Life in Ikemeleng - Phindile Boitumelo

Phindile Boitumelo lives in Ikemeleng.

She is a trainee Monitor in the Monitoring Action project.

If we can be Lucky

On the 27 July on Monday at Ikemeleng Rustenburg, we as the youth forum had a feed back meeting with Murray and Roberts Cementation. They said that they had no work for us. We told them we had a plan .As the Ikemeleng youth forum we think that we can start a contract that can cut Murray and Roberts cementation costs.

We planned to do sweeping, work with the R.D.O, clean and to assist with the cleaning of the 4x4 cars that work underground. We also said we could help with safety underground.

To cut the costs of this mine, we will do something like,if the other company was charging Murray and Roberts e.g. R 50 000, we the Ikemeleng contract will charge R 45 000,so that it can cut Murray and Roberts cost . This will be something in Ikemeleng because more that 95% of the Ikemeleng youth are not working . This causes our youth to be in the big problems like girls are forced to sell their bodies and boys are stealing. So if we can be lucky to get this contract it will be better life for ikemeleng youth. We will live better if this mine gave us a small chance.

It was Painful

On the 6^th July 2009 at Rustenburg village at Ikemeleng, Kroondal, as a monitor I go around making a research about our dumping area at our community,. We have four dumping area that are very dangerous for our children. The dumps can cause many diseases in the community like t.b and cholera, because some people throw dead dogs and cats on the dump. I Phindile Ngobeni go to the clinic and talk to Mr Baloyi, I ask him about different diseases that can be caused by unsafe dumping areas. He tells me that there are many diseases and germs in the dumping area.

Our children are playing on the side of these dumps. Some of them collecting tins to sell it as scrap. Some of the children have parents, but they are suffering because they have no job. Some of our people are washing on river side were people through the pamper napkins in the water. When the water flows people are washing and bathing with the water. The water has bilharzias.

At one dump we found a newborn dead child on the dumping area, It was painful just because it is the first time in our community to see something like that.

This visit made me realise that we that we can form Ikemeleng environmental project so that we can recycle . We need help to support our community.

Children with no Identity

At Rustenburg in a village of Ikemeleng we have more than thirty to thirty five orphans. Some of them are still attending school but some of them are not attending school because they don't get grants, they don't have identities and birth certificates. Others don't have families to help them apply for those documents. At Tirelong high school next to Ikemeleng the orphans who are attending school there they get grants because the teachers are helping them to call the social workers, and people used to go there to offer the orphans the food every year during the month of June. There are people who used to come there and offer blankets and track suits.

Those who are not attending school, it’s not easy for them to get help because the councillors are not taking action. Even if they go to the councillor to explain the problem, he is not doing anything. Dipuo a 22 year old says she was asking the councillor two years back to help her with the forms to get the identity document and she didn't get help till this month of July 2009. So she is collecting tins to get money that can help her family to live. Her two younger brothers do not attend school because there is no money to buy the uniform. She can't go and look for a job because she doesn't have an identity document

No Case No Police No Arrest

On the 29 May 2009 it was on Friday and I was at L&R Chauckes Tavern to see what is happening there. But it turned out to be a “smackdown” where people stabbed with knives and bottles. It was okay at first then all hell broke loose. Some guys aged 16, 21 and 24 years old started a fight. The two guys ganged up against the 24 year old guy . The 16 year old guy stabbed this guy with a knife however this guy managed to escape and he grabbed two bottles and broke them and he attacked the 16 and 21 years. The 16 year old ran away and the 24 year old guy felt brave and he tried to fight with the other guy but the 24 year old guy stabbed him half dead. The ambulance had to be called.

At around 6 am in the morning a 15 year old girl was raped in front of her home.

In both these incidents no police came, no case was opened and no one was arrested