It is with great pride that I introduce this edition of AFRA News. AFRA is 30 years old this year and continues to contribute towards rural development. I pay tribute to all those heroes and heroines whose commitment over the years has taken AFRA to where it is today.
AFRA began in 1979, and since its inception has continued to be sustainable and relevant. Even though there are now no forced removals or black spots, evictions, landlessness and underdevelopment remain the order of the day — justifying our support for communities to tackle such issues head on.
August was Women’s Month when we celebrated the gains made towards women’s emancipation. Unfortunately women on farms have little to celebrate and articles in this newsletter describe the impact of patriarchy and discriminatory laws on their lives. Young people are also marginalised and neglected, and we profile a young person who is succeeding against all odds.
In June we commemorated Youth Month, but the importance of youth contributing to their own development and that of their communities was not sufficiently emphasised. Therefore, I hope that this positive article will inspire other young people to begin their own journeys to success.
I hope that you will enjoy hearing the voices of our stakeholders as much as we have enjoyed bringing them to you.
Aluta continua. Musa Zakwe, Deputy Director
Notices
3 October 2009 - AFRA and seven other Pietermaritzburg based NGO’s celebrate significant anniversaries this year. To mark this event, a joint exhibition of these organisations is to be launched on the 3rd of October at the Natal Museum. The exhibition will be on display until the 31 March 2010.
November 2009 - Provincial Women’s Summit on Land
Condolence
“The Association For Rural Advancement sends it condolences to the Radebe family of Amahlubi community who lost one of their members Nimrod Radebe, who was also part of the AFRA board. We say to him “LALA NGOXOLO” and thank you for contributiong torwards AFRA’s vision”.
