How Now Shall We Live?

On the winding mountain road to Cathedral Peak, there is a rural African community. In our time in the mountains we drove through this community several times on our way into town and to various sites in the area. Each time, we were glued to the windows, watching this completely foreign, completely other-world life that we were passing through.

The first thing that strikes the traveller is the people. The people are walking up and down the mountain road, to school, to work, to the river for water, to neighbours. This narrow, windy, dangerous road is covered with people regardless of what time you drive it. The women all have children tied to their backs by heavy blankets or cloths, they hold the hands of older children or sit with them at the side of the road. They carry tremendous loads of branches on their heads, bringing them home for their cooking fires. Huge containers of water are transported on the their heads for drinking. Groceries, laundry, boxes, all sorts of things are placed on their heads with their children on their backs as they walk slowly up the mountains to their huts.

For huts are what their homes are, round little huts with grass roofs. Their yards are dirt with laundry drying in the sun on the fences and rocks. Some huts have concrete block buildings with them and rocks keep the corrugated steel roofs from blowing away.
We passed women and girls washing their clothes by hand in the river, boys herding goats and cattle along the road way, and uniformed school children playing on their way home from school.

Our first encounter with this community was total shock. How could such poverty, such misery exist in our world? How can it be the neighbouring community to the four star luxury of Cathedral Peak Hotel? How do we look these people in the eye as we pass through them, or return their enthusiastic waves and thumbs up signs in our direction?

Each time we passed through the community, we saw a little more, a little deeper into their lives. First of all, they seemed happy. Tired perhaps from their long walks and hard work days, but smiling and joking, and even singing as they worked. We noticed that they were well clothed, women in dresses, men in pants and sweaters, all without rips or tears. We noticed the hydro wires connected to their grass roofed huts, and we even saw some satellite dishes.

These people live simply, without running water or flush toilets, but they have access to phones, a local hospital, and several schools. These people are poor, but they are ok.

The juxtaposition of the rural African community and the luxury hotel creates a stark, hash view of the reality of South Africa. Traditional, simple, poor living for many, and extreme luxury for a few. It is difficult to handle, and difficult to digest.

When my brother Paul was in South Africa last year, he asked his host, how they could live with such disparity in their country. Their host responded, "Well, how do you?".

That is a question with which we are struggling during this time in South Africa. I hope it will be one which we continue to struggle with the rest of our lives.