Homeless

I walk in to the small wooden shack where Ronel Fernadez (31) and her two daughters Melissa (12) and Jessica (9) live. It’s a tidy room, decorated with harts and wooden carvings, but the furniture is old and the bedroom, kitchen and living room is all cramped into one.

Ronel lives in her father’s backyard in Pretoria North, along with her sister and two brothers who each have their own Wendy houses on the property.

Now they have received an evacuation order from the city of Tshwane to brake down their houses or provide the city with legal building plans for the extra buildings on the property within three weeks.

“We are too poor to afford anything else, what are we to do? Put up camp in the felt?” Ronel asked.

Further along the road various squatter houses in back yards are visible. These people didn’t received notice to evacuate the premises.

“It isn’t fair. What is applicable to one should be applicable to the other,” Ronel said.

When I walk out of the dark, cramped wooden house Ronel looks at me pleadingly.

“My daughter will be celebrating her 13^th birthday soon. Am I supposed to tell her that she won’t have somewhere to live on her birthday?”   

Black Tuesday, why YOU should care

Today marks a turning point for South Africa. Depending on what happens today at 14:00, we will either be able to rejoice in the level of Democracy in our country or it will be the beginning of the end...

If the majority of parliament members choose to vote in favour of the protection of information bill today, THEY win. Corrupt members of our government will be able to do as they please, when they please, and as much as they please. If the secrecy bill is implemented, truth, justice and democracy loose. We, the public of South Africa, loose.

Its not just some silly bill, dealing with some silly political issue. It's our future. Yes, as dedicated journalist I, and many I know, will probably be in jail in five years time if the bill succeeds, but that's not the reason you should care.

The reason you should care is because too many people dedicated their lives to fight for the very cause that after today might be lost. You should care because this is OUR country. WE are the leaders of tomorrow and its up to us to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself and leave us helpless at the hands of the same disaster, only lead by a different government.

In the end, we are all affected.