SOMAFCOO ffic ia l Opening 21-23 August 1985

T h e S o lom on M ah lan g u F re e d o m C o lle g e is an ed u c a tio n a l in s titu t io n estab lished a t M a z im b u ,T a n z a n ia , by th e A fr ic a n N a tio n a l Congress in 1979 . T h e school was designed to c a te r fo r th e ed u ca tio n a l needs of th e la rg e n u m b e r o f young S o uth A fric a n s w h o le ft So uth A fr ic a in th e w ake o f th e S O W E T O upris ing o f 1976. Repression in So uth A fr ic a con tinues to fo rce o u r young peo p le to leave h om e.T h e land a t M a z im b u w as g ra n te d to th e A N C by th e T a n za n ia n g o v e rn m e n t. W e a re in d e b te d to o u r host co u n try n o t on ly fo r th e o rig in a l g ra n t , b u t also fo r th e ongoing assistance th a t is g iven to th e A N C and our fre e d o m s tru g g le .S O M A F C O com prises 5 ed u c a tio n a l sectors - S econdary , P r im a ry , N u rs e ry , A d u lt ed u ca tio n and an O r ie n ta t io n C e n tre . A v a r ie ty o f s u p p o rt s tru c tu re s have been estab lished to service th e ed u ca tio n a lsec to r.In A u gust o f 1985 , S O M A F C O w ill be o ffic ia lly opened . T h is re p o r t shows th e d e v e lo p m e n t fro m bush to a m o d ern co m p lex .In S o u th A fr ic a schooling is fo r subservience. A t M a z im b u schooling is designed fo r lib e ra tio n and to m e e t th e needs o f a fu tu re fre e So uth A fr ic a .

C ontentsF o re w o rd .

A lfre d N zo, S ecretary General o f the A frican N a tiona l Congress. P- 2In tro d u c tio n .

H enry M akgoth i, S ecretary fo r Education o f the A frican N a tiona l Congress. P- 4S o m e T a n z a n ia n fr ie n d s . P- 5P re s id e n t O .R . T a m b o speaks on M a z im b u . P- 6S o lo m o n M ah lang u F re e d o m C o lle g e . P- 8

P ro file : T itus. P- 8From SO W E TO to SO M AFCO P- 9Secondary School. P- 10

P ro file : W antu. P- 1 1P rim ary School. P- 12

P ro file : Dennis. P- 1 3N urse ry School. P- 14

P ro file : F ritz. P- 14Ruth F irs t O r ie n ta tio n C e n tre - Dakawa. P- 15

P ro file : Zandi. P- 15C h a r lo t te M a x e k e C h ild r e n ’s C e n tre . P- 18K a te M o la le M a te r n ity C e n tre . P- 18A d u lt E d u ca tio n . P- 19

P ro file : Sydney. P- 19T h e b u ild in g o f M a z im b u .

P rofile : Ossie Dennis. P- 20H e a lth . P- 22A g ric u ltu re . P- 23S m all in d u s trie s . P- 25

P ro file : Ke ith . P- 27Eli W e in b e rg P h o to L a b o ra to ry . P- 27P lann ing and design c r i te r ia . P- 28A N C D e v e lo p m e n t C e n tre - D a k a w a . P- 30S o lid a r ity page. P- 32

A view of the Mazimbu complex.

W rit te n and produced by A N C (S O M A F C O ) D ep t, o f P u b lic ity and In fo rm a tio n . Photographs fro m th e Eli W e in b e rg Photolab , S O M A FC O . G raphics fro m th e A r t W o rksh o p , S O M A FC O . Financial assistance fro m A A B N , AB B. A B O P . N O V IB , th e N e th erlan ds . Design assistance fro m W ild Plakken, A m ste rdam . P rin ted by SSP, A m ste rdam , 1985.

Forew ordBy A lf re d N z o , S ecre ta ry G enera l.

The Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOM AFCO ) is known far and wide, w ith in the borders o f South Africa and even more so beyond. It is prim arily an educational institution established by the African National Congress to cater to the educational needs o f our young people who have been forced to leave th e ir country through persecution by the South African racist regime. By its very nature therefore, SOMAFCO is special and unique.It is unique in tha t i t not only caters fo r the educational needs and upbringing o f children and adolescents, but also fo r the education and training o f an adult population. A ll expected to make th e ir contribu tion in the execution o f the struggle fo r a just, democratic and non-racial society in our country South Africa. It there fore has to provide fo r the immediate manpower needs o f that struggle and at the same tim e prepare cadres who w ill be able to contribu te meaningfully to the building o f the new South African society as envisioned in the A .N .C . policy document - the Freedom Charter.

