When lock down was announced due to corona virus Lesotho citizens living and working in South Africa were faced with a problem of getting their ARVs. Health institutions in South Africa refuse to assist them with medication and asked them to ask Lesotho Health Institutions to send proof that they are HIV and AIDS patients before giving them ARVs. That’s when Basotho decided to risk their lives by crossing the river running below Ficksburg and Fourisburg borders because they can’t go through border gates as they still closed due to lock down. Yes it is illegal to cross through the river but this started when clinics where they reside refused to give them Medication because they say they can’t wait for border gates to be opened for they need to refill and the only way to refill is to cross the river to get at least 3 months supply.

Parents feel that in as far as they do not want their children to miss out on their studies, they are worried about their safety as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise.

It is very unfortunate that the pandemic has put a stop not only on education but everything else. It is still not yet safe for children to go back to school.

A community waste land that lied for many years behind shops in Palm Springs in the Vaal is being successfully put into good use to ensure food security during lockdown as it has been turned into a vegetable garden.

This piece of land used to be a home for rats for year and the community used to dump waste whenever it was not collected by the local authority. The bad odour and rats from the dumping site affected people staying close by for years but now the piece of land has been cleaned for use on something that will benefit people because they will at least have fresh food from this garden. This garden was started by an old man together with a couple of guys who were called nyaope boys because they were addicted to nyaope drug that is still terrorising young boys and girls in townships.

Today the community of Palm Springs in Section H is happy to have this vegetable garden rather than rats and what makes even the community happier is that the boys don’t steal anymore as they are now of great help to the community.

‘When we stop talking, we stop thinking and creating, and we allow injustice to flourish.’

ACT Ubumbano is a resource to social justice activists and organisations to reflect on their practice and deepen their capacity to be in solidarity with those who struggle for their dignity, even as the COVID-19 pandemic prevents us from being with each other.

And so we will be convening a series of digital Learning Hubs each week for the next few months.  We know that solidarity action does not stop during lockdowns. Instead, social justice organisations and activists have become creative in finding new ways of accompanying those in most need in the community, and pushing back against injustice, violence and oppression. We want to talk about these initiatives.

The Learning Hubs will begin in the second week of June. The first Hub will be discussing [PACSA, CREATE and the COVID-19 Collective and their solidarity drive with communities in Pietermaritzburg – INSERT TOPIC HERE.]

There will be space for a maximum of 10 people in each facilitated session to allow for deep and reflective discussion.

ACT Ubumbano invites organisations to participate by identifying individuals from their networks to be part of these Learning Hubs. We can provide some support to organisations to cover staff time, data and airtime, and other justifiable costs associated with enhancing community capacity to participate in digital platforms. If you are interested, please submit a 1-page concept note with a brief explanation of your work, the people involved (especially fieldworkers and activists), and what support you will need to participate in the learning hubs.

ACT Ubumbano also invites you to share what have you and / or your partners done to advance social justice and raise community voice. Please let us know if you are prepared to share your work as a case study for discussion at a Learning Hub. You can contact Ashley at ashley@actubumbano.org to discuss this further. All concept notes and motivations to participate can be sent to hub@actubumbano.org  

[av_layout_row border='' min_height_percent='' min_height_pc='25' min_height='0' color='main_color' mobile='av-flex-cells' mobile_breaking='' av-desktop-hide='' av-medium-hide='' av-small-hide='' av-mini-hide='' id='' custom_class='' aria_label='' av_element_hidden_in_editor='0' av_uid=''] [av_cell_one_fourth] [/av_cell_one_fourth][av_cell_one_half] [av_heading heading='What’s Happening Around Tembisa' tag='h2' style='blockquote modern-quote' subheading_active='' size='' av-medium-font-size-title='' av-small-font-size-title='' av-mini-font-size-title='' subheading_size='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' color='' custom_font='' margin='' margin_sync='true' padding='10' link='' link_target='' id='' custom_class='' av_uid='av-kaoxnpec' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_heading] [av_image src='https://www.actubumbano.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Grocery-Line-COVID-19-Social-Distancing.jpg' attachment='1251' attachment_size='full' copyright='' caption='' styling='' align='center' font_size='' overlay_opacity='0.4' overlay_color='#000000' overlay_text_color='#ffffff' animation='no-animation' hover='' appearance='' link='' target='' id='' custom_class='' av_element_hidden_in_editor='0' av_uid='av-kaoxpi1k' admin_preview_bg=''][/av_image] [av_textblock size='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' font_color='' color='' id='' custom_class='' av_uid='av-kaoxy7gw' admin_preview_bg=''] Many of the people in Tembisa believe in making money from selling cooked food. Their marketplace is outside shopping complexes, taxi ranks etc. What is worrying now is that they defy lockdown rules and regulations but only remember them when they clash with law enforcement agents. I witnessed men cooking and selling mogodu just outside a shopping complex attracting many customers at the same time but not practicing social distancing. Ekurhuleni is one of the metros with many cases of the virus which makes it a hotspot of the pandemic, but I have realised that people only put on masks to be allowed into the mall but remove them as soon as they leave the complex.

Meanwhile, it is also worrying how those who are entrusted with distribution food parcels are helping themselves first before the people who are in real need of the food. This is even though we are in a situation where many people have lost their livelihoods and can no longer afford to fend themselves and their families. In Vusimuzi, the community registered to get food parcels, a list of names of people who registered was used to get food parcels.

On another note, these days, SAPS has been at the forefront ensuring that citizens adhere to rules and regulations of the lockdown. Before entry at the Tembisa police station, officers scan people to check their temperature and the officers record each person’s temperature, they have also implemented a no mask no entry principle at their premises whilst enforcing social distancing. I have witnessed the same at Spar Supermarket although they do not check temperature, but the principle of no mask no entry is enforced.
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Rapule Moiloa

As the month of April ended, many people are eager to access their grants and the writer witnessed many people queuing outside the gate of Palm Springs Mall for SASSA grants payment waiting to go to different shops and ATMs. However, what was worrying is the fact that for whatever reasons there was no law enforcement to maintain the rules and regulations containing the spread of COVID-19 including that of maintaining social distancing.

People pushed the gate and started running into the mall and the stampede posed challenges for the security at the mall because everyone went in 

Visit www.kzncc.org.za for more information.