Izimpilo Zethu/ Our Lives – Photography By Women Of Kennedy Road, Foreman Road & Jadhu Place, Durban

20 women living in Durban's Kennedy Road, Foreman Road and Jadhu Place settlements participated in a writing and photography workshop at Kennedy Road Community Hall on 8 and 29 April, 2006. Their photographs and captions are featured in the following pages and will also be displayed at various Durban venues.

Some photos are available here. For the full photo story, please open the attached pdf file by clicking here.

The workshops were supported by the Centre for Civil Society and the Centre for Visual Methodologies (UKZN) and facilitated by Amanda Alexander, Andile Mnguni and Shannon Walsh.

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IZIMPILO ZETHU / OUR LIVES
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WOMEN OF KENNEDY ROAD, FOREMAN ROAD & JADHU PLACE, DURBAN
20 women living in Durban's Kennedy Road, Foreman Road and Jadhu Place settlements participated in a writing and photography workshop at Kennedy Road Community Hall on 8 and 29 April, 2006. Their photographs and captions are featured in the following pages and will also be displayed at various Durban venues.
The workshops were supported by the Centre for Civil Society and the Centre for Visual Methodologies (UKZN) and facilitated by Amanda Alexander, Andile Mnguni and Shannon Walsh.
RESEARCH REPORTS 2006: VOLUME 1

1 Nozuko Lulama Hulushe
2 Zama Ndlovu
Igama lami nguZama. Ngihlala emjondolo eKennedy Road. Umgqibelo ulona suku olunzima kubahlalibalendawo. Kungoba umgqibelo ususku okugezwa ngalo izingubo zokugqoka. Abantu bama ulayini belindeleithuba lokukha amanzi. Babaliselwa ku 7000 abantu abasebenzisa ompompi abahlanu kulendawo. Ngiyaziukuthi akukholeki, kodwa kuyiqiniso. Abantu besifazane namantombazane bathwala o25 litha emakhanda.
Leli hlathi elisemva kwabo lisetshenziswa njengendlu yanga sese ngoba zine kuphela izindlu zangaseseku le ndawo. Sisebenzisa zona sonke manje uthola ukuthi uma ulayini uma sekusukile lo. Lendawo ayiphephileezinganeni naku bantu besifazane. Amantombazane asedlwengulwa njalo. Okubuhlungu ukuthi akukhoonendaba ngalokhu. Ngisho namaphoyisa namakhansela imbala. Umthetho walelizwe awubasizi abantuabahluphekayo. Abadlwenguli bayazihambela nje. oTsotsi nazo zonke izigebengu zikhululekile, kodwa umaabantu ongenacala bebhikishela intuthuko eza kancane bayaboshwa.
My name is Zama. I am a shack dweller at Kennedy Road. Saturday is one of the hard days for all the residentsof Kennedy informal settlement because Saturday is known as the washing day. People have to stand in aqueue for hours waiting for their turn to get water. About 7000+ people are sharing five taps. I know it isunbelievable but this is true. Women and young girls have to carry 25 litres of water on their heads.
The bush behind them is used as the toilet because this community has only four toilets. We are sharingfour toilets so you can’t stand on the queue for the toilet when nature is calling you. This place is not safe forchildren and women. Young girls are getting raped more often. The worst thing is nobody cares about that,neither the police nor the councilor. South African law is against the poor people. Rapists are walking free.Tsotsis and all the criminals are free, but when innocent people are protesting against slow service deliverythey are getting arrested.
3 Nozuko Lulama Hulushe
Le mijondolo yase Kennedy Road yakhiwe ngamapulastiki nanabhokisi, Ngaphezulu ibanjwe ngamatsheukuvikela uma kunomoya.
The shacks in Kennedy Road are built with plastic and boxes on top (the roof is covered with stones to protectfrom winds).
4 Nonzwakazi Miriam Sivuku
Lona umama ozikhulisela abantwana bakhe yedwa. Uphuma emsebenzini. Akuve emuhle kodwa cabangaukuthi uhamba kulamastebhisi naphakathi kwemijondolo.
This is a single mother. She is on her way to work. She looks so cute but imagine she is walking along the stepsand in between the shacks.

