Blikkiesdorp was built by the City of Cape Town in 2007 by the current premier Helen Zille, she was the mayor of Cape Town at the time. Blikkiesdorp is the Afrikaans word derived from Tin Can Town. The residents of the camp gave it the name because of the look and feel of the structures. Rows upon rows of iron and tin structures, neatly spaced, Blikkies/ Tins in rows.

Today 16000 people from all the racial demographics in South Africa call these steel structures and the sand dunes surrounding it, home. The monotone structures and grey palette of the scenery leaves you with little to be excited about. The residents live in close proximity to each other in 18 square meter tin and corrugated iron structures. Four structures share the ablution facilities and this also creates very unhygienic living conditions, as each structure houses between 5 to 15 people.

Even though all the heartache and pain that these people are suffering breaks your heart, the sense of positivity and will to survive is contagious. Many community members run their own little shops to provide the necessities for every day survival. Living from hand to hand, day to day, caring for and looking after each other.

I have known community leaders in the camp for over three years and in the time that I have been shooting there, little have been done to protect these vulnerable human beings. More people are standing in cues for houses and the camp is seen as a temporary solution to housing problems. Daily people are taken off the streets and allocated structures. More people, more crime.

Over the last three years Blikkiesdorp has been featured in various local, national and international publications and the negative publicity resulting from this is having a very negative impact on the community. Little is being done to change the current situation and the residents feel that they have been forgotten. Some even compare their living conditions to that of dogs living in kennels or to a concentration camp.

The media has referred to Blikkiesdorp as District 9, from the international hit movie made in South Africa. Local Newspapers reported about this on their front pages. Still nothing is being done about the living conditions of these poor individuals who are still fighting the elements, crime and poverty every day, to survive.

I started this project in Memory of Ouma, one of the oldest residents of Blikkies who starved, whilst the whole world was playing soccer in Cape Town.

Blikkiesdorp

OUMA

Through the eyes of a child

Portrait of Ouma Magdelena

Magdalena van Wyk passed away in 2010. She died of severe TB and starvation. The feeding schemes of Government and associated institutions are not serving the needs of the ever-growing community. When I met Ouma Magdalena in 2009, there were only 4000 residents in Blikkies. Today there are 16000 inhabitants. Some of them ” Bergies” or street people, that was taken of the roads of Cape Town just before the World Cup in 2010. This amounted to a huge increase of people in the camp.

Portrait of Ouma Johanna

Johanna photographed in 2009 with her favourite green dress. She passed away in 2010. She died of starvation.

Ouma Johanna sitting outside her “house”, she was a mother to the community, a leader and loved to be photographed.Ouma Johanna passed away in 2010. She died of starvation

Streets with no name

The Mask

Politics

Untitled

Swing

Playground

Garbage dump

Shade

Toy Soldiers

Untitled

Canned

Proud Afrikaans nurse

The Victor Family

Adeen Victor sitting in the Family structure in Blikkiesdorp. In the foreground is a picture of Adeen when she was three.

Elna and Adeen Victor sitting in their structure in Blikkiesdorp. We had a discussion on the wedding portrait and Faan and Elna’s wedding. Adeen Remarked. “That woman there in that picture, she is not my mom. ” I found this interesting and asked why she said that, because a few minutes ago she said that it is her mom and dad’s wedding portrait. Adeen aswered. “You see, that woman in that picture, she is smiling, my mother does not smile anymore.

True Love

Adeen and Anton found love

Braiding

Cancer

Eileen Plaatjies was diagnosed with Cancer last year. The doctors that was treating her, gave up hope and said there is nothing more to be done to help her in her fight against the disease. According to her care givers, neighbors and woman from the Blikkiesdorp community, she was given two bottles of Liquid Morphine to drink and was send home from Hospital.

Family time.

The Colerigde and Cloete Family.

Here Sharon Coleridge is feeding Duwayne Cloete, Luevanna Coleridge, Shannon-Lee Colerigde and Melissa Cloete shares interesting gossip.

