Day 1

WE'RE GOING ON A TRIP

Meeting 1

We were assigned groups. Each team was allocated one topic at random.

The teams: (So it is clear who people are when they are referred to in posts)

Group 1: Zahida Gangat
Zaheer Cassim
Xola Potelwa
Diana Neille
Thabo Modisha

Group 2: Alistair - me
Katharine
Stevi-Mae
Clara
Emmah



Group 3:

Group 4:

The topics are - Water Quality and the Environment
People who live by the river
People who live off the river
The History and Future of the river

I was assigned the topic - The History and Future of the river.

Our first visit to the Jukskei

We went off to see parts of the river and the source.



Starting in Alexandra, we met a woman-Kim Kieser from WetAfrica. Kim runs a project which uses manpower to clean up rivers. The Soul Foundation works to rehabilitate 67km of the Jukskei River. The Jukskei is a highly polluted water system. The catchment houses more than 5 million people.

"Alex" was desolate. Yet, I feel like I have become accustomed to the poverty. It's common. Even though some people are born into poverty or it is brought upon them, some are to blame for their own predicament. This is an idea I wouldl ike to explore further. What is the historical root of these peoples' poverty.

If 1 million (unofficial figure) or so people live in "Alex", how many stay by the river. One 46th of the population of South Africa is a large amount and my sample is big. I cannot speak with 1 million people. I don't believe there ar THAT many folks by the river in any case. Clearly, I need to read a bit further.

I cannot become too "hung up" by the numbers. I need to conceptualise the definition of what kind of people and how many there are in each sample and which samples are applicable to which stories.

day 1 then was interesting. I saw poverty.


I saw a baby in a corner. The mother was near.











By stormwater drains



I saw children playing by dirty water.








This area needs to be cleaned up, clearly.
It is in Swettla in Alexandra township.








Dixon was a very interesting man. He used to live by the Jukskei. He nows lives in Thembisa. He was one of SOUL's first volunteers. I reckon he will be able to get me in contact with people who have had the Jukskei as a part of their lives for a long time.

Some story areas- how the canals were built. Zaheer and I are keen to get underground. The history of religion religion related to the river. How NGOs have fared in the past and how they will fare in the future.

Tomorrow - we have lectures and an online exercise.

I must embrace this project
with a steady mind.
It is too easy to show sympathy.
However, victims of circumastance are always respected.