Tea and counselling in Alex

29 August 2002

by Sheree Russouw

Elizabeth Mathobege (78) shuffles into the LifeLine office in Alexandra, clutching a torn envelope in her wrinkled hands. "I'm so tired," she says. "My house is falling apart and the roof is leaking everywhere. I was the first person to speak to the queen (Princess Diana) when she visited Alexandra in 1995. She promised she would help get me a new house." She shakes her head, and looks wearily at her housing documents. "I've been waiting for seven years."

Iris Maliboho, the co-ordinator of LifeLine in this northern Johannesburg township, makes a steaming cup of tea for Mathobege and hands her the brochures on housing subsidies and old age pensions. The two women hug each other warmly and with a lifted spirit, Mathobege begins her long walk home.

This branch of LifeLine may be small, its chairs sunken and faded, but that does not deter the community from coming here for counselling or just dropping in for a friendly chat with Maliboho and her two volunteers.

The counters are crammed with brochures on how to prevent breast cancer, the rights of HIV/Aids sufferers, employment legislation, surviving crime, even hairdressing and beauty courses.

"You can see that the community comes here for different problems. Sometimes nine people flock here during the day, not for specific counselling, but for information about child grants and housing subsidies. They know we have the right information that can help and empower them," says Maliboho.

The office overlooks ramshackle spaza shops, makeshift hair salons and endless rows of shacks.

"Nine people live in a shack meant for one person. If someone in the house gets a disability grant of R500 then the other eight people depend on it too. There are lot of problems here, but there are a lot of good stories too," she says.

Outside, young children play an energetic game of soccer while taxis career down the township's narrow streets. And if Alexandra is indeed a gangsters' paradise, then the gangsters must be on vacation today - or deterred by the watchful eyes of the police helicopter flying overhead, guarding the throngs of foreigners visiting the township as part of the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Maliboho believes that LifeLine's counselling service offers an invaluable resource for the township's residents, struggling with problems of abuse and the break-up of families.

"I think that people here are bottled up with a lot of anger. Our people do not want to be associated with problems like depression and anxiety, but through support groups and individual sessions, their problem starts to unfold and that's when I become hopeful about the future of the community."

"Domestic violence is also rife here in Alex. I try to help the abused women find shelter and advise them on how to obtain court interdicts. I even counsel the perpetrators. There are also a lot of family problems, young people approach me - children from single-parent households, kids who can't communicate with their parents, or children who have 'absent' parents who aren't there for them."

As the only qualified councillor, she often has to do the work single-handedly. "Sometimes, someone in pain will phone me crying, while I'm busy in an individual session, then I don't know what to do, but I always handle it fine."

Today, the phone has not yet rung. However, that is not necessarily a sign that all is well in the community. "A lot of people here don't have access to telephones. Even though there are many public telephones available, people often don't want to disclose their problems over a public telephone."

She says disclosure is a problem, even for those people who do have the resources. "It's gotten better, but some people are still reluctant to talk." Every Wednesday and Thursday, she counsels Alex's residents who phone the studios at Alex FM, which is conveniently situated just next door to the LifeLine branch. "Still, not everyone in Alex knows that LifeLine exists. Not everyone has a radio and can listen to our show."

LifeLine opened its branch in Alex in 1995, and was helped with a donation of R50 000 by Anglo American mining company. "There was much more politically-fuelled violence in those days and so LifeLine started training guidance teachers and community leaders to start helping the community heal."

Maliboho's altruistic spirit has helped to heal many people in the township. When she was in her early 20s, she set up a project for mentally retarded people to get packaging jobs in Rosebank. That project is still continuing today. "I can't explain it; it's a natural talent for me to help other people. I feel passionate in delivering all that I know to my community."

Her 17-year-old daughter Tebogo, who volunteers at LifeLine, says she is undoubtedly her mother's product. "I'm quite honoured to have the mom that I have. No one interacts the way with the community like she does. She's a mother, a councillor, a caregiver, a sister, and a wife. She's a blessing to the community."

-- From the official Joburg website: www.joburg.org.za