South Africa Fri 4 Dec '09

South Africa Fri 4 Dec '09
Today Ben meets me at 8am for 'cultural tour'. He drives (just me) 10k to Lulekani, a 36,000 strong township, built and mainly occupied by Shangaan people. The Shangaan are part of the Nguni people, others being the Zulu, Matabele and Swazi tribes.

Ben describes and drives me around the four distinct areas of the town:- the well-off, the middle and the poor areas, and the area occupied by refugees from the Mozambique wars of the 1980s. The first three have mostly block built 'Mandela' houses and kitchens, with electricity and a running water tap in the grounds of each family group. The 'well off ' have some very smart properties indeed, whereas the poor have less space and grow crops in their garden. The Mozambicans do not qualify for 'Mandela' houses, struggle to get jobs because there are not enough even for the SA nationals and are poorer than the poor.

We stop lots of times, loads of kids, all happy and loving the photos I take and show them.

Ben takes me to meet Mr Modaka, 87 and the head of his family: 7 children and 19 grandchildren. Here, the man is in charge and the woman does as she is told, as it should be. Men decide who they want to marry and pay the girls father in cows or money. The girl then leaves to join her husbands family home where her new relatives monitor her to make sure she can cook and clean to their satisfaction. After obtaining their approval, the girl and her husband can set up home in their own house. Motherinlaw has no influence but the girls brothers can be a force to recon with if the husband treats his wife badly. Hence it is wise to check on how many brothers a girl has, and how big they are, before taking her as his wife. A man can take more than one wife of course, depending on how many he can afford and how fit he is. All good stuff.

We talk for a long time with Mr Modaka and look around his house and kitchens. The old kitchen has an open fire and is used as an alternative to the modern one which uses expensive electricity. An insight into how real people live in this town.

Next Ben takes me to a training centre where Europeans mostly German students come to help and learn social skills. Here, in a courtyard, 4 warriors bang drums, act, dance and sing just for me. Great stuff. I join in with the drumming and dancing but mercifully am not expected to sing. I thoroughly enjoy this and hope to see these guys again when they visit the UK next year.

All the Best, John