South Africa

Overdue

2009-11-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all! So my blogging for the month of November has been sub-par. Mostly that’s because up until two days ago I have basically been without a laptop. I hate computers, and they must hate me too because mine has virus-ridden and unworkable for the past few weeks. Luckily, I found an IT person at UCT who was willing and able to help me – my entire hard drive had to be wiped clean and rebooted. If I were home, the problems could have been much more easily taken care of I’m sure. Unfortunately, I probably won’t have a chance to upload any more pictures onto the blog. Enough complaining about my computer though.

I’ve also been sick with sinusitis once again, having had a migraine which lasted for over a week before seeing an ENT specialist. I was absolutely miserable but am feeling better now, in time to enjoy the last couple of weeks in Africa. Until next Friday though, I won’t be able to completely relax because two final papers are due – one group project on Nigeria and one research paper on Myelomeningocele. I am really thankful to him and my TA, Eboni, for being so concerned with me while I was sick. Prof was the one who referred me to the ENT surgeon and on Monday in burns surgery, he shouted across the OR to me (in front of a large number of surgeons, nurses, and professions) to ask about my health. Needless to say, I felt very special. It makes me smile just thinking of the care and compassion such an incredibly talented and renowned doctor showed a meager American intern. It is fairly ironic and inappropriate, however, that we talked about my sinus problems in such an awful setting.

My next topic is very substantial and it’s something that I really haven’t let myself feel the full effects of. Last Tuesday, in accompanying Prof to the clinic in Khayelitsha which he visits every week, I saw a woman give birth. Without going into the details, it was quite amazing – mostly because the woman received no drugs for pain, was not hooked up to any sort of monitoring machines, and there was no fuss made around the event. She virtually received no outside attention (apart from the stares of 3 foreign students) and there was nobody present to offer encouragement. I certainly had nothing to say, especially since I don’t speak Xhosa. The sister who delivered the baby was very kind and experienced, though; she obviously knew what to do when the mother was ready to push. Over 6,000 babies are born in that particular clinic every year, in a space holding just a few beds. During delivery (which was so unexpectedly fast), the baby’s cord was wrapped tightly around her neck. I was scared, and even more so when she didn’t start crying for a couple of minutes after being born. But she was fine and absolutely adorable, with a lot of hair. She also looked very old for a newborn. When I asked the sister what the baby’s name was, sister looked at me like I was crazy; her response was that the mother had no right to name her daughter. I was stunned. Consistent with cultural tradition, the custom is for a mother to take her child home where the family and community members decide upon a name together. But the mother has no individual right to name her baby. I feel like that concept wouldn’t really go over well in the States. What was also eye-opening about the visit was the sister’s asking the other students and me if we had any children. Needless to say, she was very surprised when we told her we hadn’t and asked why not – I said there was no rush! But girls rush having children here. In South Africa, a pregnancy out of wedlock is not viewed as a mistake (as it often is in the United States). Rather, pregnancies are planned and young women who become pregnant do so to prove their fertility and worth. The Western idea of women having children after marriage and after beginning a career (something that I support) is very much founded in sexual equality, which is still not present in this country.

A quick mention of one patient who came into the Neuro Clinic at the Red Cross yesterday; I sat with Dr. Padayachy while he saw patients. Rita is 13 years old, 2 weeks post-op brain surgery. She took a taxi to the outpatient clinic on her own. Dr. Padayachy said that she was from Ethiopia and there were some familial issues; he asked her if she was taking her TB medication and ARVs (anti-retro virals for HIV). I can’t imagine being 13 years old and facing all of those things on my own. Kids grow up fast here.

I hope to have another chance to write at least one last blog. But next Friday is the last day of the program (and also when I get to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which is so exciting). On Saturday the 5th, I fly with four other UNC students to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe; I’ll also set foot in Zambia and visit Botswana. Yah!

Struggles

2009-11-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

First a funny story. Yesterday I was in ward D1 when all of a sudden I realized that the noise level had gone up significantly and the hall was filled with professional people and cameras. It was a little chaotic and I had no idea what was going on. After some man signed an autograph right next to the table where I sat, I asked a boy walking past if he knew why all the people were there. He just shrugged his shoulders. Finally, I found out that a really famous cricket player was visiting and that’s who was signing the autograph. On the front page of today’s newspaper there was a picture of this renowned athlete and the little boy I spoke to! Typical me to be so oblivious.

