Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. - Nelson Mandela
Although Cape Town is very westernized, it's far from free of poverty. There are probably more citizens in the townships than in the suburbs. The townships are frequent and overpopulated where as the suburbs are sparse and spacey. Even then, in the midst of those wealthy suburbs, you will find homeless men under trees and family's on street corners.
Durbanville is a very large suburb and might be described as a "white area". However, it is a prime example of racial segregation. The center of Durbanville is very well structured. There are fancy apartments, fast food restaurants, holiday homes and a large 'Pic N Pay' Store. There aren't many black customers in 'Pic N Pay'. That's just how it is. The ironic thing is, you're barely ever served by a white person.
Walking down the main road, the apartments become less "fancy." 'Checkers' appears, the seemingly middle-class supermarket. 'Checkers' has an equal mix of customers. Black, white, coloured, everyone, anyone. Coloured isn't a racist term in South Africa, it's the official name for a particular race. Saying that, not all coloured people define themselves by the colour of their skin. Some are coloured by Culture.
It's some-what of a modern race. When the apartheid ended, people could be with who they wanted to be with, regardless of their skin colour. Before that, it was illegal. The apartheid ended only twenty years ago, meaning democracy in this country is as young as I am. Alongside a new government and a new way of life, the ending of apartheid encouraged a baby boom.
So you've passed 'Checkers' and you're still walking. It's a long road. There are no more apartments. There's a China Town, a few individual businesses and a taxi rank. This part of Durbanville is home to the 'Shoprite' Store. If you're a white person in this store, you're probably the only one.
Plastic advertisements are replaced with painted walls and white stickers stamped "safe abortion" have appeared on every bin, post box and lamp post. You rarely see a white person. Only five minutes ago, you rarely seen a black person. You're wondering what has happened. Why do they live so close together yet live lives a thousand miles apart? South Africa's apartheid wound is yet to heal. It's going to take a lot of time and a lot of faith. People still hold hope in their hearts, they believe in South Africa.
You see success alongside progress alongside forgotten tin homes and angry citizens. You see faith and you see sadness. You see smiles and you see tears. There's a different township around every corner, there's a new born baby on almost every back and there's a man with a story under every road-side tree.
There's a certain homeless man in Durbanville, who's story I wish I knew. Some say he was once a child at our home. You often see him sleeping on the road side or sitting by the gas station. People are kind to him. In Scotland, most citizens would go out of their way to avoid homeless people. That's heart breaking and it's awful...but it's how it is, is it not? But here, this man, these people, it's incredible. A few days after Christmas, he was clean shaven and he had a new hair cut. His torn flats were replaced with flip flops and he wore new jeans and a woolen jumper. Someone thought of him.
He's never left in the rain. He sits inside the warm gas station, where he can watch TV and sip on a coffee. He always chats away to himself as if he's sat with his best friend. People pop in for airtime or to buy some treats. They will say hello to him and kindly be on their way. I'm going to miss this kind of human behavior. It's not even a behavior, it's humanity and it's how it should be. The people of this country carry a very special word in their hearts- Ubuntu. It is a way of life. What hurts you, hurts me.
Some people blame homelessness on homeless people. I don't think that's fair. People don't choose to live a life of suffering. Every man has a mountain to climb. Some are hiking Goat Fell on a warm summers day. Other's are faced with the rocky uncertainty that is Mount Everest. Back to the man in Durbanville, all he needs is a helping hand on his way back to contentment. The people of Durbanville are giving him that help.
We are all at the fault of poverty, it is a human creation and It can be taken away with human effort. We all have the ability to take away someones pain and suffering. Family's don't need to starve in Africa, children don't need to die of diarrhea and babies don't need to die of thirst. Yet, they do. Every day, every hour, every minute, every second. People have forgotten how to help. They want to but they don't. They feel bad about it but they don't act on it.
The next time your television advertises poverty, don't say ack shame and go back to eating your dinner. You don't have to pick up the phone and donate money either. Just do something that humanity gave you the ability to do. You don't need to go to Africa to find poverty...
Go to Glasgow and buy someone a sausage roll.
To be continued...
