Cape Town - Five years ago the Cape Flats community, gripped by gangsterism, dreamed up the idea of turning the “battlefield” of Lavender Hill into a space of hope.
Recently they celebrated the realisation of their dream with the placement of the first container classroom unit.
Spearheaded by two organisations, In Place of War and Rise Above Development (RAD), with generous funding from the Linbury Trust, a new cultural centre, sports facility and community garden in the heart of Lavender Hill – known as the Urban Youth Oasis, is coming to life.
The centre, constructed from re-purposed shipping containers, will be home to a music studio, computer lab, library, internet cafe, outdoor theatre and sports facilities.
It will house a state-of-the-art music studio, a music computer room and an area where live performances will take place.
The space hopes to take young people away from a life of gangsterism and offer them a safe space to build positive futures. This is In Place of Wars’ first project building from scratch. They were introduced to the community of Lavender Hill back in 2017.
“This has been an incredibly important project for In Place of War– we felt the community had faced so many challenges, that it was necessary to work with them to build a lasting and impactful solution.
This cultural space will offer an alternative to gang culture, a safe space with positive role models and an opportunity to be creative and learn. We hope that it helps to reduce conflict and are delighted with the progress from the team on the ground, against all odds,” said In Place of Wars’ chief executive officer, Ruth Daniel.
RAD director, Pastor Malcolm Campbell, who grew up in the community, said the piece of land, once known as the “battlefield”, was always the divider between opposing gangs and the place they would use to settle scores.
“Originally, the community was quite different, one side of the field there was one gang, other side side had another gang – battlefield was in the middle.
It was the place they would meet each other during gang fights, murders were taking place here, you could get up some mornings and find a body lying there.
Nobody would cross it from one side to the next, unless they were innocent, if any foreign gangs used it, it was going to result in bloodshed. “About five years ago, the project started with a conversation between Turner Adams, a former 28s general, who wanted to give back to the community he came from.
“He was from District 6, then they were moved to Lavender Hill because of forced removals. He got caught up in gangs and ended up in prison. When he was released, he wanted to give back. Most of us who came onboard were also focused on youth development. We wanted to change the narrative to a place of hope.
Turner was the initiator and he has given the baton to us to run with and take the project to the next level because it requires expertise, fundings etc, as it went from a discussion to a reality.”
Pastor Campbell added the project was community-driven, with the purpose of serving members.
“In the last five years I’ve been walking over that field, there is a footprint of hope on that field.”
One of the project’s beneficiaries who now works with the organisation as a volunteer, is 23-year-old Elvin Harris, one of seven children. He said it was a “narrow escape” for him not ending up in a gang.
“The biggest challenge for every young person is gangsterism, because we live in a community plagued with gangs and drugs.
The court I live in is also a gangster court, controlled by the ‘mongrels’ gang. Many young people fell in the trap just because of the court we live in. As a young person it was very hard to get out of that.
I wasn't part of the gang, but it was a very narrow escape. What happened in the court, the leader of the gang in the court, he will always buy the kids stuff, he bought us also stuff, then it’s almost like you feel pressured to join.
“They buy all the nice stuff every young person desires to have, like nice clothes etc.
“To get my mindset off of that was very difficult. My mother sent me to church and that helped me to learn the spiritual aspect of how gangsterism can affect you and the benefits of living a good life. Auntie Malany, the youth coordinator, also helped me a lot. I joined the organisation when I was in grade 11, at 16 years old. They had homework classes, a boys’ club where we learned life skills, leadership, and conflict management. I also got the opportunity to volunteer.”
Harris passed matric with a Bachelors pass and now aims to follow his dreams of studying software development. He also assists the organisation with admin tasks.
Razeeq Petersen, 18, from Lavender Hill, no stranger to the challenges in the area, recently joined the project, bringing his photography and media expertise to the table.
“For my life in Lavender Hill, I mostly grew up in the house. The challenge for me was the circumstances at home, poverty that leads to depression, it feels like you can’t break free from the cycles in Lavender Hill.
I felt so depressed, I felt like I can’t obtain anything, school work was great top achievements, but I felt this way because of circumstances.
There would be days I would be paralysed for hours because of depression. My mom would call me to do dishes, and I would be paralysed to the point that I would just sit. It was horrible, I can only imagine how much worse it must be for someone on the brink of suicide.
“Last year I gave my heart to the Lord and life started to change for me. I’m surrounded by more positive people and learning through testimonials about what Jesus can do for you boosted my faith. I got up and started to connect with people.
I want to share my story with other young people and children, not just my photography skills but also that faith and hope.”
Petersen is currently involved with documenting the development of the programme, and incorporating the history of the field.
Youth coordinator, Malany October said: “Lavender Hill doesn’t get much exposure, especially the youth.
There are good role models, but not that many.
The reason I do what I do is to ensure we have sufficient role models in Lavender Hill, it doesn’t matter where you come from. I love to empower these youth to help them see their own potential.
“All they need is just an aunt that looks out for you, that ‘uitkyk auntie’, someone looking out for them so that they know if I don't get the help at home or school, I can go to Auntie Malany instead of going to the negative influence.”
RAD entered a 10-year Facilities Management Agreement with the City of Cape Town in September 2021 and the building plans were signed off in September 2022.
Campbell encouraged communities: “Take ownership of spaces available in the community, start developing a programme and activities.
“Hope then starts growing and what starts as a small change turns into a tsunami of change, the narrative starts shifting, the game changes and it becomes a place of hope and opportunities.”
So far only a part of the first phase has been completed.
They still need millions in donor funding to complete the vision, which among others includes the completion of bullet resistance fencing, upgrades to the sports field, the installation of overhead lighting etc.
They are appealing to anyone who can assist and would like to get involved to contact the organisation at [email protected] or via https://www.riseabovedevelopment.org/
Cape Times