On to heavier matters. There are good days and bad days. My mindset and attitude about my being here in South Africa usually determines how my day goes. Recently, I’ve been having a more difficult time thinking positively. In regards to the Red Cross, what I’ve chosen to write about on my blog has naturally been my most exciting and meaningful experiences. But sometimes I sit at a computer for a large portion of the day and basically do nothing. I have my two projects and my research paper (as well as a paper on Nigerian oil for one of my classes) to keep me busy this month, but I can’t help but to think that my work at the hospital is completely not contributory. There’s already been so much research on burns and myelomeningocele published, so many journals written – what’s the point? What am I even doing here? There has to be some reason, right? Before studying abroad, the other students and I were told by Vernon himself (program coordinator in Cape Town) not to anticipate being able to make much of a difference at all. He said that while we will most likely have an effect at our internships, we won’t solve the problems of Africa and we certainly won’t save the world. Realistically, I knew that was true and I tried to leave my lofty expectations at home. Here’s the thing. I can choose to feel useless and unworthy and be stuck in overwhelming helplessness and laziness, or I can take one day at a time and find a way to keep motivated. I must realize that I’m abroad to learn about a part of the world I would have never known or understood otherwise, having not actually lived here. My purpose is not to change people’s lives, but rather more simply (and selfishly?) to learn about the people of culture of South Africa and to allow that to expand my worldview, broaden my knowledge, and open my mind to new and different ideas. But that leads me to question how I’m supposed to take what I’ve experienced and use it/how I am to change. For instance, am I supposed to witness and ponder the extreme disparity of wealth and poverty in this country just to come back home to my comfortable, middle-class life? There is no middle class here. I can’t think like that, though; I can’t decide how something is to affect me as that is completely counter intuitive. Instead of my usual planning and analyzing, I must live and absorb and maybe NOT think so much.

These issues are what I’m struggling with every day. I know that I am extremely privileged to travel to South Africa, and while I might be brave for going so far away, that does not make me a noble person for being here. I wanted to clarify that point. While I’d love to be able to say that my being here has made a difference in somebody’s life that is almost always an unknown. In general – anywhere. I am just a girl trying to learn about this place, because that is all I can do.

Thank you for continuing following by blog!

excursion run-down

2009-11-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

I returned Saturday from Johannesburg (or Jo-burg), which is the largest city in South Africa, having spent five days there. Unfortunately, that was too long because there wasn’t a whole lot to do and my group had a quite a bit of down time in our hotel. We were nicely invited to two braais (or barbeques) at the homes of some friends of our UNC professor, Dr. Lee. The local cuisine is creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, pap, a traditional bean dish, and different meats including lamb, beef, sausage, and chicken. People drink a lot of juice here. At one of the homes we visited in a township, I spoke to some really interesting people; it is worth noting that many of the neighbors there were surprised to see that a group of white students was (a) invited to this braai and (b) led by a black professor. I was asked (not for the first time) if I knew Oprah. It seems to be that people seriously associate anything on television with being American, which is unfortunate since so much of TV is not representative of America.

I did some shopping at two markets, Bruma Lake and Rosebank, where vendors come and sell hand-made jewelry and crafts. It was extremely overwhelming and the vendors were sometimes pretty aggressive – one was good enough to show me a bathroom and then proceed to wait for me outside (of course then I HAD to buy something from him, right? well, I did). Turns out, I could improve on my haggling skills; it’s really hard to tell if I’m getting a good deal or still being ripped off. We visited Soweto, which is the largest township outside Jo-burg and home to about 4 million people, and visited the Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, site of the 1976 Soweto Uprising when police took fire on innocent students who were peacefully protesting Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. Hector Pieterson, a 13-year old boy, was the first victim of this violence. I really enjoyed the Apartheid Museum in downtown Jo-burg, but unfortunately we didn’t spend enough time there.