Everywhere in the streets little groups of people playing Dominoes.

Dominoes

Zelda Schritten with her young boy Zievan.The van der Westhuizen family lives in a shack in a Veld in Belhar. They are living without access to fresh running water, electricity and access to toilets. I spend some time in the beginning of winter 2009 with a Family that live in a veld in Belhar.The van der Westhuizens are one of seven families living on a piece of land that became their “Veld-dorp”.The remaining seven families living in the “Veld-Dorp” refuse to relocate to Blikkiesdorp, a housing project that provides temporary shelter for the poor and homeless on the Cape Flats. Many of the previous residents of this veld were removed and received temporary housing in Blikkiesdorp. The crimes in Blikkiesdorp, the violence, robberies and rapes have kept these families from moving.All the families, are dependent on donations of food packages and clothing for their survival, as none of them are employed and they struggle to make a living of the state grants that they receive.

HOPE

The streets of Blikkiesdorp or as some called it, the “human” dumping ground.

THE PROJECT

In Association with Uthango® Social Investments and Eclipse PR, I am currently working on a project in Blikkiesdorp, a temporary relocation area in Delft, Cape Town South Africa.
The partners share a mission to use their respective strengths to bring about social change – starting with documenting realities of a marginalized area in Cape Town, and in our immediate environment, Blikkiesdorp. We want to play a role to communicate the messages of people living and working in difficult socio-economic circumstances, but also to act upon those messages with a sustainable initiative in the form of establishing a photography-based social enterprise. (It is central in our collaboration to develop an appropriate model linking photo-journalism to publicity/advocacy and longer-term social impact – without affecting the objective role of reporting current truths). Uthango® Social Investments works intimately with communities to solve challenges, but require resources to implement sustainable solutions in areas such as Blikkiesdorp:
This shanty town was built by the City of Cape Town in 2007 by then Mayor Helen Zille. It contains approximately 1,600 one room structures. The structures have walls and roofs made of thin tin and zinc sheets. They are of 18 square meters in size. Ablution, sanitation, and water facilities are shared between four structures. NGOs, international human rights organizations, and the Anti-Eviction Campaign have publicly criticized the conditions in Blikkiesdorp but conditions remain appalling and stand in stark contrast with the rest of cosmopolitan Cape Town. Together we plan to raise the profile of Blikkiesdorp in an a-political way. We believe that images – combined with the appeals from local residents – would result in action. More importantly, action should be constructed in a sustainable way by producing market-driven products from photographs, as we currently find that empathy with the community is expressed via hand-outs from companies and individuals alike.
I have worked as a photojournalist in South Africa for 4 years and had work published in locally and internationally. I completed a Digital Masters course with Africa Media online in 2008. I got accepted into the Photojournalism Diploma course 2011 at the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism in Manila and will continue my studies online this year. The work done would form part of my course.
The exhibition resulting from the project would be my first solo exhibition. Funding would be spend on the last three phases of the project, Phase 2: Images Capture & Release, Phase 3 Advocacy, Publicity, Exhibition & Sales (Income from Postcards to Beneficiaries), Phase 4 Recommendations for Sustainable Development. We hope that our initiative would refocus attention to the community in Blikkiesdorp and give the people of Tin Town back their pride.

Lizane Louw Photojournalist

This photograph was taken in April 2009. Ouma passed away, she died of severe TB and starvation in June 2010, whilst the rest of South Africa and the world was celebrating the world cup in Cape Town.

Upon a visit about a month ago, I received some bad news, Ouma Magdalena and Ouma Johanna both past away. Ouma Magdalena (92 at the time )  died of starvation and TB. Both these elderly ladies was exposed to heartbreaking living conditions.

The photograph inspired a  project in memory of OUMA. I hope that with the project there would be a renewed focus on those who call BLIKKIESDORP their home.

