Phila Sonke Wellness Institute, Gambling Addiction & Brian Leech's Play Pump Inspection.

Phila Sonke

Professor Hellen Myezwa invited me to visit Phila Sonke at Dobsonville Stadium, the Home of Moroka Swallows.  As Dr James Moroka was a famous person and came from Thaba Nchu I naturally accepted.

Phila Sonke is an organization based in Dobsonville, Soweto and is the brainchild of Dr Thabiso Mmoledi who has practised in Soweto for many years.  

It consists of a team of therapists passionate about providing rehabilitation to people with severe disabilities.

Every day hundreds of South Africans are left with life changing disabilities due to strokes, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. The 85% of our population who are unable to afford private health care, will never receive adequate rehabilitation, leaving them severely disabled and placing a huge burden on their families and communities.

The great disparity in access to quality healthcare in South Africa is of great concern and Phila Sonke aims to rectify this by providing rehabilitation services to the people and communities who need it most.

Phila Sonke is a joint venture between MH & P who are a team of various types of therapists, Wits Health and Revolife, a gym and fitness centre.  The City Council allows them to use the facilities at the stadium during the week and what has been achieved in a very short period of time is amazing.  We walked into an exercise class and people were so proud of the amount of weight they had lost and, how much happier they were and how they now ate healthily.  I can see that some of our Rotary OAP's will be going there as they charge R90 a month for the gym and exercise classes.  There are a large number of disabled people who they assist free of charge.  It was real privilege to be there and to meet people and to hear of their hopes for the future.
Wits had organised a planning session the next day to which I was invited but I couldn't spare the time.  I am waiting to have the report of that meeting and then I will see if we are able to assist in any way.

This Week
Our speaker is Dr Stephen Louw on Gambling Addiction...it's an illness not a financial issue though it does obviously cause financial problems.

Dr Stephen Louw is a Senior Lecturer in Politics. Currently, his primary research interest is the social, economic and regulatory impact of gambling on societies. He was a member of the Gambling Review Commission set up by the Minister for Trade and Industry in 2010 to review the impact of gambling in South Africa and to make recommendations for the on-going regulation of the gambling sector. Currently he is researching the impact of fahfee on Gauteng households. His secondary research and teaching interests include the study of why some societies develop and others stagnate – and the role that culture, institutions, economics and class play in underpinning development – as well as the history and peculiar political form of totalitarian and religious fundamentalist movements. He has published papers in such journals as Economy & Society and The Philosophy of the Social Sciences. He is a former editor of Politikon.

Brian Leech's Play Pump Report

Unfortunately  I was unable to copy his photographs onto The Ramble.

REPORT ON VIST TO KURUMAN on 22 MARCH 2017 TO INSPECT PLAYPUMPS ERECTED AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS
KONING & KEATLHOLELA

1. KONING PS

The Koning PS is situated approximately 22 km from and NE of Kuruman on the D 328. The School principal is Mr Vincent Molema, with 11 educators and 200 learners. 

The PlayPump was erected in October 2016, and according to Mr Molema is used by the learners before classes start in the morning and at breaks. Apparently in times of severe drought when the Local Authority is unable to supply water to the community the children take water home in containers. 

It was pleasing to see that a vegetable garden had been started and that carrots were much in evidence, being a root crop better able to withstand the heat. Mr Molema has plans of starting a chicken coup so that in time each child can take an egg home but it really is a case of a chicken or the egg as parents, living mainly on the social grant, can’t support the project financially so until funds are available to purchase a few chickens and the feed he cannot get it off the ground.  

Of concern is the area immediately around the PlayPump which is about 300 mm below the plinth level with large lumps of what looks like broken concrete blocks but is more likely to be calcrete which is just as hard. If a child falls off the PlayPump onto those lumps they will certainly hurt themselves. The whole school ground is covered in these lumps as can be seen in the photographs.’ The plinth screed is also showing signs of wear properly because the children were allowed to play on the PlayPump before it had set sufficiently. 

By coincidence, in talking to the manager, Richard Kasuffman, of The Red Sand Lodge over a beer, it turned out that he was familiar with Koning PS and knew Mr Molema. Apparently he was responsible for persuading an English benefactor to pay for the school borehole. Having visited Koning PS and over another beer, the manager was persuaded to revisit Koning PS with some of his labourers and a truck load of sand, remove the lumps of calcrete and replace the sand. It is not expected that the sand will last any longer but at least the calcrete lumps will have been removed. He was also requested to repair the screeding to the plinth.

2.    KEATLHOLELA PS

Keatlholela is a primary school 45 km east of Kuruman. There are 187 learners and 7 educators. Water used to be accessed from a borehole at the school but the pump hasn’t worked for several years so water was obtained from the community borehole one day a week. The school had to send a donkey cart to fetch the water. The school also relies on rain water which currently is non est. Result, children become dehydrated in the hot weather and the school has to close early and send them all home.  

We were met at the school by the Principal, Mrs Seloa, who gave us a warm welcome. 

Having previously phoned for specific directions to the school it was obvious that we were expected as the plinth had been washed free of any dust and gravel.

Beyond the green tank a vegetable garden had been started and among other things growing was  a grape vine. In the far distance fruit trees were also being irrigated.  To the left of the PlayPump around the base and in the shade of the tree visible in picture 5, the school had planted onions. All in all the Play Pump is being well used and the school is very grateful to have it. 

As we were about to leave the school the bell rang for break and we were nearly killed in the rush by the hordes of learners running for their place on the Play Pump from which we received a thousand cheerful waves.