy in apron

I got my boss Malcolm to reluctantly agree that a “braai” is just like a BBQ, except that the meat includes boerwors and ostrich steak with biltong as an appetizer. Our colleague Jacus had us over for braai last Sunday at his lovely home in Pretoria.

Fire

Meat

Braai with pap and chakalaka

Jacus and his wife Fay are heading to Canada at the end of September. Jacus will be visiting some social housing folks in (guess where?) Toronto. And then they said they would go see (guess what?) Niagara Falls. I hope I convinced them to go to Quebec City instead by assuring them Niagara is really no big deal if you live in southern Africa.

More (different) cultural stuff

This past week I attended a performance at the Dance Umbrella series. It was “Les Nuits” with the Ballet Preljocaj.  I saw them in Ottawa as part of the NAC Dance Series a few years back. Excellent evening.

And on Saturday, I went with a colleague to see Buskaid, the Soweto String Orchestra. They were amazing. Buskaid started in 1992 to help struggling young musicians from Soweto. It is an amazing organization and many of their students have now on gone to study in London and other European  cities.   Beautiful music, lots of smiles and love.         https://www.buskaid.org.za/index.htm

Tomorrow will see the arrival of Barry (Pinsky, ED of Rooftops) and Keith (Hambly, from Fife House in Toronto, also President of the ONPHA Board). Rooftops and some local groups are hosting a week long session on HIV/AIDS and Housing. People will be coming from Kenya, Tanzania, Zim and Cameroon. It will be a busy next couple of weeks and I’ll have more to say.

That’s it for now, folks. Sala Kahle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting around in my gogo boot

I managed to see a bit of the country, giving myself lots of time to get to the gates.

Last week, Malcolm and I went to Pietermaritzburg and Durban to visit two Social Housing Institutions (SHIs). Both of these are in the process of significant expansion, in some case more than doubling in size over the next year or two. The meetings were to assess how NASHO might help with training, mentorship or even direct technical assistance.

It was nice to go east, towards the warm Indian Ocean. My sinuses got some relief, if only for 36 hours!

by the sea, by the beautiful sea…

Malcolm and I parted ways in Durban, he headed to Cape Town (his home) and I went back to Joburg.

I was picked up at the airport by Pam, one of my new best friends who is a driver for Cabs for Women, an all-woman cab company. http://www.cabsforwomen.co.za There are 12 drivers and I now know at least half by now (Thuli, Thobile, Pam, etc). They have been taking me to/from work and are all excellent drivers (fast and confident is the MO in Joburg). We talk about their kids & grandkids, my work, weather and traffic. And I get to practice my Isizulu!

Yebo, ngiyafunda Isizulu:

Yes, I’m taking some Zulu lessons. The clicks are hard, but apparently I’m doing quite well. My teacher, Cynthia, comes to my cottage on Saturday mornings and we run through some basic stuff and also talk politics, language, movies and books (that part in English, tho). By the time I leave, I plan to be singing The Click Song along with Miriam Makeba (of course, that’s in Xhosa, which is not Zulu, but same Nguni family).  Give a listen:

Further South this past Wednesday:

Down to Port Elizabeth, which is almost at the confluents of the Indian and South Atlantic oceans.

They call it the “windy city”, not for nothing…

I travelled down with Jacus Pienaar, a long time NASHO advisor on development issues. He was meeting with a new group that was trying to get their application in with a very short turn around time. I was meeting (on my own, big girl-like) with Imizi, a very impressive SHI. I came out of that meeting thinking they have somehow gotten all of it right from the start.

Very young SHI, only 2 years old, but their capacity to handle rapid growth and pay attention to operations means they have a smooth running organization. Their GM, Anthony Ngcezula, is obviously the right guy at the right place and time. I was so chuffed when he said that Community Development is his personal “baby” and he was talking about expanding their reach to the communities surrounding their buildings! After our meeting, we took a drive to their two properties and then had a lovely lunch at an outside restaurant. Tony Lloyd, their CFO , came along.

One thing I’ve noticed in my visits is that most SHI’s prefer to do new builds in greenfield areas. Well, no surprise, as we well know the pitfalls of acquisition/rehab (Stirling Tavern? Putman?, St. Elijah’s?). But the issue of “spatial inequality” is part of what the Social Housing sector is supposed to address, so the idea of adding to the affordable housing stock in built up areas where there are jobs/transport/services is losing ground now.  Also, way too much land is allocated to unused parking!!! I talked up community gardens and I’m gonna keep at it!.

Anthony & Tony at their Walmer Link project

Imizi has made it part of their mission to have projects reflect the racial diversity of their city. Unlike most other SHI buildings, where I’ve really only seen black people, Imizi’s make up is 66% black and 44% coloured or white. I noticed white, Afrikaans-speaking clients in their site offices, and hanging out laundry in the courtyards. When I asked Anthony how they achieved this diversity, he said they have done targeted marketing to certain areas and it has paid off.

He has also introduced a modest kind of rent scale based on income. This is not the way most SHIs interpret the Social Housing Act, but Imizi has decided to stick to their guns. Apparently, the SHRA is not disagreeing with them and it allows more flexibility for their tenants.

Insert community garden here!

Marikana,two years ago
On August 16,  34 miners were shot down at the Lonmin mine in Marikana, about 125 kms from Joburg. They had been peacefully demonstrating for some days, wanting to speak to management about their working conditions. They had lost some trust in the union, and so were striking out on their own, so to speak.

It happened just one month after I returned from our Rooftops Study Tour and it shocked me at the time, it was like a snapshot from 30 years ago, except this time, the police were black! This is still a huge source of contention and there is a Commission of Inquiry still ongoing. Of course, the government is getting a pass so far. Zuma and his cohorts did not make any comment last week, on the 2nd anniversary of the massacre. And, no surprise, the opposition parties are having a heyday with it (and other ANC scandals, of which there are many).

If you have a chance to see this documentary, please do. It is chilling.

Port Elizabeth is also called “the friendly city”  And here are some of the friendly folks I met on a lovely drive by the sea with Jacus

Victor and Velma Vervet

 

cheeky monkey

 

 

 

 

 

That’s it for today, folks!