5 Zodwa Nsibande
Impilo inzima la eKennedy Road, Hhayi nje kuthina esibadala nasezinganeni impela. Izingane zethu azinayoindawo efanele yokudlala. Zidlala maduze nendawo yokulahlela udoti, okunobungozi kuzo ngoba ayinayoimpilo lendawo ngexa yodoti onobungozi kulendawo.
Yize kuyingozi kuzo ziyazijabulisa ngoba sezisijwayele isimo. Siyazikhalela kuhulumeni nabasisi bakheukuthi basakhele amapaki nezindawo zokudlala abantwana bethu, eziphephile ezingenabo ubugebengu.Life is too hard here in Kennedy Road, not only for adults, even for children.
Here are our children. They don’t have proper places to play. They are playing near the dumping place whichis very dangerous for them, as well as unhealthy, because there are toxic things in that dumping place.
But even though it is dangerous to them they are happy because they are used to this situation. So we areappealing to the government as well as his officials to build parks and playgrounds for our children so thatour children can be safe and crime free.
6 Nozuko Lulama Hulushe
Lendoda ya yifuna ukuzi siza ehlathini, kodwa-cha, u Rafique (I phoyisa eli hlala duze ne hlathi) u thi lomhlabangowakhe. Indodda ayikwazi ukusebenzisa ihlathi ukuzisiza.
This man is running to the bushes for nature’s call – to an open space, but no chance! Rafique (local policeofficer who lives nearby) is claiming that the land is his. The man can’t use the bushes for relieving himself.
7 Gugu Nthembu

8 Delisile Goodness Gwala
9 Vuyisiwe Mvula
Lo owesilisa uziphumulele endlini yakhe phezu kombhede. Ngiyawuthanda umhlobiso wakhwa Fruit Treeosodongeni lwakhe. Umhlobiso ufana njengopende eMjondo. Kahle kahle umhlobiso wephepha wenza izintoezahlukene emjondolo. Usetshenziswela ukuhlobisa nokuvikela abantu. Ngoba awuboni ngaphakathi umaungaphandle. Emjondolo sisebenzisa iphepha ukuhlobisa. Iphepha liba nezinto ezahlukene njenge Fruit Tree,Coca-Cola, omango nezithelo.
This gentleman is relaxing in his room, sitting in the bed. I like the decorating paper on the wall, for Fruit Tree.You know that wallpaper is like paint in a shack. Wallpaper does different things in the shacks. It is used todecorate and also to protect people. Because you don’t see inside the house from outside the house. In the shackwe use wallpaper designed with different things like Fruit Tree, Coca-Cola, mangoes and vegetables.

10 Nozuko Lulama Hulushe
11 Christinah Zizile Ngwazi
Kunodoti oyixhaphozi lamanzi elihamba eduze kwendlu yami. Ngendlela okunuka yona kube sengathi kuqhumeisitamkoko. Kumanje sonke sineTB ngenxa yokuhlale sihogela lodoti onuka kabi kangaka. Omunye wethuuseze wadlula emhlabeni ngenxa yesifuba.
There is rubbish that has settled in a pool of stagnant water that is close to my house. The way it stinks is as ifa sewerage tank burst. Right now all of us have TB because we breathe in all this rubbish that stinks so much.
One of us has even passed away because of TB.
12 Christinah Zizile Ngwazi
Ngihlala kuKennedy emjondolo. Sengineminyaka eyishumi ngihlala khona kodwa akukho ntuthuko eyenzekayo.Sixavuza udaka uma siya empompini siyokha amanzi ibanga elingango 5km. Nalompompi uwodwa, sima ulayini omude umasikha amanzi. Isikhathi esingamahora amabili singaphela uzokha amanzi, kakhulu ngesikhathi
sekubuye abasebenzi emsebenzini, kubancono ngesikhathi sasemini.
I live in Kennedy Road in a shack. I have been living here for ten years but I have seen no progress. We treadin the mud when we go to the tap to get water which is 5 km away. There is only one tap and so we have tostand in line and wait our turn. You can wait for about two hours to get water, especially at the times whenthe workers are coming home from work. It is better to go during the day.
13 Christinah Zizile Ngwazi
Asinawo amathoyilethi . Siya ehlathini uma sifuna ukuzikhulula. Abanye bethu bazama ukuzenzela amathoyilethiangenayo impilo. Nami ngase ngibona ukuthi angizenzele elami ithoyilethi kunokuya ehlathini.
We don’t have toilets. We have to go to the bush if we want to relieve ourselves. Some of us try to build ourselvestoilets, but they are unhealthy. I also saw that I had to build myself a toilet instead of going to the bush.
14 Nomvula Mdlalose
Sihlala emijondolo siyanethwa umakunetha, amanzi angene endlini. Lesisithombe sibonisa indlela esihleli kabuhlungu ngayo. Eduze kwezindlu zethu kugcwele udoti nomasikito. Isimo lesi esihleli kuso. Indawoengahlala abantu le? Wena ungahlala nje endaweni enje?
We live in shacks that leak when it rains and the water gets inside the house. This picture shows the terribleway that we live. Next to our houses there are loads of garbage and mosquitoes. This place we live in is notsuitable for people. Would you live in a place like this?