The building and operation o f SOMAFCO has been possible through the tremendous e fforts and dedication o f o u r own people, qualified in a wide range o f academic and socio-cultural activities as well as in practical productive skills. The p ro jec t was, and continues to be, a test o f our own capabilities and, at the same tim e, an incentive towards the attainm ent o f diversified skills and educational qualifications. This is m ore so in those areas o f learning which the apartheid mentors and executors deliberately sought to deny to the Black m ajority population in South Africa.This is not really a re po rt on SOMAFCO, but an a ttem pt to give an overall p icture o f the multi-faceted nature o f activities which are being carried o u t w ith in this educational complex — as seen and understood by the participants themselves. A t the core is the educational institution w ith the concommitant servicing activities like health, food production, use and maintainance o f office, transport and agricultural machines, research, cultural and sporting activities, and the political conscientisation which permeates all activities w ith in the complex.The publication o f this special re p o rt on the eve o f the official opening o f SOM AFCO is meant as a form of tr ib u te to all those friends and supporters who have, in various ways, contributed towards the construction and development o f SOMAFCO. W e are fo rever grateful fo r th e ir concrete solidarity. But even more

Secretary General of the ANC, Alfred Nzo.

so, it is a clarion call to all those w ho have found it d ifficu lt to participate, on a fu ll-tim e basis, in the liberation struggle because o f th e ir engagement in not unim portant professional pursuits. Here is an opportun ity to make a d irec t contribu tion to the development o f o u r people and our struggle, w ithin one’s own field o f specialisation. However, in o rde r to be able to make a meaningful contribu tion, you need to know the aims and goals o f the struggle, and the problems which confront us at home and abroad. You then cease to be mere sympathiser and supporter. You become a participant in the struggle.A ll efforts and brains to the nation-w ide fro n t fo r the complete and final destruction o f apartheid.Let us begin to build the new South Africa.

1979 - Laying foundations.

1985 - An established school.

In troductionBy H e n ry M a k g o th i, S ecre tary fo r Education.

In June, 1976, a young student, barely tw en ty years o f age, abruptly and secretly le ft South Africa. He did not bid farewell to his kith and kin before crossing the borde r in to free Africa. His name was Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu. He was amongst several hundreds w ho left South A frica in the wake o f the student uprisings which flared suddenly, placing Soweto on the w orld map. These students did no t leave th e ir homeland merely to seek asylum in o the r lands but because o f the fervent desire to b e tte r equip themselves so that they m ight re tu rn home m ore able to contribu te to the struggle fo r a b e tte r life fo r all w ho lived in South Africa. Solomon Mahlangu chose to make his contribu tion as a sold ier and having received his training w ith the African National Congress, he was entrusted w ith a mission to re tu rn home. Shortly a fter his arrival back in the country he was engaged in an armed clash w ith the South African security forces and was captured. He was arraigned before a South African co urt on a charge that he was part o f a conspiracy o f the African National Congress to o verth ro w the racist regime by force o f arms. He was sentenced to die on the 6th of A pril, 1979, a date on which significantly, W h ite South A frica annually celebrates the landing o f the firs t colonialists at the Cape o f Good Hope.Solomon’s last w ords to his g rie f stricken m other were: ‘M y B lo o d w i ll n ou rish th e t re e th a t w i l l bear th e fru its o f free dom . Please te l l m y p e o p le th a t I love th e m .'Singing, he w en t to m eet his death at the hands o f the hangman. Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College in Mazimbu, Tanzania, was conceived by the African National Congress as an educational institu tion to keep alive and fresh the memory o f a heroic young man in the minds o f the South African youth, to fu rthe r the struggle o f the South African people on the educational fro n t and to prepare them to make a be tte r contribu tion to the struggle. The African National Congress to o k the lead from the sta rt in opposing Bantu education. In the 1950’s the organisation established alternative schools in South A frica to provide p roper education. SOMAFCO has transformed this a lternative in to a reality.A new South A frica w ill not be won on the battlefields alone. Indeed, the most decisive battles w ill be won in the hearts and minds o f men and women in the ir ability to contribute to lasting acts o f peace. Education in South A frica is used as an instrum ent o f oppression and explo ita tion o f the Black people. Statistics abound showing the glaring inequalities o f the system between Black and W h ite students, which far from improving, has worsened in the ex ten t o f its inhumanity, in the same way as the oppression o f the Black people in

general, has become more naked and hateful. Even at the present time, when the eyes o f the w orld are focussed on the drama that is unfolding in South Africa, when the apologists and proponents o f racism are lying desperately to refurbish the image o f that land, i t is estimated that out o f a to ta l o f 126,000 pupils in rural areas who began school in 1978, only 19,000 had progressed up to standard 5 by 1984. Even today the position in urban schools is lit t le d ifferent. L ittle w onder that the struggle around education has been so em otive and poignant.Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College is a cadre training centre o f the African National Congress. The problems posed by the freedom struggle in South A frica are extrem ely complex and the successful consolidation of that struggle w ill require cadres o f a high quality. Here at the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College, the African National Congress is making a modest e ffo rt to meet that challenge.The College, which has a Nursery, Primary and Secondary division, today trains m ore than 600 young people. Scores have already gone through its gates to receive fu rthe r training abroad. The construction of the College, its creation and the a ttem pt to produce a new man fo r South A frica in the United Republic o f Tanzania has been the collective e ffo rt o f the African National Congress and the International community. Six years after the firs t foundations w ere dug and layed fo r the construction o f the school, helped by the students themselves, a lit tle corner o f South A frica has emerged in Tanzania.Conflagration inside South A frica is raging w ith an ever fie rcer intensity. The tra il which Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu blazed in 1976 is being fo llow ed by an ever increasing stream o f young South Africans fired by the same noble ideals.The story which unfolds in the pages o f this brochure is about the progress towards these ideals.