Please follow the project on FACEBOOK. BLIKKIESDORP

Mev. Latiefa Gafeldien (73) feeding pigeons outside her humble home in The Bo-Kaap in Cape Town.

I was approached by two student journalists in 2010. They wanted to do a question and answer interview that they could use in their research project in Photojournalism. I felt very honoured that these students were recognizing my work and it was a good experience for me to reflect on my journey as a photojournalist and documentary photographer.

My journey so far has been very challenging but so rewarding. So,if you wanted to know more about me, read the following article.

Tell me about yourself, growing up, your childhood, your interests and everything in-between?

I am a born and bred “boeremeisie”. Grew up in Paarl in the Boland, in a small Cull de sac next to a vineyard and river. We had a big garden and I think that inspired me to love the outdoors. I always knew that I would love to work in the outdoors. Left South Africa for a year in 1995 and went on a solo travel expedition around the world. Or so I planned. Lived in London and explored much of the British Isles but got stuck in New Quay, great surf spot in the UK. Bought my second El’ Cheapo camera. (The first one I think I received as a gift from my dad when I was about 14. A “mik and druk”.) I ventured to Israel in the same year and fell ill within a few months of being there.  I was paralyzed on the left side of my face and left shoulder and arm. They never got the full results so they diagnosed me with Bells Palsy. This was a bit of a shock to my system as this has left me struggling to come to terms with what happened to me, I was very young and stuck in an Israeli hospital and then an airport in Tell Aviv, sick and confused, where woman my age were carrying guns. They were soldiers.

(Bell’s palsy or idiopathic facial paralysisis a dysfunction of cranial nerve VII )

Of course I took pictures, plenty. Not really knowing how to take pictures. I think this incident changed my life and also my perceptions about people and cultures. It was a life changing experience being trapped in a wheelchair in a foreign country.

I returned to South Africa and decided to go study drama. Ended up with a Bachelors in Arts ( Drama and Ancient Studies.) In 2001 I went to the States and worked on passenger liners in the hospitality industry and bought my First Nikon and 300 mm lens.

I travelled the up  the US coast to Skagway in Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico, Columbia, Costa Rica, the West Indies, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Travelled quite a bit and loved the cultures and adventures I had. I left the ships in and ended up teaching English and speech in Taiwan, travelled a bit in Thailand and returned to South Africa. I ended the year with a couple of months in the Caribbean again, visiting Belize en Jamaica, doing another contract on the boats. Spend some time in New York and fell in love with this amazing city. So from 2000 to 2004 I travelled quite a bit around the world documenting my experiences and living out of my backpack.

Every time I returned home I brought with me boxes and boxes of photographs. 2004 I left again for Europe. I  lived in Santa Catalina in Palma de Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands south of Spain. I was inspired by the Spanish music and lifestyle and studied Salvador Dali and various Spanish artists. This experience and the colors and lifestyle is Spain is very much a part of me. I visited Switzerland, France, (I love Paris), Holland and Germany.

Back in South Africa in 2005 I decided to do a PGCE in arts Educational and qualified with  a PGCE. Now I was equipped to teach art, music, dance and drama and was dabbling in the world of moving images. Real life drama and theatre.

I did research projects in Nyanga and Gugulethu on arts Education and taught in various townships schools. This made me brave and then I tried my skills in an Academy in England in 2007. I worked with emotionally challenged children from very difficult and challenging circumstances. This also was a very challenging experienced that I learned allot from.

I bought my first Digital Camera, Nikon D80. Simple light and small. Perfect for travelling and documentary photography. I started a correspond ace course through the international School of photography. I travelled to India on my first personal assignment. Lived in Goa for a while. I knew that I was made for this. Travelling and shooting.  Back in South Africa in  Kayamandi in August 2007 I met Garth Stead. At the time he was the picture editor of Die Burger and I had the privilege to work under him till he committed suicide on 19 October 2009. He was and still is one of the biggest influences on my work as a photojournalist.

