Rights and wrongs

We often feel as if we lead double lives in SA. During the week we see many examples of people desperately struggling to cope with the realities of abject poverty. Then at weekends we disappear off to enjoy one or other extraordinary location. Sometimes the clash is contrast is particularly shocking.

Last week at school we ran out of water. It has been extremely hot (about 40 degrees) in the last couple of weeks and hasn’t rained much. We have been without water from our tap since the beginning of the year. Without tap water, the children rely entirely on the JoJos for drinking and washing. On Thursday our supply of rain water ran out. The same day, a nearby water source also dried up. Worse still, we also ran out of toilet paper.

Without water the school ‘ladies’ explained that they would also not be able to cook for the children. A number of our children are orphans and receive one meal a day.

And so we faced the prospect of dangerously unsanitary conditions and desperately thirsty and hungry children.

Fortunately, the ladies were able to get water the following day. I was also able to bring 50 litres down from Mosvold in the back of my car. Meaning that we had enough for cooking, washing and drinking. And I can now bring the same amount of water each day until a weather change.

Nevertheless, the episode highlighted the complete absence of emergency contingency plans in the area. There seems to be no telephone number to ring to report the problem. Nobody to contact to find a solution. Instead each community is left to cope as best they can. Until such help exists, the theoretical rights of the children (that they learn about in Life Orientation classes when studying the South African Constitution) will remain very meaningless.