The Secretary for Education doing voluntary labour.

Some Tanzan ian Friends

Lieutenant P. Chezi, the Tanzanian G overnm ent

Representative at Mazimbu.

A t r ig h t Ndugu C .T Mazindakaya, the present Regional

Com m issioner fo r M o ro g o ro Region.

Mama Anna Abdullah was the Regional Commissioner in M orogoro when the A N C came to Mazimbu. Together w ith the fo rm er D is tric t Development D irector, Ndugu M artin Ndikwenge, she was responsible fo r getting the firs t grant of land fo r the A N C from the Tanzanian government.

From the outset Mama Anna, as she was affectionately known by all, was a staunch friend and supporter o f our movement and our struggle. She always took a keen personal in terest in the development o f Mazimbu and at all times was w illing to help and advise us.

W e were sad when she le ft this region to take up her present post as Regional Commissioner o f Dodoma.

Mama Anna Abdullah, helping dig the Children s centre toundations.

Demonstrating solidarity

with Tanzania and ANC.

®

V \ President O .R . T a m b o speaks on M azim bu

Extracts fro m a speech m ade by the President to the M azim bu com m unity , February 1985.

‘A t Mazimbu and Dakawa we are involved in development efforts o f central and historic importance to the future o f our revolution, our people and our country.’

President O.R. Tambo at the farm.

President of the ANC, O.R. Tambo and the coordinator of the Dakawa Development Centre.

‘You who live and w o rk among the hospitable bro ther people o f Tanzania occupy the forward trenches in the process o f struggle.’

‘W e have scored other successes, the most significant being the progress we have made towards a genuine alliance between learning and production, between mind and labour, which is the essence o f our fu ture liberated society.’

©

‘T h e M azim bu o f yesterday was n o t untypical o f a com m unity w ith m any features o f a ru ra l African setting. T h e sam e area today is a p icture o f m odern A frica, of which w e, our Tanzanian brothers and sisters, as w ell as our supporters and allies throughout the w orld are justly proud .’

‘From here we have sent out young people who are now returning as highly trained specialists committed to advancing the interests o f our people now and in the future.’

Today, thanks to the great ventures in SOMAFCO, Mazimbu and Dakawa, that new society (envisaged in the Freedom C harter) in fact is being born.’

T h e Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College

The events o f 1976 in South Africa are so notorious that i t is not necessary to review them here. Following the Soweto uprising and the countrywide unrest o f 1977, thousands o f young people le ft South Africa, escaping from police brutality, but w ith the hope that they still had an im portant role to play in the liberation o f our country. Most of these young people found th e ir political home in the African National Congress. V irtually all o f them had been scarred by the system o f Bantu education, designed by the South African racists to keep the Black m ajority in a perpetual state o f servitude. Many o f these young people wished to continue the ir education away from the oppressive South African system.

Faced w ith this situation, the A N C resolved in 1977 to establish a secondary school at Mazimbu, Tanzania.

The school was established on an abandoned sisal estate on land granted

us by the Tanzanian government.In 1979 the school project was named the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOMAFCO). From the start our school at Mazimbu has aimed at correcting the educational imbalance built in to Bantu education, under which opportunities fo r fo llowing mathematical o r scientific studies are extremely lim ited and minimal attention is paid to English.

The school has provided a unique opportun ity fo r developing the system o f education that w ill be put into practice in a free South Africa.W e have layed stress not only on the teaching o f the sciences, but also on giving our young people access to the ir own history and culture (both o f which are denied them by the present South African system), and on bridging the gap between mental and manual labour. The follow ing sections o f this report deal w ith the educational sectors at SOMAFCO.

Students building the firs t dorm itory block.

Profile T itu s - Aged 29. D evelopm ent W o rker.

He was involved in the Soweto uprising o f 1976 and was forced to leave the country. He arrived in East Africa in 1977.7 came straight to Mazimbu when I arrived in Tanzania. There was just bush everywhere. A b ou t fif ty o f us, all students, went to w o rk clearing the bush and helping in the renovation o f the o ld buildings on the site.We improvised a school. Those o f us who had completed the ir matriculation level a t home assisted Slim Zindela (the present vice-principal o f the Secondary School) to teach the ju n io r students.I taught biology. We used tw o rooms o f the present tem porary Primary School.M ost o f the senior students le ft in January o f 1979 to go abroad fo r fu rthe r studies.Since m y retu rn to Mazimbu in O ctober o f last year, I have been working on projects. Many o f those who le ft w ith me have also returned, qualified in various fields.Just before ou r departure in 1979, a letsema (voluntary labour) was held on January the 8th in o rde r to lay the foundations o f the firs t A N C building at Mazimbu, the do rm ito ry block in U nit One.O ur scholarships were provided by UNESCO. Upon completion o f our studies we were offered retu rn tickets to ou r country o f origin. Since we could no t re tu rn to South Africa, we took a collective decision to re tu rn to use o u r skills at Mazimbu. On my re tu rn in 1984,1 went to the Dakawa Development Centre.There I found one o f my early colleagues who had studied in another country. He was hard at work, building Phase One o f the Vocational Training Centre. I assisted in w o rk on the Dakawa p ro jec t while awaiting my deployment to Mazimbu. On my re tu rn to Mazimbu I found a tow n full o f activities. I was amazed and delighted at the progress.'

