That time a politician came to the rescue

VRYE WEEKBLAD's book festival took place in Melkbosstrand last weekend, and an event like this is often a way to get closer to the heartbeat of a community.

Life has no obligation to be fair to the creatures of the universe. If we do not take upon ourselves the obligation of humanitarianism, injustice triumphs with the regularity of normality.

Neglected children of Melkbos

Twelve years ago, an informal settlement developed on the outskirts of Melkbosstrand, which is part of the Cape Town metro. The people lived in the woods opposite the R27 that connects Cape Town with Velddrif.

Since then, the government has resettled them in Olive Close, which is part of Melkbosstrand village, but social conditions remain dire. The accommodation is typically two-bedroom houses and it is not unusual for 15 or even more people to share a house.

Obviously, there are almost no family structures in Olive Close and unemployment defines the community. In many cases, children grow up in the absence of parents and in the care of an “uncle" or “aunt", or even in the presence of only an older sibling. Most of the community is completely dependent on Sassa grants.

Alcohol abuse was and still is an endemic problem. And, as is so often the case, drug dealers have become involved in the community and form part of the fabric of family life in Olive Close. Sexual violence and child neglect plague the community and it is not unusual to see small children on the streets long after dark.

Access to mainstream education

Due to the absence of the state and the government, defenceless communities are increasingly dependent on their more prosperous, or just more empowered, fellow human beings who are willing to step in and make a difference.

After 40 years in education, Antoinette Erasmus has reached the point where she realises she is going to end her career here at Melkbos Care Centre as head of the Zumpi Dumpi Playschool and among the children of Olive Close. Here, where she knows she can make a difference, because the need is not only high but the business sector and the community are willing to step in and get involved.

Melkbosstrand has only one public school, Van Riebeeckstrand Primary, but due to the enormous disadvantages that prevail in their complex and eroding society, the children from Olive Close can in almost no way be admitted to mainstream education without additional help. Initially, it is about basic skills such as holding a pair of scissors and being able to sit on a chair without interruption.

The prefab classrooms of the Melkbos Care Centre are somewhat weathered on the outside, but on the inside a righteous grace governs.

The idea was to start a playschool that could meet the needs of the children of Olive Close and serve as a bridge that would eventually allow them to integrate into mainstream education.

Now, six years later, Zumpi Dumpi is well established with a budget of R1.8-million a year and most of its children come from Olive Close. Even though the fees are negligible — only R300 a month for Grade R — only about 30% of the parents can afford them.

The school has 52 children, ranging from two-year-olds to Grade Rs.  Van Riebeeckstrand Primary does not have a Grade R class, but this may change with new legislation from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) which will make Grade R compulsory at all primary schools.

The other playschools in the area charge between R2,000 and R4,000, precisely because Grade R is not compulsory and it is still parents' choice to send their children to school for the Grade R year.

The foundation phase — or Grade R section — of Zumpi Dumpi follows  CAPS (curriculum and assessment policy statement), as prescribed by the DBE. The school has 11 Grade Rs, and the Kinderland day programme is used for children between two and five.

The aim is to provide Grade R children a scholastic experience that will make it possible for them to integrate into the town's primary school, but it's a challenge. 

Unfortunately, many of the Grade R children are held back for another year in the preparation process. But a formal application has to be lodged with the DBE to keep these children back, because the Schools Act says they have to enter Grade 1 in the year they turn seven.

Van Riebeeckstad Primary has a psychologist who does school readiness tests, and only the children who pass can be transferred there.

Transport and administration

Zumpi Dumpi has a small bus that picks up the children in Olive Close, as well as those who attend the primary school. The parents cannot afford to provide transport themselves. If the children are not picked up, they spend their days in the streets.

Some of the children come from farms. The parents who can afford it pay R5 a trip, because its low fees mean the school is unable to bear the costs alone. The poverty and unemployment in the area perpetuate a culture of payment defaults.

Most of the Zumpi Dumpi teachers have received training in early childhood development and they also come from the Olive Close community. They therefore have a strong awareness of the social problems in the area, making it easier to be aware of which children may be exposed to physical or even sexual abuse.

In terms of legislation, the school should have been registered with the Department of Social Development, but pre-school care centres and Grade R education now fall under the DBE.  The new administration says there must be a teacher and an assistant in each class. The cost implication is obvious. Assistants and teachers at Zumpi Dumpi only receive the minimum wage, because the school's cost structure does not allow for more.

The role of compassion

Parental involvement is almost non-existent and the school does not really have a governing body. Almost everyone involved does so out of the goodness of their hearts.

Karen Dreyer, one of seven directors who initiated the school's establishment, does tremendous work. Even the personnel management is handled by someone as a form of social involvement and without compensation.

The school works closely with the Afrikaanse Christelike Vroue Vereniging (Afrikaans Christian Women's Association, or ACVV) and refers abused children to the organisation.

The ACVV was founded in 1904 to assist Boer families after the end of the South African War. In the absence of a comprehensive social presence by the state, the ACVV represents community compassion. The outcome of its involvement is often that children have to be removed from the community or family.

The Melkbos Care Centre also has a charity shop, Gently Loved, which generates about 55% of the school's income. Obviously, the school also depends on donations. It is a non-profit organisation and has applied to the National Lotteries Commission for assistance, but there are no expectations of immediate help.

Pick n Pay and Woolworths provide most of the meals for the children. The donations are generous and mean almost fully balanced meals throughout the day, even for children attending aftercare.

The school “cook" draws up a well-thought-out menu for the week, and because there is almost always enough food, teachers can take home food packages worth around R300 for their families twice a week. What remains is used for the school's soup kitchen in Olive Close.

State-created obstacles

The state often represents the obstacles in the pursuit of compassion. Sometimes quite rightly so, because even social problems can be exploited by opportunists.

After six years of discussions with the City of Cape Town, the school was still not formally registered. But it is probably easy to blame the state or the administration of local government, especially when the solution of the problem makes demands of the norm.

The school buildings stand in the grounds of Melkbos Country Club, which has a lease agreement with the Cape Town metro. The school cannot be formally registered because it only has a month-to-month agreement with the club for the land on which the buildings stand.

To register, the school must have an independent address, and the fire brigade will issue a fire certificate only if there is an approved building plan for the school. The only way in which the independent address can be obtained and formally registered is if the land is redistributed to give the school an independent street address.

And to complete this administrative process someone had to benevolently draw up plans for the buildings, which was done. Because the land belongs to the City of Cape Town, the plans must be submitted by city officials. This process was so slow that the school management began to believe it would never happen.

In Cape Town, the process moved from pillar to post. Finding the person or administrative department to take responsibility for the problem was a nightmare. Meanwhile, the school does not qualify for a government subsidy, which puts the financial sustainability of the project under stupefying pressure.

Geordin Hill-Lewis

Finally, the problem landed on the desk of the mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, and with his attention the city council undertook to subdivide the land.

It is not easy to sing a politician's praises, but when attention is paid to the smaller, seemingly insurmountable details of a compassionate cause, recognition is important.

♦ VWB ♦

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