KwaMhlanga, SA | Environment | Culture | Challenges

Continent: Africa

Country: South Africa

Province: Mpumalanga

Municipality District: Thembisile

Wider Area: KwaNdebele/ Pretoria

Village: KwaMhlanga
We are approximately 60 km Northeast of Pretoria in the former KwaNdebele homeland.

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KwaMhlanga, SA | Environment | Culture | Challenges

We live in an area where the surrounding population exceeds 400,000 people. The majority withstand desperate living conditions and housing is comprised of tin shacks, mud huts and concrete homes with corrugated iron roofs. No matter which direction you travel on the dirt roads among the surrounding 10 villages, you will find innumerable amounts of children, youth, adults and elderly trying to fulfill their basic needs of food, water and shelter before the sun goes down. They fetch their water at the nearest tap supply using either a wheelbarrow or donkey cart.

The land is unfertile, extremely rocky, dry and dusty. This is an area of mostly rolling hills filled with abundant birdlife, reptiles, wild baboons, warthogs and most certainly a host of many other wild creatures. Along the roadside you will see young boys herding cattle and goats, while chickens and dogs roam free. These circumstances make for an interesting walk or drive through the village.

In KwaMhlanga you will find that the climate is either in the wet season or the dry season. January-March is summer and temperatures reach the 90 degree Fahrenheit range, April-June is considered the fall, July-September is the winter and temperatures drop to near freezing and October-December is the spring. The rainy season is during the spring and summer months while the extremely dry fall and winter months result in a drought that leaves the community in search of drinking water.

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KwaMhlanga, SA | Environment | Culture | Challenges

In this picture are two Ndebele women dressed in their traditional clothing that is handmade and intricately beaded and adorned. This traditional dress is worn for ceremonies and celebrations such as mens' initiation rites, girls' puberty seclusions, marriage ceremonies, and lobola feasts. The Ndebele women are an artful and colorful group who are talented in the art of painting and beadwork. IsiNdebele is the language of the Ndebele people and is most closely linked to Zulu.

Although the KwaNdebele Homeland was given to this group of people by the South African government, it has since become a larger community with a mix of varying tribes from Zulu, Xhosa, Venda, Tsonga, Shonga and others.

Men's Initiation Rites:
This is one of the most important rituals for the various tribes and is a ceremony celebrating manhood. Every four years young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two are sent away to attend circumcision school. This ritual divides child from man. The Initiation Ceremonies are three-month sessions and take place in hidden huts on hilltops in the distant surrounding areas. These men are taught by elders appointed by the Chief and are taught tribal lore, including their responsibilities to their families and their tribe and the means of dealing with forces that threaten tribal existence. During their time at the school they are painted white to represent purity and also to disguise their faces. They endure painful whip fights to harden themselves and follow this with songs of praise to give them courage. They are taught tribal custom and culture and they develop a strong bond among one another. The women and mothers at home celebrate this time for their boys by hanging a white flag outside their home while he is away. They receive many visitors of family and friends from far away during this time and decorate their homes and entryways for the occasion. Upon the men's arrival home the women are adorned in their traditional dress and have a large celebration arranged where an entire cow or sheep will be slaughtered for a feast that also includes maize meal, sour milk and sorghum beer. Between the women's cooking duties they perform ritual dances in the front courtyard. Songs of praise and chants are sung by the women for their brave sons and are heard across the veld and among the villages.

This brief synopsis gives only a glimpse of the culture we observe and live among in KwaMhlanga, South Africa.

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KwaMhlanga, SA | Environment | Culture | Challenges

HIV/AIDS is one of the biggest challenges faced in this area. Local hospitals and clinics estimate that 50% of the more than 400,000 people living in the area are infected by the disease. South Africa has been reported by the United Nations as having more cases of HIV/AIDS than any other country in the world. It's hard to believe that HIV/AIDS cases are on the rise and by 2010 the disease is estimated to be worse than it has ever been before. Everyday children are left orphaned because of HIV/AIDS. Homes often become child-headed households, leaving the oldest responsible for the remaining children. HIV/AIDS is affecting every detail of society in South Africa from family life to devastation of the South African economy. South Africa's average life expectancy continues to plummet and the majority of those dying from the disease are currently the economically active and working class citizens. The situation is one that is daunting to see with your own eyes and leaves you feeling utterly helpless because of the reality of the number of people hidden away in a dark corner who are HIV+ and left with no one to care for them.

Poverty is yet another huge challenge that the larger community faces each day. In South Africa an estimated 45% of the rural black population lives in poverty. The average income for a person living in a rural area is $660.00 annually. Poverty leaves mothers and children in a crisis of survival for their very lives. Adults and children turn to any means possible to obtain food and sustenance. Not only are there stomachs empty, but there living conditions are extremely dire, often with no water, a leaking roof, extreme climate conditions, families divided, and souls that are far from being loved and nurtured. Personally, Bryan and I observe and believe that poverty is the root of the challenges faced among this community. How can we expect for anyone to listen, understand and grasp the Gospel when there bellies are starving and their lives have yet to experience unconditional love?

Lack of Education is a challenge that exists among the community. Only 55% of the rural black population completes Grade 12. A mere 16% of the graduates qualify for University level endorsement and less than 15% have post-graduate qualifications. The schools in this rural community often struggle to find qualified teachers. Many children roam the streets and do not attend school because there is no one at home to make sure they are there. English is to be taught starting in second grade but is most often neglected because it's much easier to use the native language, leaving many of the youth incapable of communicating in English and therefore unlikely to qualify for University level education or find a job in an urban area.

Unemployment levels are near 80%, leaving families with no income and linking them to an inescapably impoverished life. The economy in KwaMhlanga is almost non-existent. There are few jobs, little business and no cash crop that sustains the community. The infrastructure is poor, with the majority having no sewage system, while the small middle class neighborhood has a fragile sewage system. There is no trash pick-up among the wider area which leaves a host of trash piles that decompose over time and are rummaged through by the people living around them. The majority of the population is unemployed and left with time on their hands which can often lead to desperation and divided families.

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