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During the month of May, 2008, South Africa was ravaged by a spate of xenophobic attacks that spread through its land like wildfire. As streams of foreigners crossed the borders from neighbouring countries, they sought refuge in the townships and informal settlements. Sadly, many locals felt threatened by the influx of foreigners, accusing them of stealing their jobs, their livelihoods. The xenophobic violence ignited in Gauteng’s Alexandria township, and soon flared in other parts of the country. As the death toll began to rise, the government was forced to establish ‘safety camps’ (essentially refugee camps) to protect displaced persons.

The xenophobic violence made the headlines on a daily basis, and was the topic of many news programmes aired on local television. One programme in particular, Carte Blanche, aired a segment on one of the safety camps established in the Western Cape, and in their coverage, they introduced to the TV audience a special woman called Aurelia Kaitesi.

Aurelia is no stranger to xenophobia and ethnic violence. At the age of four, she and her family fled from Uganda, in fear of their lives. Years later in 1993, she was living in Rwanda - married with four children. Her world came crashing down when, a few months before the Rwandan Genocide of ’94, she witnessed the murder of her husband (who was a diplomat) and her five year old daughter. She and her remaining children were given 24 hours to leave their home, and Rwanda. And so began a long journey, moving from one refugee camp to another throughout sub-Saharan Africa, losing her remaining daughter to illness along the way. After years of searching for a place to settle down in, Aurelia and her two boys finally moved to a place called Masiphumelele.

Taken from the Xhosa word meaning ‘We will succeed’, Masiphumelele began as an informal settlement during the 1980s, primarily inhabited by migrant workers from up-country. As the years went by, the number of residents steadily grew to over 20 000, and Masiphumelele evolved into a township. Like many of South Africa’s townships, Masiphumelele has a high unemployment rate (unofficially quoted at 90%). Another problem plaguing the community of Masiphumelele is the soaring rate of HIV/Aids. On the whole, it’s a pretty bleak scenario. And yet, in spite of all this adversity, Masiphumelele is a place of hope. Numerous organisations – both governmental and non – have focused resources on empowering the people of Masiphumelele. It’s a painstakingly slow process, but it has resulted in a lot of changes within Masiphumelele and its community. These include the building of houses (replacing tin shacks that serve as homes), schools, clinic, libraries, etc.
Anyway, back to Aurelia… Since moving to Masiphumelele, she has contributed towards the upliftment of the local community through her role as a school teacher. She runs a crèche called ‘Love and Care’ which looks after more than 70 young children. In spite of a turbulent past, it appeared Aurelia had finally managed to secure some peace and stability for her and her family. Or so it seemed, until the xenophobic attacks reached Masiphumelele. A safety centre was set up at the nearby Soetwater, which soon became ‘home’ to over 3 000 displaced people. As a foreigner herself, Aurelia was urged to seek refuge at the safety camp. But she made headlines when she put her foot down and refused to be put in yet another refugee camp. In spite of the terrible danger she faced, Aurelia stood her ground – refusing to be a victim once again. On Carte Blanche, she made an emotional appeal: “I feel sad to see that we Africans, we cannot live together. I feel sad seeing that you hate me. We hate each other. We discriminate. Why do we do it?”

The xenophobic attacks have since been curbed, and relative calm has been restored to Masiphumelele. Aurelia continues to teach at the ‘Love and Care’ crèche, and while there are still many challenges to be overcome, she has a positive outlook on life. She works tirelessly to create a better future – not only for her children, but for the children she teaches at the crèche too. As a mother… a teacher… and survivor, Aurelia Kaitesi is one of the many unsung heroines of South Africa - who through their inner strength and courage, help make the country – and indeed, the world – a better place.

Posted by Nicola-Jane in Inspiring Women |

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Inspiring Women. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.