The second session for ACT Ubumbano’s Learning Hubs is taking place today –  Tuesday 8^th July 2020.

The Church Land Programme and Abahlali Base Mjondolo partnered in a campaign to make sure that the violations being experienced by community members in three informal settlements in the eThekwini municipality were made visible nationally and globally. This second session will reflect on this partnership and solidarity to enable those who are ‘acting, resisting and making demands’ to lead, be heard and kept visible.

The Hubs are designed to facilitate deep reflection and learning among community activists, and so participant numbers are kept small. Today’s session is already fully subscribed, but you can apply for forthcoming Hubs here. Learning Hub #3 is scheduled for the week of 20^th July 2020 (date to be announced), and will look at the case study of DAG as they work in solidarity with and in support of resistance by informal communities in Cape Town.

Organisations and activists are invited to contact us if you have work you would like to be profiled and shared as a learning resource with others.

View Session Outline

The first of our regular Learning Hubs will take place on Tuesday 23 June 2020. It is already fully subscribed, but you can apply for forthcoming Hubs here. Learning Hub #2 is scheduled for the week of 6 July 2020.

Each Hub will focus on an experience of solidarity and social justice work in the region. The first one will look at the response to COVID-19 of CREATE-CBR and PACSA in Pietermaritzburg. Organisations and activists are invited to contact us if you have work you would like to be profiled and shared as a learning resource with others.

The Hubs are designed to facilitate deep reflection and learning among community activists, and so participant numbers are kept small. There will be opportunity to be part of at least one Hub in the series. ACT Ubumbano will support participation by providing organisations and activists with data / airtime where needed.

Please email Ashley ashley@actubumbano.org to discuss your involvement and that of your network of activists.

View Session Outline

On Tuesday 23 June 2020, ACT Ubumbano will convene the first in a series of Learning Hubs, providing a space for activists and social justice actors to engage in deep reflection and sharing on solidarity actions. Under the theme Solidarity in the time of COVID-19, the first Hub will explore the solidarity response of PACSA, CREATE and others to the pandemic in Pietermaritzburg.

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

In the coming weeks, the Hubs will reflect on the work and experiences of different organisations and activists as they respond to the challenges of injustice in their communities. Organisations are invited to get involved by sharing their work and by identifying individuals who can contribute to and learn from being part of the Learning Hubs.

To apply to participate, click here. You can find out more by contacting Ashley at ashley@actubumbano.org or Thabo at thabo@actubumbano.org.

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.