From S O W E T O to S O M A F C O

The Secondary SchoolProfile W antu. Aged 27. Form 4 Student a t the Secondary School.

Secondary school classes started at Mazimbu late in 1977. Partially renovated farm buildings were used as classrooms. Building of the school complex started in 1979 and late in that year students and staff were able to move into the first completed dorm itory block. Some rooms were used as classrooms and others served as accommodation fo r both staff and students. In 1985, the year o f the official opening o f SOMAFCO, construction of the entire complex w ill be almost complete.

The school w ill comprise 18 general classrooms, 4 laboratories w ith a tiered demonstration room, classrooms fo r social science and language teaching and an administration block. The central square w ill be developed to be used as a meeting place and recreation area. The adjacent library building w ill serve both the school and the community at large. There w ill be dorm itory accommodation for 864 students. In addition 94 housing units w ill have been built to accomodate teachers and other workers on the complex.

We feel we may be excused fo r taking pride in this achievement.

The medium o f education is English. Mathematics and history are compulsory. The modern laboratories, due to be commissioned in the next few months, should do much to improve the quality of our science teaching. Due to Bantu education, many of our students have virtually no grounding in the sciences.

The curriculum includes History o f the Struggle and Development of Societies. These important areas are not dealt w ith in South African schools.

The establishment of a Resources Centre at the school has eased the problem of obtaining textbooks and teaching aids. However, this problem has not yet been solved. In order to fill the lack of suitable texts, we are in the process of producing our own history textbook, to be used throughout the school.

Staffing is still a major problem. As an increasing number of ANC students return from university studies to take up teaching posts, the position should improve. In addition to South Africans, there are volunteers from the German Democratic Republic, Holland and

Learn ing to g e th e r.

He became involved in politics in 1976 at home. He was frequently detained and held in solitary confinement and was badly tortured by the security police. In 1982 a close political associate disappeared w ithout a trace, apparently kidnapped and murdered by the racists. Fearing fo r his own life, Wantu left South Africa to make contact w ith one of the A N C ’s external missions. He had to undergo an extensive period of medical treatment fo r the injuries he had suffered while in detention. He then spent a year at the Student Orientation Centre at Dakawa before coming to the Secondary School. Because of Bantu education he was not at a level where he could go into the final year of schooling and was placed in Form 4.He says:7 had previously heard about SOMAFCO and had high expectations but the practical experience was unbelievable. I never imagined there could be progress without corporal punishment o r that persuasion could be used as a corrective measure.Under Bantu education everything comes from above but here the situation is different because we are given the chance to think fo r ourselves, and to apply ourselves. The curriculum is tota lly different from Bantu education. Firstly, the fact that labour was part o f the school’s programme is a good policy. For politics to be taught from the classroom was another aspect that I found encouraging.Being able to work through a Student Council one could choose many avenues o f expression o r activities. I am now the head o f the News Committee which daily monitors, writes up and delivers news to the students and the community. Bantu education teachers came to the classroom merely to do their duty. Whether the student grasps the subject m atter o r not is o f no concern to them. A t SOMAFCO the teachers are concerned about the individual progress o f the students.'

incorporated into the school programme. The labour programme, organised by a Dutch volunteer, concentrates on horticultural projects around the school, and on vocational skills like carpentry and needlework.

The Student Council is active in many spheres. It is responsible fo r the

an important part in the life of the school. O ur cultural activities have the twofold aim of learning through participation and of raising consciousness. Student cultural groups have performed successfully both in Tanzania and abroad.

As a matter o f policy, manual labour is

organisation of all extra-mural activities at the school.

W ith the arrival of an ANC sportsmaster, sport is developing. We are still hampered by lack of adequate facilities and sporting equipment.

Britain on the teaching staff.

Students are prepared fo r the GCE examination o f the University o f London and fo r an internal AN C examination, moderated by a panel of educational experts.

From the earliest days culture has played

T he P r im a ry School

W hen the Secondary School started, a Primary School was not envisaged. As the Mazimbu population grew, it became obvious that primary school facilities would have to be provided. The school started in 1980 w ith a minimal staff, in renovated buildings. Subsequently temporary classrooms were erected. The school now has an enrolment o f 270 and is still housed in these overcrowded and inadequate premises which lack the necessary facilities.

Building is almost completed on the new Primary School and it w ill be in use before the end o f the year. The new school can only improve the quality o f our primary education.O ur staffing needs are still critical. Only 5 teachers are qualified and great reliance has still to be placed on young people who have recently completed secondary schooling. N o t only do these young people not have the specialised

training fo r a complicated educational task, but many o f them are working in the Primary School only until they leave to fu rthe r the ir studies. Staffing continuity is thus not possible. W e are being assisted at school by tw o vo lun teers-one from Sweden and one from Britain. The la tte r is in charge of a remedial class fo r older children, many o f whom have recently arrived from Mozambique w ith only a smattering of English. The staffing situation w ill improve when 5 A N C primary teachers re tu rn from upgrading courses in Sweden next year.Pupils range in age from 6 to 16 years. Many o f the pupils have to stay in the school dorm itories, either because the ir parents have been killed o r because they are unable to be w ith them fo r some other reason. Both these factors create special educational problems.

