Thaba Nchu community conversation

Thaba Nchu community members engage in the “counting your losses” part of the programme at the Moroka High School hall.

July 28, 2008 – Close to 1 000 people living in the Free State’s Motheo District gathered at Moroka High School at the end of June to participate in a community conversation organised as part of the ongoing Dialogue Programme of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. These conversations are intended to emphasise HIV prevention at community level.

Three hours later they had identified their strongest concerns: the need for parents to discuss sex with their children; moral degeneration within the community; the need for extensive HIV testing; and the need for community support. A number of these issues are linked to the high prevalence of poverty in the region.

About Thaba Nchu

The Motheo District includes the communities of Bloemfontein, Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu. The urban centre of this district is Bloemfontein, the “city of roses”, which falls within the Mangaung Local Municipality. The city controls trade and administration in the province and boasts a university, provincial government, military facilities and the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa.

Bloemfontein also claims its place in the country’s political history, for it was here that the African National Congress was founded in 1912, followed by the National Party two years later. Today it is also known for hosting the annual Macufe Festival, a cultural mélange of music, dancing and drama.

East of Mangaung lie Botshabelo, “place of refuge” and South Africa’s second-largest township, and Thaba Nchu, which was established in 1873. In the main, the region is peopled by seTswana- and seSotho-speaking people.

The warm, friendly communities of Thaba Nchu are keen to address the daily challenges that they face in dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in their region.

HIV/AIDS in the region

At 30.3%, the Free State province has the fourth-highest incidence of HIV infection in the country, with unemployment and migration just some of the contributory factors.

Various studies have produced conclusive evidence that migrancy plays a pivotal role in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV. This is due to the fact that migrant men are likely to have multiple sexual partners and to engage in high-risk sexual behaviour. Unique migration patterns have been noted for the Mangaung municipal area, in which 40% of the population is unemployed and 28% is HIV-positive.

Migration takes place as a result of young adults moving out of their parents’ homes and squatting near urban centres; people seeking employment; migration from farming sectors; and cross-border movement from Lesotho. It is, however, important to note that, according to Decosas et al, 1995, “it is not the origin or destination of migration, but the social disruption … which determines vulnerability to HIV”.

The incorporation of issues relating to HIV/AIDS in the planning and budgeting functions of municipal departments, within the framework of the government’s Integrated Development Plan, is a step in the right direction.

Mobilising the masses

“Social mobilisation” is the process of engaging people to influence them into attending the event and taking particular actions. A target of including 600 participants was set for this particular initiative.

A number of methods were used to motivate and encourage members of the community to attend the conversation. These included posters, flyers, community radio, local media, loudhailers, word of mouth and the provision of transport.

Promoting local partnerships

Thanks to this concerted and well-organised effort, 950 arrived on the day, indicating a willingness by members of the community to find solutions to ongoing problems.

It was a priority to gain the support of local government departments, as custodians of the health, welfare and development of the people of Thaba Nchu. A series of meetings was held prior to the Community Conversation with a number of high-level government representatives to pave the way forward.

Traditional leaders were also enlisted to give impetus to these efforts. Various local companies also showed support for the project by providing transport, water, bread and entertainment on the day.

The meeting

The three-hour community conversation took place on June 26, 2008 at Moroka High School. It was hosted by a number of facilitators from Cool Ideas: Paddy Nhlapo introduced the purpose and vision of the conversations; Oupa Mphuthi explained the ground rules governing proceedings, the “counting your losses” exercise and introduction of participants; Dolly Mphuthi outlined the role of storytelling; and Lesley Nkosi helped to select the action committee and explained the way forward.

The gender split of participants was slightly more female than male, and half of those who attended were young people.

Last year, Cool Ideas held a similar dialogue at Moroka High School with young people aged 16 to 24. Issues raised at that meeting included the lack of testing by the youth, social stigma, criticism from older members of the community, substance abuse and girls falling pregnant to access child-support grants.

It was encouraging to note that a large number of grandparents made the effort to be at this community conversation.

Laying the groundwork

The methodology used at this dialogue included “counting your losses” and “storytelling”. The former involved going outside and picking up a stone to represent each loved one lost to AIDS. These stones were then placed on a memorial cloth while everyone sang hymns in remembrance of those who had died and shared their feelings with people around them.

A team of counsellors was on hand to help people come to terms with their losses and to deal with the associated emotions. Sentiments expressed during these sessions included comments like these:

“Are we not next? Let’s be brave and get tested.”
“I lost my mother because we do not tell anyone that we are HIV-positive. Let’s come out and talk.”
“I remember my family members and friends who died in my own arms.” 

The storytelling element involved the illustration of a typical situation involving HIV/AIDS. This was done in the vernacular for ease of understanding. The reasoning behind this particular methodology is that stories to which people can relate on a personal level are far more meaningful than statistics and figures, which they sometimes don’t fully comprehend. Storytelling creates insight and discussion and ultimately should lead more readily to change.

Challenges identifed

Following the lengthy meeting, the facilitators identified some challenges relevant to future community conversations. These included coping with a huge crowd, which compromised the methodology to a degree, the duration of the conversation owing to large numbers, the overwhelming emotional reaction to the “counting your losses” element, and the lack of a PA system, which made communication and crowd control difficult.

On the other hand, the success of the meeting was largely due to excellent teamwork and co-ordination, efficient pre-publicity, support from local partners and businesses, and using the services of an experienced local facilitator.

The way forward

An action committee comprising representatives from each group within the community was elected by the community members to address social issues that had been identified during the course of the meeting, with emphasis on HIV/AIDS. The new action committee comprises two women, a man and two youths backed by a support task team from the office of the Speaker. They have taken on the joint responsibility of organising two workshops, one in July dealing with the need for parents to talk to their children about sex, and another in August, focusing on the importance of HIV testing.