By Ra-ees Moerat

Manenberg is not an epitome of crime and gang violence, according to the residents who attend the SANZAF institution in the community. The facility, located in the heart of Manenburg, incorporates social development programmes in the form of educational classes. The eleven-year-old standing facility is home to a Madrassah, which educates the young and old of the community.

Case worker at the facility, Ebrahim Jacobs says that those who attend the programmes, faces a number of social challenges.

“Manenburg is infested with a lot of social challenges. I’m talking about drugs, gangs… you name it. However, if you look at the comraderie amongst the people of the community, you’d say they’re one big happy family,” he says.

According to him, despite the stereotypes surrounding the area, there are good people residing in Manenberg.

“They are people like in any other community. It’s just about honing that good in them and maintaining that good. Manenberg is not a bad place,” he adds.

Jacobs further states that the programmes presented at the facility are primarily directed at women.

“Our approach for the first two years is to concentrate on our mothers and daughters. They are the focus. In the future, we would like to incorporate the fathers, the brothers and the sons into the programmes,” he affirms.

Mohammed Toyer Abrahams conducts the classes to the elderly women of the community at the facility. He refers to his senior students as, ‘the golden girls of Manenberg’.

“They are the cream of Manenberg. They are my golden girls. The classes are something holistic. I focus on literacy, numeracy, their [students] mental stability as well as their physical therapy,” says Abrahams.

Some of the elderly women who attend the classes at the facility say they enjoy it as the classes changed their lives. Despite the social problems, they are immensely proud of the area.  Zainub Davids, a senior student at the facility says the classes have been immensely helpful.

“I learn everything in these classes. Its rough living in Manenberg, but here, we go with the flow,” she says with a smile on her face.

Another senior student, Gadeejah Manoor says that she’s always been happy living in Manenberg.

“For me, it is nice living here. Those who get up to mischief, that’s their own business, but I’ve always been happy here,” she says.

Responding to the stereotypes surrounding her community, Manoor says she is not disturbed by it, because it does not faze her.

“Despite the negative stereotypes surrounding Manenberg, I’ve been very happy in this community for over 25 year,” she affirms.

Yasmien Morris, a volunteer at the facility who is well over 60 years old, says that it is a blessing that she got chosen for the job of making food for the community.

“I make a 100 litre pot of food for the kids at the Madrassah on a Tuesday and a Thursday. During the winter school programme, I cook every day. I prepare breakfast and lunch. The kids love us [workers at the facility] so much that they simply cannot stay away!” she says. VOC