English is the medium o f instruction. Yet only tw o pupils speak English as the ir

firs t language. O ther firs t languages include, Portuguese, KiSwahili, Zulu, Setswana, Spanish and Swedish. Pupils’ English competence varies considerably. The language situation at the school ensures that all teaching has to be done using TESL skills.Emphasis is placed not only on teaching literacy and numeracy, but also History o f the Struggle, arts and crafts, culture and sport. Pupils also participate in extra-mural activities which include camping, art, pen pals and indoor games. In line w ith SOMAFCO policy, the children maintain the school and its surroundings. Recently gardens have been started at the ir dorm itories.O ur primary education still faces us w ith an enormous challenge. The Day Care Centre and Nursery School’s integrated programme to develop numeracy and English skills should ensure better performances from future firs t year intakes at the Primary School.

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> fi ;V>a/lit- f '4 * o . J n 4-e* •

Absorbed

P rofile Dennis. Aged 13.Grade Pupil a t the P rim ary School.

He grew up in a small tow n in the N orthern Transvaal. His father was killed in a car accident when he was very young. His m other is a secondary school teacher who was not involved in politics. He started school at 9, and thinks that this is the normal starting age. He remembers that they had to wear tw o different uniforms every week and if you did not have the correct uniform o r shoes you were not allowed in to the school.‘M y m other had to pay too much, but there was an African man in the village who helped the parents to pay fo r the children to go to school. I was no t happy at that school where we were taught in Shangaan and never learned much English. We only played soccer and did running. The male

teachers and the principal beat us fo r anything - i f we were noisy o r made mistakes.'In 1984 his m other started to hear about the A N C . She took Dennis and his 16 year old sister (now a secondary school student at SOMAFCO) to Botswana and placed them in the care o f the A N C . They were soon sent to SOMAFCO by our Movement.7 am happy here. Hike to be w ith the A N C . I learn English, H isto ry o f the Struggle and many things that I was no t taught at home. We do no t have to pay fo r anything. I want to be a p ilo t when I g ro w up. ’This ambition is most unlikely to be achieved by any Black child s till in South Africa, le t alone by one growing up in a poor rural village, it is a dream that is now w ith in his range o f possibility.

T h e N ursery School

A class at the Nursery School.

whom are waiting to go away to study. An adventure playground fo r the children was recently built over a long weekend by voluntary labour.Children are divided in to age groups w ith in each unit. The syllabus concentrates on basic numeracy, English language skills, arts and crafts and culture. Learning takes place through play and participation in a stimulating environment.Breakfast, lunch and snacks are supplied to the children from the Ch ild ren’s Centre kitchen.There are living-in facilities fo r those children whose parents are not at Mazimbu.

Profile Fritz. Aged 3. Pupil a t the Nursery School.His mother and sister were assassinated by the racists while they were in Angola.‘Its nice a t Mazimbu. There 's room for me to play and o ther children.My school is nice, just i ts no t there on Saturday.'

Learning through play.

The Nursery School physically forms part o f the Charlo tte Maxeke Children’s Centre. There are four brightly coloured Nursery School Units. Each unit consists o f a sleeping room, a play room, a common room, toilets, handbasins and showers. A t present the Nursery School caters fo r 110 children from the age o f 3 to 7.Before moving to the new premises in 1984, the Nursery School had shared the crowded Primary School facilities.Even this was an improvement on the one room in M orogoro in which the Nursery School started in 1979. The staffing needs o f the Nursery School are less pressing than in the other educational sectors. There are six trained teachers (4 of them A N C cadres and one Dutch and one Swedish volunteer). A fu rther three trained A N C teachers w ill return in 1986. The trained staff are assisted by untrained but enthusiastic young people, most of

T he Ruth First S tudent O rie n ta t io n C e n tre - D a k a w a

Fifty kms from Mazimbu, on another piece o f land granted to the A N C by the Tanzanian government, is the A N C Development Centre in Dakawa.

Since 1982 the O rientation Centre at Dakawa has been an im portant adjunct to SOMAFCO.A ll students arriving to enter the Secondary School go to the Ruth First SOC in the firs t instance.Here students are upgraded in the natural sciences, mathematics and English.They also w rite an assessment test to determine at what level they are to be placed in the Secondary School.Time is given regularly to History o f the Struggle and to political discussion. Students enter SOMAFCO proper w ith some grounding in the nature o f the AN C.Students are also involved in manual labour projects which involve the maintenance o f the ir tents and surroundings.This is particularly im portant at Dakawa where heavy rains often create extrem ely muddy conditions.

Profile Zandi. Aged 14. Form 2 S tudent a t the Secondary School.

She was born in South Africa. When her parents le ft in 1980, she stayed at home w ith her grandmother. She too le ft home at the end o f 1984 and upon her arrival in East Africa went to the Ruth First SOC in Dakawa.

