Nkuzi Development Association – South Africa
Nkuzi Development Association is a South African NGO that provides a range of support services to historically disadvantaged communities wishing to improve their rights and access to land. The organisation works in the Northern Province, northern parts of the Mpumalanga Province and with farm residents in the Gauteng province. Nkuzi not only works with communities but is also very active in advocating for the rights of landless people.
Nkuzi have been using Reflect to enable communities to better manage their own land once they have claimed it back. By strengthening communication skills the project aims to enable communities to take control of their own affairs. Nine Reflect circles are currently running in the Potgietersrus area, each with at least one facilitator from their own community.
Reflect has had a large impact on circle members – often in ways that we did not predict or expect. For example tackling the high crime rate in the region. Old people in the communities are particularly vulnerable to crime, this is especially apparent on pension day when many old people are robbed after receiving their pension. In more than one circle where many of the participants are pensioners they have mobilised themselves and approached the South African Police Service. They arranged with the police service that they would send police reserves to the rural payout points on pension days. This has prevented the pensioners from being robbed on pension day. Previously the participants did not have the confidence to approach official bodies, and this act has given them a great sense of achievement. One thing that we have noticed among all Reflect circles is an increased capacity of participants to contact local government offices and other departments and actively demand their right to basic services.
Another interesting observation relates to the way circle participants use their newly acquired literacy and numeracy skills. For example the use of mobile phones. Previously, the community members in this area had no access to the phone and therefore very limited communication with either the outside world, or family members who have left the community. The strengthened communication skills have enable community members to access and use mobile phones thus improving their connection with the world beyond their immediate community.
A very valuable learning insight for Nkuzi and other Reflect projects in South Africa relates to the issue of ownership and democracy. With the history of apartheid many people have not had the opportunity to experience democracy. The ‘culture of silence’ is a reality – especially in rural communities and among women. This has meant that in some areas community leaders or facilitators have dominated the process making decisions on behalf of circle participants. Participants were too fearful to question or resist these decisions.
We are therefore now focusing our work on examining the principles of ownership and democracy, attempting to raise awareness among facilitators of what participatory principles and democracy really means. Using a participatory monitoring system has furthered this work. The system not only allows participants to monitor their own progress but also to examine the facilitators' roles and contribution to their learning. It has reinforced among participants knowledge of their rights and confidence in exercising these rights.