15 Nonzwakazi Miriam Sivuku 16 Nonzwakazi Miriam Sivuku
Lapha indawo lapho sikha khona amanzi siphinde siwashele khona izingubo zethu ngamanzi ompompi. This is the place where we get our water and it is the sink for our washing/laundry; the running tap water.
17 Nolusindiso Ntshangase

18 Delisile Goodness Gwala
Ho. He ukujabula kimi kuncane isikhathi esiningi esokuhlukumezeka ngikhuluma nje ngiyagulelwa angaziukuthi kumele ngenzenjani pho ngingathini nge HIV ngobaphela iyazenzela lapha kimi ngikhuluma njengiphethe izintandane izingane ezingena bani uyadela owaziyo ngalesifo ngoba siyabusa asinqeni umuziowodwa sithathe abantu noma bathathu njengami nje ngizwa ubuhlungu ngoba ngo 2003-12-07 sathathaudadewethu kwabanzima kwabanzima kukhulu ngoba wabe esemncane ku khona esasisakulindele kuyekodwa akubange ku senzeka ngathi kusenjalo ngo. 2005-01-04 kwaphi nda kwashona ku magcino wakwethukwabamnyama emehlweni ami ngoba yena washiya umntwana enezinsunku ezimbili emzele naye uyangihluphangempilo kodwa konke ngikubeka enkosini iyona eyaziyo ngiyakhala ngezingane zakwethu ezithathwe iHIVukube nginawo amandla ngabe ngisishaya ngesando lesifo siyiqhawe eshi HIV ngomndeni wami.
Oh god. There are few chances of me being happy in my life. Most of the time I am abused. As I speak to younow my sister is sick and I don’t even know what to do. So what can I say about this HIV? Because it just doesits own thing. I have orphans as I speak to you. Who knows about this? This disease? Because it can finish thewhole family. Like me, I’m in pain because on 2003-12-07 my sister passed away. It was so hard because shewas young. We are still waiting for something from her. While I was still mourning that on the 2005-01-04 ourlast born passed away too. Everything was so dark because my sister left a baby who was only two days old.And the baby is sickly. But I put all my trust in God because He is the one who knows everything. I am cryingabout my siblings who died of AIDS. If I had all the powers I would have destroyed this HIV. It’s HIV that’sfinishing my family.
19 Delisile Goodness Gwala
20 Mildred Chiliza
Ngingugogo ohlala nabazukulu. Sihlala endlini eyodwa encane. Izingane zigula njalo ngoba indlu incane. Indluyangasese ila, ikhishi lila. Angikhululekile ngempela. Ngihlala nezingane ezine, siyisikhombisa umasesiphelele.Uma kukhona okhohlelayo sigcina sonke sesikhohlela. Silala embhedeni owodwa.
I am the granny who’s staying with grandchildren. We are staying in a very small one room house. The childrenare getting sick more often because the house is so small. The toilet is here, the kitchen is here. Really I am notfree. I am living with 4 children. We are 7 in total. When one is coughing we all ignite that cough. We are allsharing one bed.

21 Zandile Nsibande
Lena indlu yangasese esiyisebenzisayo la emjondolo yaseKennedy Road. Ibanga uma usuka endlini yami uza
la ngu 2Km. Ngathatha lesisithombe nomfana wami uBongo, ofunda ibanga lesibili ePalmiet Primary. Kunzima
ezinganeni nabantu abanengculazi ngoba uma ukhishwa isisu kukude ukuya endlini encane. Ngakhokeizidakwa nesingane ezincane siyangcolisa ngokungcola kwazo.
This is our toilet we are using in our Kennedy Road informal settlement. The distance from my shack to thetoilet is 2 km. I took the photo with my son Bongo, who is in grade 2 at Palmiet Primary. It’s very hard for thechildren and the people with AIDS because when you are suffering from diarrhea; it is too far to go to the toilet.As a result the drunkards and small children are messing all over their shit.
22 Lungile Mgube
Nawu umndeni kaLungile. Odade wethu ababili, izingane zami ezintathu kanye nengane kadade wethu.
Here is Lungile’s family. My two sisters, my three children and the child of my sister.
23 Nonzwakazi Miriam Sivuku
Lomama ukhulisa abatwana bakhe yedwa. Kubukhuni ukuthola indawo ecreshi. Ugada izingane . Uma egodolauphumela ngaphandle athamele ilanga.
This is a single mother. She is struggling to get a space in the pre-school/ crèche. She is looking after children;when it’s cold she went out for the sun.

24 Nontobeko Ngcobo
Lokhu akuphephile.
Angiyithandi lempilo. Wonke amasonto ingane iyagula.

This is not safe.
I don’t like this life. Every week a child becomes sick.

25 Nozuko Lulama Hulushe