‘G irls were living in a dorm itory, boys in tents, but there was only room fo r 14 girls, so some girls also had to stay in tents.In the morning the bell rang at 8 fo r breakfast. A fte r that at 10 we started w ork operations. Some washed the dishes and pots, some cleaned the environment. A fte r lunch, at 3pm we went to studies until 6pm. Later in the evening we all gathered fo r the news briefing and then ate supper. A fte r supper we sang revolutionary songs which we new people learned. The kitchen staff on duty and the cooks fo r the next day were announced each evening.

I wanted to be at SOM AFCO where my m other is teaching, but I was quite happy and the people were all very friendly. I decided to be brave and to remain until I had to leave fo r my Mazimbu schooling.W hile I was at Dakawa tw o comrades g o t married and there was a wedding party. The night before we le ft fo r SOM AFCO we had a disco and danced and sang together.We le ft Dakawa sooner than we should have to make room fo r many comrades coming from Lesotho. Before we le ft we were all given an assessment test fo r en try into SOMAFCO.I qualified to go to Form 2.I learned many things at Dakawa, like the A N C and ou r struggle.Also about the Tanzanian people, fo r example, the Masai. I had never heard about such people before.I even learned tha t one can eat snake and i t is de lic ious- tastes like chicken. I learned to cook over an open Fire in Dakawa.’

A class

at the

Orientation

Centre.

W'CjfclOt.

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C h a r lo t te M axeke C h ild re n ’s C e n tre

The centre houses both the Creche/Day Care facilities and the Nursery School. The Nursery School has been dealt w ith in greater detail in the section o f this paper dealing w ith the educational sector at SOMAFCO.Previously an attem pt was made to provide creche facilities in an overcrowded house in M orogoro. The Nursery School shared the cramped Primary School premises.In A p ril o f 1984 the Charlotte Maxeke Child ren’s Centre was opened. Here we are able to o ffer the younger members o f our community the facilities that they deserve.The grounds o f the Centre contain grassy mounds, sand pits and shallow pools which can be filled w ith water. An adventure playground was recently constructed by voluntary labour.A number of children stay permanently at the Centre. Either because they are orphans o r because the ir parents are perform ing tasks away from Mazimbu fo r the AN C. There are six residences fo r nursery schoolchildren. Each has a resident house m other and can accommodate 12 children. Each

residence is separate. For younger children there are three units which are planned both fo r day care and fo r residence. Each o f these units can accommodate 20 children. A flat is attached to each unit fo r the accommodation o f resident staff. A fu rthe r unit, also able to accommodate 20 children is used only as a day care facility.The central block houses a kitchen (which supplies meals to all the children using the Nursery School and Day Care facilities as well as to the children in permanent residence), a dining room, small amphitheater and administration offices.Children are taken in to the Creche at the age o f one year and move up to the Nursery School at three years o f age. O ver 60 children are at present using the Creche/Day Care facilities.The Day Care programme is not merely a child minding service. The programme is intended to provide an in troduction to the w o rk of the Nursery School. Parents are urged to make use o f the Day Care facilities in order to prepare children fo r the Nursery School

programme.As in so many areas at Mazimbu, we are hampered by the lack o f trained personnel. However, students have been sent to study child care and child psychology and staff members are away on short upgrading courses.

Kate M olale M a te rn ity C e n treThe centre accommodates women in the last months o f the ir pregnancy and mothers w ith young babies.The centre can accommodate 36 mothers and the ir young babies. It consists o f three living units and a kitchen which is used fo r the preparation o f food fo r the babies.

c h a r l o t t em axeke

children 'sCENTRE

SOMAFCO has educational responsibilities to the whole community at Mazimbu. As a result o f the iniquitous South African system o f education, many people have litt le o r no schooling. The Adu lt Education programme aims to cater fo r the needs o f these cadres. The primary level o f the programme is able to bring about basic literacy and numeracy fo r adults previously denied these learning opportunities. Today there are 40 students in the primary level. This part o f the programme is running relatively smoothly and enrolment has been high since 1982. The secondary level is divided into intermediate and advanced sections. The basic course o f study follows syllabi used in the Secondary School. This sector has had many difficulties relating to the permanence and quality o f the teaching staff and an inadequate supply o f relevant teaching material.Recently personnel have been involved in workshops and seminars in association w ith the Tanzanian Adult Education Services. O ther cadres have been sent away fo r training. Hopefully the Adult Education programme w ill benefit from these measures.The W orks Committee, representing w orkers in all the production units at Mazimbu, has done much to encourage adult education.Recently the W orks Committee agreed to release participants in the adult education programme from w o rk on Saturday mornings so that they can attend classes.

Profile Sydney. Aged 52. W orker.

He has never been to school and has taught himself to read and w rite . He is studying in the jun ior section o f the secondary level o f the adult education programme.

‘A t last I am going to school. Perhaps I am no t too old and I w ill s till be given a chance by the A N C to go

away fo r studies. I don 't understand why everyone is so frightened by this mathematics.Mathematics is the subject I like. There's just one thing... The teacher comes in and gives us the w o rk and then has to go to one o f the o ther classes. This is no good. When you are learning a fter w o rk there is no t much time. You must have the teacher there to explain when you don 't understand.'

Basic literary

class.

The Building of M azim bu

Profile: Ossie Dennis. Project Manager.

