ZEVENFONTEIN INFORMAL SETTLEMENT

Johannes Bafana Mokwena - November 1999

For this place to come to an existence, homeless and poverty stricken people were compelled by situations to come and live in it. Many homeless families regard this place as their final luxurious dwelling place. 

Zevenfontein as it is called by name, is a very unhygienic informal settlement or place due to the lack of necessary necessities for living. Life is rather lived by mere luck. Each day is taken the way as it comes. 

My family and I began living in Zevenfontein in the year 1996. We moved places because of the adverse life we used to live. We moved from where we lived to Zevenfontein expecting a slight change of our lifestyle, but matters became even worse compared to that of before. 

Through the grace and the power of the Almighty, we are able to survive these complicated situations. 

It has been a long time since we were waiting to be moved by the government to a better place, but we waited in vain. A councellour was elected in the year 1994. People expected him to speak to the government on behalf of their needs. Though he was elected, no developments were made since then. Even today we are living in an undeveloped place with unproper water supply, no sewerages, no electricity and no schools for our children. 

Many children are unable to attend school due to the financial problems their parents have. Few out of many attend the nearest schools, Witkoppen and Riversand to name but few.

Johannes ist der erste Student, der von uns ein Darlehen erhielt. Mittlerweile hat er ein einjähriges Studium abgeschlossen, das ihm einen Job in einer Speditionsfirma ermöglichte. Er hat sein Darlehen abgezahlt und studiert jetzt in einer Abendschule. Johannes ist ein aktives Mitglied unserer Jugendgruppe in Zevenfontein, die misshandelten Kindern eine Anlaufstelle bietet und 10 Kindern zum Schulbesuch verhilft.