While there is a good amount of construction going on here in Cape Town, the amount of preparation for the World Cup in Johannesburg far exceeds it. One stadium is being built in Cape Town and at least two are being built in Jo-burg. They’re building roads and adding and expanding the public transportation system as well as the airports…

Okay, so now the most exciting part of the trip: Kruger! Whatever disappointment there was in Jo-burg and despite the 6 uncomfortable hours in the van, Kruger National Park made the whole thing worthwhile. Unfortunately, we only got to spend one full day there and the weather was terrible for game-viewing. It was cold and rainy but despite that, I sincerely enjoyed the whole thing. There were 7 of us plus our guide (who was excellent) in my game vehicle and we were very fortunate to see a lot of animals, including four of the Big Five: buffalo, elephant, rhino, and leopard (no lion). I also saw zebra, giraffe, wildabeasts, kudu, impala, guinea fowl, two warthogs, and a few monkeys. The elephants were probably my favorite; it was unbelievable how close they came to our vehicle. All of the animals were truly remarkable and beautiful.

Fun Facts: Elephants have 29,000 muscles in their trunks alone. They eat between 800 and 1500 pounds of feel each day, more when the vegetation is not very nutritious (more sticks, less leaves?) and spend 23 out of 24 hours a day eating. They don’t sleep, because they can’t afford to stop eating, and live up to age 65. Elephants go through about 6 sets of teeth in their lives and die of starvation when their last set wears away. They have a keen sense of smell but terrible eyesight, only able to see a few feet in front of them. Female elephants are pregnant with a female for 22 months but with a male for 23 months. Young elephants and females stay together in a pack but males travel alone. They are very intelligent creatures, and I thought looked very wise.

Random: In South Africa, “now” as in “I’ll be with you now” really means later, or soon, like “I’ll be with you in a moment.” Instead of “what’s up?” people here greet you by saying “how’s it?” Like in Blood Diamond! That was on TV and seeing it while actually being in Africa was a different experience because I can identify with some of the things I didn’t before. There are actually a few scenes shot in Cape Town! Oh, and if you think the commercials at home are bad, just watch a few here. Nothing good is on TV.

A little more on the Red Cross...

2009-10-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written too much about my internship, and since I do spend 4 days a week at the hospital I thought it would be a good idea to elaborate on what I’m doing there. First, I have two projects that I am responsible for. My main project (which I am turning into a research paper/final paper for the study abroad program) is under neurosurgeon Dr. Padayachee; I am doing a risk factor and clinical assessment on patients with myelomeningocele, a form of spina bifida. Currently, there are only two babies with myelomeningocele at the hospital and I’ve already interviewed their mothers, so now I must go through medical records of past patients in order to collect information. My second project is under Dr. Rode; he wants me survey moms of children with burns resulting from kettles and to research kettle companies, looking at possible problems in manufacturing. I really like watching surgery, but my favorite part about the Red Cross is volunteering on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. My sports watch and name badges are always a big hit. Many of the kids don’t speak English, but kids are kids everywhere and it isn’t a problem; we play and I talk to them in English and they talk to me (or just don’t) in either Afrikaans or Xhosa. It's hard interacting with the older ones because most of the donated toys we bring up to the wards are geared towards younger kids. They all must get so bored during the day, and their parents too. It's not like hospitals in the US where there seems to be a good system in place for providing children with entertainment, as well as resources for parents and spaces for them to wander about.

Last Tuesday in the oncology ward, I let one little girl – who had to have been no older than 4 years old – draw on my hands with marker. She was quiet and shy, and I wasn’t doing a good job of making her happy, but I’ll always remember how she used one pink marker to poke and jab at my left wrist, in a spot comparable to that on her own wrist where an IV line was secured with a bandage. I’m fairly confident in the fact that she was mocking what she experiences every day – the administration of drugs in an IV. How pensive and naïve and too knowing she was, all at the same time. On Thursday, I volunteered in the burns ward and felt much more useful. This ward is always crazy and over-crowded and kids roam the hall; they’re fun to be around because usually they’re playful despite their injuries. Generally, children in the other wards are sick and seem much sadder. They are all so brave though. The highlight of playtime in the burns was me comforting a crying girl (burns covering her chest and back and legs were bandaged). I didn’t expect her to let me pick her up but she held onto me for a while and think she just needed some attention and human contact.

