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De Kop squatter camp, Stanford, outside Cape Town, Mrs Ndlovu and her four children.... read more Elemental Africa is registered with the South African Revenue Services as a Public Benefit Organisation (a non-profit organisation). This gives it tax-free status under South African Law. PBO reg. no. 930021974 |
ProjectsSouth Africa The Bigger Picture: the Eastern Cape Migration. Studies indicate that about 48 000 people migrate to the Western Cape each year, mainly from the Eastern Cape where there is widespread poverty and lack of employment opportunities, particularly in the rural areas. The influx of people from the Eastern Cape will not slow down until that Province establishes effective and large-scale employment opportunities. A large part of Elemental Africa's work is to assist the Provincial Government and other concerned individuals in the Eastern Cape to create, implement and provide ongoing mentoring to community businesses. This in turn will slow down the migration from the Eastern Cape, which has some of the most fertile land in the country, into the major cities. Mass migration to the big cities, like Cape Town, brings about the social and cultural collapse of communities. We need to assist the Eastern Cape to retain individuals and also those who have already re-established themselves in squatter camps in other provinces. Elemental Africa is currently working with the government of the Eastern Cape and individuals to initiate:
Western Cape Like governments everywhere, ours has to balance the requirements of the people for houses and basic services with financial and infrastructural realities:
The above information was extracted from the Western Cape State of the Environment Report 2005. STANFORD De Kop squatter camp, Stanford, outside Cape Town Mrs Ndlovu and her four children have been waiting patiently for over 7 years for a small government subsidised house at De Kop outside Stanford, a rural village near Hermanus in the Western Cape of South Africa. Like the other 150 Xhosa families, who live in homemade tin shacks sharing a few 'long-drop' toilets and six water taps for the whole community which only run sporadically, she left the Eastern Cape to try and get work in the city of Cape Town, little realising that jobs are few and housing a nightmare for the poor. De Kop is a small squatter camp situated on the margins of an idyllic upmarket tourist village. It is surrounded by farmlands owned by wealthy white farmers and by smart retirement villages. It is largely ignored by local, provincial and national government as being too insignificant to have political muscle. Developments to date at De Kop Over the years a concerned group of Stanford residents and concerned property owners have been helping the community as much as they are able. Over 70 government officials have met the community over the last decade, but nothing has transpired, except the promise to start putting people onto housing lists - something meant to stop people agitating but, in reality, the people stand a minute chance of seeing their own houses built in their lifetime. The Government quite simply doesn't have the resources. After recognizing that they had reached the limits of their capacity the Stanford citizens and the De Kop community approached Elemental Africa to take the project forward. A number of meetings and workshops have already been held with the community and other stakeholders, who have collectively mandated Elemental Africa to facilitate the development of the De Kop Community. The Stanford Town Council have indicated that they will be prepared to look at developmental plans that do not require any infrastructure, services or other resources from them and may transfer the land, approximately 40 hectares, on which the community is presently squatting to the De Kop community. We have just completed a small-scale social audit, results being collated and are working on developing a relationship with the Local Council and other Government Departments. The Department of Water Affairs has agreed, in principle, together with the Stanford Town Council, that bio-digestion is an acceptable method of waste disposal. All but one of the community has agreed to put R100 per family per month into a community development Trust Fund and we are currently facilitating the formation of a constitution for the Trust. We have brick-making machines that the people can be trained to use to make their own bricks which will ultimately become a business for them when their houses are complete, but cannot start this process until we have acquired the land. Key Development Challenges faced in Stanford:
"We will succeed" The De Kop community has realised that it is within their power to challenge the status quo and is working together with Elemental Africa to set up their own legal entity, raise funds, make plans and decisions and build their own sustainable village. These initial plans will leap-frog them to the forefront of sustainable and responsible town planning, architectural design, waste management, water recycling and renewable energy production in South Africa. But more importantly it will take them to the forefront of the self-determination battle between indigenous peoples and the frequently narrow interests of government, commerce and religion.
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