I have been shooting for Die Burger since August 2007, but I am now contracted to Rapport, a  Weekly Newspaper. Most of my work features in KaapRapport and Nationally in Rapport

I am not a classically trained photographer. I am self-taught. I learn from observing people, life and movement. I capture images that tell visual stories and that combine art and documentation.

Where did you grow up?

Paarl

What schools did you attend?

Paarl Gimnasium High School. One of the best schools in the country. What a gift and blessing to receive a good  and balanced education.

Why photojournalism?

I am a visual storyteller. I am an adrenaline junky and I am very curious by nature. I love being on the move. I cannot imagine myself sitting in an office everyday doing the same things over and over. I love photography and I love working with people. I am very lucky that I have the opportunity to live my dream. I honestly cannot imagine myself doing anything else.

I know that a good photograph can bring about change. I hope that I will make the changes in the world that I want to see. I hope that I would be able to educate, inform and enlighten people with my work.

Where did you graduate from?

I love studying and learning and see myself as a lifelong student. I mainly study the masters in photojournalism and also art, photography and journalism. I read allot about current events and try to keep up with things that are happening around the world.

My Studies:

• Stellenbosch University 1999 BA (Drama and Ancient Studies)
• University of the Western Cape UCT, 200

PGCE:  Post Graduate Certificate in Education

Drama and Arts Education

Exploring: Arts and Culture/ Expressive Arts: Art, Music, Drama, Dance

I did research Project on Arts Education in Townships. Methods explored where art, dance, music and drama                      could be used in upliftment and education

• International School of Photography

Focus: photojournalism ( Currently busy with last assignment)

Correspondence course, a diploma that I am busy with.

• Africa Media online/ African Pictures: Digital Masters, APEP Program

In 2008 was selected as one of the 40 photographers from Africa to receive training through the Africa Media                     Online Photo Entrepreneurial Program. The Digital Masters course enriched my knowledge of digital                                       photography and digital image processing and archiving. It opened many doors into the industry and obviously               taught me allot about marketing yourself as a photojournalist

What inspires you?

People, places, cultures and art. Movement, lines and textures. Good food and great friends.

Who influenced/ influences your photography?

I have learned allot from Garth Stead our previous picture editor at Die Burger/ Foto24.

He taught me to look…..and then see….

I have to mention a few people who have really inspired me.

Esa Alexander, Garry van Wyk, Yunus Mohamed, some of the amazing people I am blessed to work with.

The Masters, Annie Lebowitz, Henry Cartier Bresson, Sebastiano Delgado, Zoriah, Robert Capa, there are so many.

So many local photographers as well, Simone Scholtz and Roger Ballen.

Artists like Salvador Dali and Henri Matisse.

Which photojournalists do you look up to?

Zoriah Miller, Henry Cartier Bresson, James Nachtway,

Kate Holt, Simone Scoltz, Felix Dlangamandla, Yunus Mohammed. Like I am mentioned

There are so many. I love learning new things and studying work that inspire me.

What do you regard as your greatest achievements in photojournalism?

I was nominated with my colleague Collin Hendricks for Vodacom’s Journalist of the year Western Cape: Category Hard News, for our story on “Die Tas Moord”

Tasmoord/ Suitcase murder

For me personally it is not about achieving something it is about changing what I perceive is wrong with the world or at least to use my silent voice to make a difference.

I think that if you can touch one person, make them stop and think about what you are trying to tell them through your imagery, you are achieving. This is definitely not a job that you can do for prestige or achievement or merit, I does not pay well. It is passion, raw passion and your love for humanity and making the wrongs right in the world that makes you a photojournalist.

I also have to mention a story on a little girl that I did  through a series of photographs    in 2008/ 2009, She lost both her legs due to Bacterial Meningitis. After the publication of the very moving imagery of her sitting in her wheel chair, she got sponsored legs from a Doctor who was so moved by her story. I also had the opportunity to photograph her again with her new leggies as she calls it. Lushaan’s story changed my life and I hope that in the future I would get more opportunities to help people through my work.

