Apartheid
During the '70's of last century hundreds of thousand blacks were moved to the Transkei by the Apartheids regime. In 1976 South African Government declared the area independent. Transkei, together with Ciskei, became the Homeland of the black Xhosa people. Healthy men could apply for a permission to work (dompas) in the South African mines and the vineyards outside the Transkei. They worked hard for little money, weren't allowed to join the Unions and after eleven months they were fired and had to return to their Homeland.
Transkei
The Transkei is an area in South Africa. It is a part of the Eastern Cape and better known as the former homeland of the black Xhosa people, during Apartheid (1948-1994) in South Africa.
The area stretches from Kei Mouth, Lesotho and Port St, Johns.
We mainly work in the area around Coffee Bay, a small village at the Wild Coast, about 60 kilometers south of Port St. Johns.
Transkei now
After 1994, when Apartheid was abolished and Mandela became the first president of the new South Africa, the "independent" homelands became part of South Africa again.
Nowadays the Eastern Cape Province is the poorest part of the country, around 65% of the people live below the poverty line. Still young men and women are leaving the rural areas to find a better future in the big cities.
Xhosa people
Most of the six million Xhosa live in the Eastern Cape, a province of what is now South Africa. They form the largest population group after the Zulu. Their language, isiXhosa, descends from the Bantu languages and is best known to us for its clicking sounds. The Xhosa live in a clan or sib system. In addition to a first and last name, everyone has an isidoku, a clan name. The concept of family is still sacred among the Xhosa and encompasses more than just the nuclear family. More and more Xhosa are moving to the cities, hoping to find work there. The mines also still provide work for the healthy Xhosa men. The meager wages they earn there only partly flow back to their families who have stayed behind. But in addition to money, they also bring back problems. Many men have become alcoholics and drugs or have contracted AIDS far from home. In the countryside, the women and children left behind try to survive as best they can and to preserve their old traditions.
Where we work...