On a different note, it’s HOT here! Sunday, twelve of us crammed into a taxi (typical) and rode to a beach nearby. On Saturday I visited Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, which was absolutely beautiful. If I were a bird or a flower, my home would be Kirstenbosch. This weekend, we're leaving for a week-long excursion to Johannesburg and Pretoria and Kruger National Park, where I’ll embark on actual game drives!

Still in love with South Africa.

Hearts, Sharks, and Game Meat

2009-10-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hearts: At the RXH on Monday, I watched heart surgery for two hours. It was amazing. There is so much to learn about the human body and what is truly incredible is how it can withstand the demands of such invasiveness. This patient was a two and a half year-old boy whose heart was basically cut open and closed back up right in front of my eyes. He was on cardio-pulmonary bypass for an hour and a half; his heart was actually not beating during that whole time. I had no idea that was possible. I also can’t imagine being a cardiothoracic surgeon and standing for that long while being so focused.

Sharks: Yesterday, I went shark cage diving in Gansbaai. It’s the thing to do here and when else would I have had the change to get in the water with Great White Sharks? Three misconceptions I had before leaving, however, were (1) the boat would be quite large, (2) I would be able to handle being out at sea for most of a day, and (3) the wetsuits would actually keep me warm. To clarify – the boat was very small, I was seasick the entire time, and the wetsuits definitely allowed the cold water in. This may seem miserable, and in fact it was, but underwater I did get to see one Great White (after missing two somehow), and the trip was therefore worthwhile.

Game Meat: On Friday night, I went with the majority of my group to a restaurant called Marco’s African Place. I ordered the Pan African Platter, which was composed of ostrich, springbok, and kudu as well as a traditional Xhosa dish of beans and crushed corn that I couldn’t pronounce. I actually liked the game meat and I’m glad I tried something I normally wouldn’t eat; the springbok was my favorite.

Untitled

2009-10-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

It’s been too long since my last blog so there’s a lot to say but what else is new? I started interning at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital last week – I’ll start there. Anuja is another UNC student placed at the Red Cross and our supervisor is Dr. Rode, a pediatric burns surgeon who is extremely intelligent and has been around for a very long time. We each have an assignment under him, and mine deals with children suffering hot water burns from kettles; a majority of the burns are scalding burns and a great number of these are caused by spilled or pulled kettles. Overall, Anuja and I have a lot of free reign as to how we spend our time because Dr. Rode is extremely busy and not around us very much. Figuring out what I want to do and how I wish to spend my time at the Red Cross has been challenging; I don’t just want to sit at a computer entering data and researching all day, which has happened. I did attend a volunteer orientation earlier this week and should be able to start on Monday which I am very excited about. As a volunteer, I’ll be able to bring toys to children and simply play with them; I desperately want to interact with these kids and haven’t had a real chance to experience that yet. Something really cool that I have been able to do and hope to take advantage of is watching surgeries; putting on scrubs makes me feel important J So far, I’ve seen a couple of bandage changes and skin grafts in the burns theatre (theatre means surgery and/or operating room). Also, I’ve stood in on a brain surgery. It was actually on my first day, and Anuja and I simply walked into the theatre. People don’t seem to mind if we do that, but I would never be able to do so in the States. The neurosurgeons were actually very nice and allowed us to come right up next to the patient’s exposed brain as they explained what they were doing. They also asked a few questions which I didn’t know the answers to, thus I felt pretty unintelligent.

I spend over an hour getting to and from my internship every day. Taking public transportation has been an experience all on its own. Oh, the culture of the mini bus taxis. If you think any big city in the US is home to bad driving, come see for yourself the craziness of Cape Town’s streets. There seems to be no traffic rules at all: people just go as fast as they can and change lanes as much as they can (most streets lack dividing lines). When Anuja and I accompanied Dr. Rode to the Kyaelechia Clinic, he explained to us that a large part of the problem is that there is simply not enough police officers to enforce traffic regulations. Also, once people obtain driving licenses, they are not required to ever renew them. I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for the DMV.