‘In July of 1977 I was recalled from the GDR where I had qualified as a civil engineer. A t Mazimbu (I was shown the tw o dilapidated houses and 100 acres of land that had been donated by the Tanzanian government. O ur first p riority was to provide housing for students who were living some 50 km. from Morogoro.

I looked at the possibility of renovating the tw o shells of houses to accommodate 30 students. We had to fight our way through weeds and grass before getting to the ruins of walls and roof. There was nothing else - no doors, windows or ceilings, and all fittings had long since been removed.

I decided that the foundations, walls and roofs of the houses were still sound. A minimum of w ork would make the houses habitable again.Back in town I made enquiries about the availabilitiy o f skilled ANC workers in the area. There were tw o skilled bricklayers, one qualified and one semi-qualified carpenter. There were also a few other unskilled workers who would be able to assist.I recommended that if we were to house the students, we should commence w ork immediately and that myself and a few others should move at once to the site. Mazimbu was virtually bush, w ith no running water, no electricity, no windows, doors or ceilings in the houses. Nevertheless it was important to be there.The only tools we had w ith us were a hammer, a saw, a hoe and a few nails. We brought some empty bags to cover the window and door openings, and also some buckets and disinfectant. Some of the personnel who had never seen Mazimbu before were shocked at the conditions, but were intimidated by my confidence and enthusiasm to get the job done. They agreed to remain.The first task was to nail up the window and door gaps and to haul water from the nearby river to scrub the floors. Six o f us lived in this way fo r 6 months. During these months we had completed the renovations fo r the student residence. We made cement blocks near the river, knocked out some walls, installed the window and door frames and the ceilings, and dug a pit latrine.

O ssie D ennis on the c o n s tru c tio n s ite in 1979.

In early 1978 the Treasurer General made his first visit to Mazimbu and I was able to impress on him the importance o f opening a special account and the necessity of always having some funds available so that we did not have to purchase one item at a time. He immediately released funds fo r the building project and this made life much easier.

It was decided that January the 8th, the anniversary o f the founding of the ANC, would be celebrated at Mazimbu. We extended the verandah in fron t of one o f the houses fo r use as a stage and the first National Day was marked here. We had not had a proper brief as to what type of school to build, what facilities were required or what standards to set. We were groping in the dark until the first visit of President O.R. Tambo in February of 1978.The President said that we should build a school that would be the pride not only of the students who would study here, but o f all the oppressed people in South Africa. He added that we should build a school that would always remain a monument to the solidarity that exists between the people of Tanzania and the oppressed people of South Africa.We then set about our w ork w ith much more confidence. But things were not

easy. We kept getting messages from HQ asking when the first foundations were to be laid. We still had no plans, no construction equipment, no skilled workers and hardly any money.To begin with, a Danish architect, who subsequently became a volunteer at Mazimbu, assisted us from his home in Morogoro. Early in 1979 we were joined by an ANC architect and our Technical Department was established. This Department has been closely involved in the project and is increasingly able to rely on ANC personnel. In fact, when 3 trained architects return from their studies later this year, Mazimbu will have more qualified Black architects than there are in the whole o f South Africa. As soon as the students started arriving, a school was improvised in one of the renovated buildings.

By the end of 1978 our grant of land was increased to 250 acres. Our temporary electricity supply was established as was the water supply. In August o f 1978 we hosted the first ever National Education Council meeting of the ANC.The foundations of our first buildings

were poured on January the 8th, 1979. This was one of the best days of voluntary w ork ever held here - virtually every ANC member in East Africa participated.

The Treasurer General arrived in 1979 in the middle of one of the wettest seasons ever experienced. When he saw all the foundation trenches, bricks, everything under mud, he shook his head and said: ‘You w ill never manage this. You must hire tractors. ' By the end of that year he had become convinced that we were capable of doing the job and he has remained convinced of our capabilities ever since.

The night we first switched on our electricity, we had just received our first vehicle, a short wheel-base Landrover. We loaded everyone in and drove up to the Iringa road, which is higher than Mazimbu. We waited until dark and we could see our lights blazing at Mazimbu.

From then on we grew and developed in strength, confidence and organization. Today we can boast of a fully developed construction team. We

have a competent design team. Our electrical section, headed by a Dutch volunteer, is capable of doing high and low tension installation and maintaining transformers, motors and fridges. For tw o years running the electricity unit was honoured w ith the award fo r the best production unit. Our carpentry and welding units can meet the needs of construction.

The success of the construction project owes much to the 5 years dedicated w ork of our Dutch site engineer.

As the Mazimbu project approaches completion, ANC architects, engineers and other skilled workers are returning to us after having completed their training overseas. The great majority of these are students who left fo r further studies from Mazimbu in 1977 and 1978. For the first time, volunteers helping us are working w ith AN C counterparts. We are now facing the new task, the building of the ANC Development Centre at Dakawa, w ith greater confidence.’

H ea lth

Young child with malaria.

