The other side

In every email I've written to people about South Africa I think I've said something like "Its really beautiful, really cheap but....". This is the but:

South Africa has its problems which have been publicised worldwide. While we didn't see or become victims of crime you feel its presence: security guards and patrols (bike and car), electric fences around every house, large "Protected by .... Alarms" signs on every wall, the habit you get into of locking your car doors every time you go for a drive. Yet I also felt safe pretty much everywhere, except for a couple of times in town, which is really not that different to any big city anywhere. Whether the crime problem in CT is actually different to other cities I can't comment on, but the fact your awareness of your personal safety is raised isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The other problem that has been well documented is poverty. It starts to appear on the drive in from the airport, kilometre after kilometre of shanty towns, people crossing the freeway or walking alongside the road, even sitting on the concrete barrier between the lanes watching the cars go by. At every traffic lights a crowd of hawkers descend on the cars with everything from souvenirs to phone chargers/covers, selling photocopied jokes on A4 pages or offering to take your garbage. All for a couple of rand (20 euro cents or 40c Aussie). Joerg and I were thinking of going on a township tour but in the end couldn't find the time. I also didn't take any photos of the townships, it seemed wrong to, to intrude on people's struggles or exhibit something that didn't belong to me. This is the best I did:

What I wasn't prepared for was the level of people dependent on you for their living. When you park your car there is always one or two parking attendants/security guards, and it's expected that you tip them (since they get paid a pittance for standing around watching your car). This also means you get some slightly farcical assistance to "help" you park in a dead-easy space. When you fuel up your car you do nothing but sit in the car, and pay the attendant (plus tip) through the window. In a restaraunt tipping 10% is essential because a high proportion of the waiters wages are based on tips (and in some restaraunts that is ALL they get).

One time I got annoyed with someone stressing that we were 10 rand short of the 10%, especially since it was a half decent bar so likely to treat its workers OK, but it proves that people are trying to do the right thing. Which is one thing I found constant in South Africa - the haves try to help the have-nots, whether its through tips or helping the families of the people they employ domestically or work in in their businesses (in a slight reversal domestic jobs like maids/gardeners can be better since the average worker isn't exactly well paid). Again its like the school kids we saw dancing at the game lodge - its great that one family gets employment, their kids get helped through school, and you know that there is a ripple effect as their extended family/neighbours will also benefit. But theres so many people out there that need that help and you hope that with time the country will grow so theres opportunities for everyone.

That sounds like false hope but everyone I met in South Africa had that hope, that there was too much in this country to be lost and that it would grow out of these turbulent times into something better. And it does seem like growing pains - some of the corruption and the scandals that I read about while I was there seemed so immature: people in "responsible" positions crashing cars drunk then trying to conceal/deny it, sexual harassment by executives which in addition to being offensive/abusive seemed to be stupid, pathetic and blatant (not the more sinister and subtle kind unfortunately occuring in the Western world). It seems the lesson is yet to be learnt that power is not to be used blindly but with care, and that power brings responsbility in how you act and are seen to act instead of immunity from criticism/analysis.

This is Greenmarket Square, the place the guidebooks tell you to buy your African souvenirs, filled with stalls with wooden carvings, beadwork, wire works, placemats, shirts, cushion covers. Most of the opportunities that are being taken now are based around tourists sothe prices have doubled since Joerg bought his first bead necklace here 4 years ago and I heard several locals astounded at the good deal they were being offered. While it isn't the best feeling haggling when you have money and the salesman probably doesnt I reckon some of these guys are doing better than they should. These stalls are everywhere in the region - in Stellenbosch, on the beach, outside the Cape - but where does the money go? And how traditional is what you're buying? A lot of it comes in from Zimbabwe, Mali, Kenya, or further north. Others are inferior copies made locally but not indigenous to the region. You have more confidence you're getting the genuine article in stores on the Waterfront or in shopping centres (though some stores just buy from the streets) but you pay the price and know the markup doesnt flow back to the people who need it.

So what do you do? Well do your research - any money helps people survive and the economy grow but the more you know the harder you can try to make sure your money goes somewhere its needed, like Fancy Stitch products. If you're out of the city your money will go further and what you're buying is more likely to be genuine and locally made. One place I would urge you to visit and buy some souvenirs in CT or online is Monkeybiz in the Bo Kaap (follow the link for the address or look it up in Lonely Planet, their stuff is in some other shops too). Not only is it a good cause but the intricate beadwork is more traditional to the area. Here is my new desk ornament to replace the gloopy thing.