Last weekend, I went to Hermanus for the annual whale festival. Hermanus is one of the best spots in the world to whale-watch from land. I saw a few Southern Right Whales, mostly chilling on the surface of the water; there was some breaching action, when they come up out of the water, and that was the best to see. Unfortunately, it was rainy that day and the trip would have been much better if I hadn’t slipped on a rock almost immediately upon arriving. I was too excited and rushing to get closer to a whale I had a bad fall, bruising and cutting my knee and shin. Needless to say, I couldn’t walk very well at all the rest of the time and missed some good picture opportunities when the whales came in really close.

Tomorrow, the group is visiting Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela stayed for the majority of his 27 year imprisonment. I’m looking forward to it, and almost (FINALLY) finished reading his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.

The weather has definitely been improving here – summer is on its way. I am a little sad that I’m missing fall at home, but summer is still my favorite.

I find that I have to catch myself sometimes and remember that I’m in Africa. It’s so easy to forget in the day-to-day where I am and how far away I am from North Carolina since I’m now accustomed to life in Cape Town. The city is so diverse and composed of many kinds of people – South Africa’s history is fascinating, yet terribly sad. Just fifteen years ago, the apartheid system was still in place and the remnants of that are very much evident today.

It’s funny to think how different my life here is than it is at home. Everything is a little slowed, and less stressful. It’s actually very nice. You would think that in a city so laid-back (and because I’m not my typical busy self), time would also slow – I guess that’s just not the case no matter where you are. I’m afraid that the rest of my time here will pass as quickly as it already has and that I won’t be prepared to go home, at least in the sense that I won’t have accomplished my purpose or gotten the most out of being in South Africa.

Reflections

2009-09-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from Table Mountain two weekends ago. One shows how steep the trail was; I was imagining more of a meandering dirt pathway, not so much a vertical climb composed only of large, rugged (but stable) rocks. It was extremely hard, but the views and company and sense of accomplishment upon reaching the top definitely made the difficulty worthwhile.

A few things to note:
- it took us an hour and a half from the base to the summit, proving our professor wrong
- the cable car ride down was completely necessary
- I should probably do an advertisement for Merrill now

I would like to write about my recent experiences at my internship. This first week – Monday through Thursday – those of us who had the furthest commutes for our internships were driven to and from work by Parks, who we have all come to love. I was often last to be dropped and first to be picked up as Tafelsig is so far outside of the city. I spent most of my time in Child Health and Family Planning, watching and observing. I did like helping the sisters in Child Health who initially saw the children; I took weights and temperatures, asked about the child’s symptoms, and wrote notes in their files for the benefit of the sisters who would next see them and treat them. I gave vitamin A drops and got Hb values using, as one sister described it, an ancient Hemoglobin Reader. Mostly, though, I’ve been standing around and listening to Afrikaans, not understanding what’s being said.

It is amazing how long people who come to the clinic must wait to be seen; some are there all day long. Because it is a primary health care facility, referrals to other hospitals are granted in more severe cases. Those patients in need of transport wait on an ambulance for sometimes hours at a time. Tafelsig Clinic provides healthcare services to the people of Tafelsig with the resources it has, however meager they are, especially as compared to the extremely high standards of American healthcare. Privacy is very limited, for one thing. Plastic spoons are simply rinsed and reused for children receiving a basic fever-reducing medicine. Urine samples for pregnancy tests are collected in plastic cups that are also rinsed and reused. Nurses don’t seem to wear gloves; how water is rarely available and soap isn’t always around. While watching the children receiving immunizations, I couldn’t help but think about my own experiences at the doctor’s office, in particular how I always received a sticker after getting a shot. And maybe a colorful Band-aid. These children, you can imagine, were given neither of those things.

The language barrier is really proving to be a bigger challenge than I anticipated, because the staff only speaks to the patients in Afrikaans and they don’t have time to translate and keep me informed. I ask questions after patients leave, but again there really isn’t time for much explanation. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to learn as much working at Tafelsig because of this, and am still concerned about my role there. I honestly don’t think my supervisor, Sister Damons, knows what to do with me. I do recognize that to some degree, I must take an imitative and make things happen if I want to be helpful. However, I am overwhelmed by the robustness of the clinic, and can’t seem to see how I’ll be able to change things or make a difference there. Instead, I feel like I’m being more of a hindrance right now. For these reasons, I’m thinking about trying to switch over to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. I’m struggling because I don’t want to give up so easily, and I’ve emphasized to Vernon, our program coordinator, since day one that I would prefer to be placed the townships, in the midst of poverty. I’ll keep you posted as to where I’ll really be for the next two and a half months when I figure it all out.