The 1st May 1984 was a significant day fo r all at Mazimbu.N o t only was it May Day, but it was also the day on which the AN C -H O LLA N D SOLIDARITY HOSPITAL was opened. W ho could have envisaged our own hospital here in 1979, when the health service^ were established by an A N C nurse who tried to deal w ith all the community’s health problems in one small room.Having our own modern medical facility makes an enormous difference.The hospital is designed fo r preventive, curative, maternal and child care services. It w ill also take the lead in health education fo r the community and an in-service training fo r A N C medical cadres.The hospital is currently staffed entirely by A N C medical personnel. There is one doctor, a senior sister, tw o qualified sisters, a paediatric nurse and tw o medical assistants. Paramedical staff consists o f three laboratory technicians, a medical technologist, three pharmacy and tw o dental technicians.The wards can accommodate 20 patients. The out-patient polyclinic sees patients daily. There is an operating theatre and a delivery room, X-ray facilities, a pathological laboratory, pharmacy and dental surgery.During the period December 1984 to January 1985, the hospital saw 2 ,1 35

adults and 237 children. O f the adults I , I 39 were Tanzanian workers and peasants from surroundings villages. The most prevalent disease is malaria. Many patients also suffer from respiratory infections and septic sores.N o t all o f the facilities have been taken in to use. Building is still being completed and there is not sufficient trained staff fo r some o f the facilities. From the outset the Mazimbu medical team has relied heavily on the support and cooperation o f the Tanzanian medical services.Free medical service is provided by Tanzania fo r A N C personnel.In the oast all serious cases were

referred to the M orogoro o r Dar es Salaam hospitals. W e still make use of these facilities fo r cases which cannot be treated at the hospital.The trea tm ent o f mental illness remains a problem. Some of the Mazimbu community.has been very badly affected by the stresses o f living in apartheid South Africa, the stresses o f exile and the effects o f to rtu re and prolonged detention (the fate o f many).W e are fortunate to have the services o f an A N C psychiatrist who visits Mazimbu once a year.N o t enough trained personnel and shortage o f drugs remain the chief problems.

Modern techniques.

Bringing in the harvest.

and to maximise yields, an early policy decision was taken to use capital intensive methods o f farming. Current production justifies this decision.

C rop ProductionLess than half o f the 800 arable hectares is being utilised at present. Yet we have already become virtually self-sufficient in this area.

1984 1985Planted harvested Crop Planted 210 ha 430000 kg Maize 238 ha

80 ha 80 000 kg Sorghum 84 ha 18 ha 10 500 kg Sunflower 40 ha 20 ha 13 700 kg Beans 58 ha

Maize production is we ll above the 90 000 kg required fo r our own

In South Africa, Black people have no experience, except as labourers, in intensive agriculture. The SOMAFCO farm is intended to make us self-sufficient in food as far as possible and to train A N C agricultural workers. In order to be able to o ffer such training,

consumption. The surplus is sold to Tanzanian w orkers at government prices and used as stock feed. In 1984 we were able to sell 40 000 kg of sorghum to the Tanzanian Seed Company, after meeting our own needs fo r human consumption and stock feed. W e are awaiting the arrival o f an oil

expeller, which w ill enable us to supply o il to the community and use the husks as stock feed. The 1985 bean harvest should make us self-sufficient. The grain store at the farm also contains machinery fo r threshing, dehusking and grinding and fo r m ixing stock feed.The farm owes much to the expertise

o f the Danish volunteer manager. The farm complex also houses an administration building and trac to r park.

H o rticu ltu reThis section, was also developed w ith the assistance o f a Danish volunteer, and is administered as a separate unit even though it falls in to our general agricultural planning.O ur aim is self-sufficiency in fru it and vegetables. A bout 50% of the community’s needs are already being supplied. As orchards start bearing this percentage should increase. The horticu lture section also supplies the community w ith plants, shrubs and fru it trees fo r the ir gardens.

A n im al HusbandryW o rk on the new piggery is being completed and the firs t litte rs have already been born in the new pens. The piggery is planned to accommodate a fairly constant adult population o f I 000. Sows are being moved here from the old piggery at Kihonda. O ur strain has improved noticeably w ith the in troduction o f Danish breeding stock. Already we are able to supply 600 kg of dressed pork to the community once every fortnight.O ur small beef herd is increasing slowly, despite setbacks from an outbreak of East Coast fever. W e are not yet able to supply beef to the community, but expansion is planned fo r the future.W e are awaiting the arrival o f a small dairy herd. W e look forward to having our own m ilk and dairy products but are aware that it may be some tim e before we have developed a relatively disease resistant herd.Goats: The flock of 300 goats are used fo r meat fo r special occasions, like the workers N ew Year party.Poultry: In 1983 egg production reached 4000 per week. By the end o f 1984 the layers were ageing and had to be slaughtered. The one day old replacements from Denmark proved to be particularly prone to disease and were decimated. Production is thus very low at present, but expansion is planned. Temporary sheds are still being used as pou ltry runs. New runs are to be built w ith incubation and hatching facilities. The completion o f the new pou ltry unit should enable us to maintain a constant population o f layers and to come close to self sufficiency.

Grain storage facilities.

The new piggery.

Collection Number: A3299 Collection Name: Hilda and Rusty BERNSTEIN Papers, 1931-2006

PUBLISHER: Publisher: Historical Papers Research Archive Collection Funder: Bernstein family Location: Johannesburg

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