Nutrition and training … so much needed … and to give hope for 2 Euro a month – share your hope with those less fortune – what could be more rewarding…?
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Driving through the Northern Cape last week made me aware of the trouble which the renewed and extended blackouts do have to the people in the towns of rural South Africa. And driving to the vast areas of virtually meeting nobody for hundreds of km, I also realize the extent of the political neglect of possibilities like solar power and wind.
It again shows how cadre deployment, corruption and incompetence paired by ideological blindness has hurt the all spheres of society in this country. Bringing a world-class entity to the brink of collapsing can be called a negative masterpiece. Trying to solve the problem to create another state-owned enterprise, as the responsible minister proposes it, is then the cherry on top of madness.
Since 2014 now President Ramaphosa was most times as Deputy President in charge of turning ESKOM around. Promises were made – as too often in the political sphere of South Africa, it remained hot air.
Having said all that, it does not serve a purpose to lament and to leave it at that. The crisis could be a trigger for a renewable energy drive also bringing the much-needed jobs for South Africa.
End 2021 13 million people worked in the field of renewable energy worldwide – and experts expect the number to triple till 2030.
So there lies a chance in South Africa’s woes – but it needs the willingness of the respective role players to act decisively and the political will to make it happen. The latter presents itself in the form of the respective Minister rather as a problem giver than a solution seeker.
But there is always hope in the ability of South Africa to also overcome this man-made disaster and to rise again as the beacon of hope for the African continent. There is so much expertise in the private sector to assist when politics is willing to change from being part of the problem to being part of the solutions presenting themselves naturally in this county.
A new and fresh year has started – and while the world as such is still in combat mood regarding Covid-19 admittedly in different stages and variations around the world, also other challenges have not changed because a new yearly chapter has been opened.
Building a holistic campus like “The Nex – Indawo Yethu” in such times was and is a challenge in itself; looking at how South Africa is perceived by many currently adds to the woes. Besides all praise for doing what HOPE Cape Town is doing in the various townships of Cape Town in the last 20 years, there are a lot of nagging questions we face on an ongoing base:
How can you build in a notorious violent township, a place nobody wants to go? How can you dare to think, that you can change a place riddled with desperation? And more general questions and statements:
South Africa is doomed – how can you invest time and energy in a lost cause? Are you not dreaming of a pie in the sky – believing in values while corruption, cadre deployment, empty promises and betrayal of “our people” governs daily life in South Africa?
Yes, maybe I am a dreamer; maybe HOPE Cape Town is taking on more than it can handle. Maybe I have too much confidence in our partners and their ability to walk the talk and to show the world, that change – positive change – is possible.
But in my view, this is the only way to get out of the doomsday vision and the self-fulfilling prophecies of decline and retrogression. Believing in people, in partnerships, and trusting in the ability of people to join and work together towards a better future is what creates positive development. And this is not only a humanistic or religious motion.
Africa will be soon to have the youngest population in the world and with it one of the biggest markets and opportunities. South Africa remains the gateway for quite a part of it. The whole environmental questions currently discussed are a challenge for African countries, but if done right, they will be on the forefront of a new reality which is not determined by Covid-19, but ambience needs bringing humanity in line and in tune with the preservation of environment simply for survival of human mankind.
South Africa is not doomed but deserves every effort for upliftment. The world, being currently in discussions and battles of all sorts and manners about the history of colonisation, racism, male dominance and asking critical questions about how the world economics is run and dominated warrants much more patience and determination to get it right. South Africa has still the possibility to become again a beacon of hope for the world, showing how diversity can be an asset and how the own history can be a teacher for future generations.
“The Nex – Indawo Yethu”, the holistic campus in Delft and the work of HOPE Cape Town in general will continue to contribute to this vision of a better world and a decent future for South Africa and the people living in it. It understands itself to be one little building block – offering to partner with whoever is walking the same talk – dreaming big and walking little realistic baby steps at the same time.
And coming back to the question of how to pull through with the project?
I don’t know – HOPE Cape Town walking with the local people and not having all answers means the adventure of development, based on trust and the confidence, that doors will open at the right time, people will join at the right time and that together we will – despite all bumpers and rollercoasters on the way – succeed in creating a better future for all.
That does not mean that there are no plans and strategies, that there are no aspirations and wishes, but not prescribing a way but discerning a way together with those living in Delft – a participatory process – means no fixed road to walk but landmarks on the way. Agility would be the word in the business world used.
Despite what we read in the newspapers and on social media every day – the majority of people – also in a township of Delft and in South Africa – are prepared to work for the common good. And that willingness, together with all the partners joining, should be enough to pull it through.
Almost unnoticed in our times of Covid-19 and the struggle of survival for many South Africans, HOPE Cape Town celebrated its 20th anniversary. The pandemic did not allow for a big celebration, but an hour of reflection and celebration at the Westin Hotel in Cape Town brought so many memories to the forefront.
Started as a small organisation to assist doctors at Tygerberg Children’s Hospital in the battle against HIV and Aids in 2001 nobody could envision that 20 years later a full-fledged entity with currently 40 employees working in 12 different townships, at Tygerberg Academic Health Complex and on our campus in Delft “The Nex – Indawo Yethu” plays an important supportive role for many in the Western Province.
Not envisaged was also the expansion of portfolios from HIV/AIDS to a more comprehensive health care, to Early Childhood Development, Youth, vocational training and entrepreneurial skill’s development; meaning a holistic approach.
All this would not have been possible without the help and assistance of so many crossing the path of HOPE Cape Town in the last 20 years. It would not been possible without the current sponsors, supporters, friends and allies.
And it will not be possible to continue successfully without an expanded HOPE family and a network of supportive friends from all over the world. The current situation in South Africa needs an even more determined service and approach to make development not only possible, but also lasting. Especially, the next generation born now requires a meaningful base and a safe environment to fulfil the dreams of those who fought for the new democratic South Africa. After all the blunder and corruption happening in our days, after all the stealing by the so-called connected hurting the poor and contributing to the collapse of our educational system we require the synergies between honest leaders, civil society and NGO’s to create this space of hope.
The #Bavarian House at #The Nex-Indawo Yethu in Delft, was officially opened by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Matthias Boddenberg, CEO of the Southern African German Chamber of Commerce. Thank you to German Consul General Tanya Werheit; MECs Tertius Simmers, Sharna Fernandez, Debbie Schafer, Ivan Meyer and Deputy Speaker Beverley Schafer for your presence and ongoing support. We missed our Bavarian friends from the Bayerische Staatskanzlei – per video, represented by State Minster Melanie Huml. We hope to see them soon in #SouthAfrica #hopecapetown #hopekapstadstiftung #hopecapetownusa #thenexindawoyethu #bavarianhouse #sagcci #partnerships
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God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE 