On Location

The Mlombile  Kraal

This Mrs Nomtambani Mlombile , 'Mama Alice'. She is eighty-one years old, and STILL insists on bringing us water at the break of day. Others help her with her stock and the housekeeping these days. But she still holds the keys! She has built a double garage ('for my guests'), installed another cistern to catch the summer rains, and even contrived running water! The toilet is a little erratic, so the bucket and pit latrine still have a place in the scheme of things. 

Qumbu

There are two stories. The traditional life - one of abject poverty and subsistence living: women in blankets setting up a shabby stall to sell a few oranges, and chickens sold from crates; in the same block, a brand new Shopping Mall. This might not be Cribb's Causeway, but it's a Great Leap Forward. (How's THAT for irony?)

:)