In South Africa...

2009-09-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

In South Africa, it is COLD! There is no central heating and I'm so ready for springtime. Traffic is on the other side of the road, and I'm still getting used to that especially when it comes to crossing the street. Along with the rest of the world, South Africa uses the metric system - so temperatures, lengths, measurements, and food packaging labels are all pretty meaningless. There are drinks called tizers, which are sparkling grape and apple juices. They are delicious.

Cape Town is really unique I think because it is both a coastal and mountainous city; it is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and encompasses Table Mountain as part of the Table Mountain Range. Last weekend I climbed Table Mountain with 5 other students and it was incredibly challenging but also a lot of fun. Today I climbed Lion's Head, which is a smaller mountain next to Table Mountain. Both provided incredibly beautiful views of the city and ocean; I'll put up some pictures later.

I've begun my internship at Tafelsig Clinic in Mitchell's Plain. Tafelsig is a city clinic providing all kinds of free services to the people of Tafelsig, a section of the larger township of Mitchell's Plain. Because the people in the area are living in poverty, much of the health problems are results of very poor conditions. Mitchell's Plain is the largest Coloured township in Cape Town, home to about 900,000 people. The clinic sees over 500 people a day, and only 1 doctor works there. It is chaotic and crowded and unlike any health care facility I've ever seen in the States. The people speak Afrikaans mostly (or at least that's their language of choice) which definitely makes it hard for me to know what's going on. I think I'll just be watching nurses, or "sisters" as they are referred to, and getting a feel for how Tafelsig works for the first part of my internship. I hate to feel useless though, and hope that soon I'll actually be able to help.

End of Week One

2009-09-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve decided to only upload selected photos from my trip so as not overwhelm everybody with hundreds of them. I will put up at least one album on facebook eventually, but when I get home I’d love to show all of my pictures to whoever's interested!

This is the Hillcrest Manor Guesthouse where I am living, along with the 14 other students and our TA. I share a room separated from the house in the back, the "annex," with two other girls. The view is of Table Mountain, Cape Town's distinguished landmark.

These pictures are taken at Altyd Gedacht Wine Estate. We were taken on a tour of the wine estate on an old tractor and it was a lot of fun.

This is Cape Point, the tip of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa where it juts into the sea. The views of both the Atlantic Ocean on one side and False Bay on the other side are absolutely beautiful. Luckily the weather cleared by the time we got there, and the sun was shining – it was really windy though! I would love to go back someday.

To Kesley and Erin: here’s proof that there really are penguins in South Africa! Believe me now? We saw the colony on Boulder’s Beach outside of Simon’s Town, which is located on the coast of False Bay. My favorite is the picture of the lone penguin for some reason. It just speaks to me. And the sign is just sad; obviously running over penguins occurs frequently enough that a sign is needed to address the tragedy.

Beginning Thoughts - Orientation Week

2009-08-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe I haven't even been here a week yet. Cape Town is beautiful and I'm enjoying getting to know the city. There is so much to see and do in South Africa! The people on my program are great and we're all very excited to be here; because our classes and internships haven't started yet, we've been seeing some cool stuff and have a good bit of free time. We tend to stand out a lot seeing as we're a group of 15 obviously-American students, but hopefully we'll blend in with the Capetonians soon enough. The food has been wonderful and I haven't had any trouble with water, etc. So far, I've visited surrounding winelands including Stellenbosch, experienced a worship service at Sivuyile National Baptist Church in the township of Gugulethu (which was incrdedibly moving and unlike anything I've ever seen - the passion of those people was so clearly evident in their beautiful voices and dancing), and gone to the District Six Museum.

There are many townships that surround the city of Cape Town, which exist because of apartheid and specifically the Group Areas Act, which relocated native Coloureds, Indians, and Africans out of the homes they had been living in for years so that the land could be used for whites. The juxtaposition of the wealth in Cape Town and the extreme poverty in the townships right outside the city is unreal.