( on my blog filed under a Small Miracle)

A Small Miracle

What are your thoughts on photojournalism in SA and in general?

I am privileged to say that I have worked with the best photojournalists in the country. Again I have to mention Esa Alexander, Gary van Wyk, Sharief Jaffer, Yunus Mohammed. They all guided me in developing my skills and still do.

It is a very hard, dangerous and competitive industry to work in.Especially as a female. But I am happy to be part of a very strong photographic team here at Foto24.

In South Africa we have a culture of news readers and newspapers that I believe  will still be there for a while. We also have a history of great photojournalist that has published internationally and so many are well-known in the industry, here and abroad.

We live in a vibrant and exiting country where something newsworthy happens all the time. I am blessed to be in the position to document (and be part) of the history of this beautiful country

Please describe a normal day in your shoes, working as a photojournalist for the Rapport, starting with the minute you walk through the doors of your workstation…?

Everyday is like a lucky packet. You really don’t know what you will be doing from day-to-day as  the news industry is very unpredictable.

I usually arrive at the office at 8:30 and we will have a chat about what is happening and planned for the day.

We have an informal news conference on Mondays and official News Conference on Tuesdays. The rest of the week we are on the road.

On an average day, you will find me anywhere between Hermanus, Ceres, Worcester and Langebaan. We go everywhere, there were the stories takes us.

I spend allot for time on the road and have to work late nights. You cannot really have much of a social life, especially in the week. You never know where you will be the next day and you need to be alert, awake and ready for anything.

I cover hard news, accidents, suicides, rapes, murders and court cases. But I like feel good and good news stories as well. I also see myself as an investigative journalist, I get the opportunity to investigate allot or hard news stories.

I will always try to do a good news story after a really bad one, just to keep the energy flowing and the mind free of negative images.

So yes, my job is very unpredictable, but I love it like that.

What are the requirements you have to adhere to regarding your publication’s style and or policy?

KaapRapport and Rapport are great newspapers to shoot for. I have been shooting for Media24 now for almost 4 years and I don’t really think about restrictions and requirements.

I always shoot from my heart and make sure that I am sensitive to the readers and I have promised myself that I will always have a heart. Sometimes it can get very challenging if you work on stories that are really moving. I am human after all.

I do my best to compliment every news story with a great picture, but you do have your good and bad days.

I believe that my bosses are happy with my work and they trust me, that is why I don’t really feel there is too much pressure in that regards. You have to always go the extra mile and cover all the angles.

Does being restricted frustrate you?

I always make a plan. Sometimes it is difficult to get pictures, especially paparazzi style shots. As a photojournalist you have to be creative and work around your restrictions. There is no such thing as “I did not get the photo”. Not in my vocab anyway. I don’t think you can really restrict the press, what we want is what we get. By every means possible, I will try.

What do you ultimately seek to achieve through your photography?

I want to work towards the change in the world that I want to see, I want to be a voice that is silent but that still be heard. I want to make people think.

I would like to leave behind visual history of my life and my experiences in a visual format. We live in exiting times; we live in a beautiful country. I am living my dream, surrounded with creative people and artists. What more can I ask for, hopefully get my book published and my documentary on the big screen.

“To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart. It’s a way of life.” Henri Cartier-Bresson

Photography and photojournalism, that is me, that is my life!

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Suitcase Murder

On the 19^th of January 2010, the police in strand arrested a young woman on suspicion of Murder. The body of pianist Alfriede Weich(65) was found in a Suitcase under her bed in her apartment in Kusweg Strand.

Angelique Cilliers was arrested for murder when she opened the door of Alfriede’s apartment and failed to give the police answers as to the whereabouts of the owner of the apartment. Cilliers was also a suspect in a murder investigation that was opened earlier the week, after a man from Table View was found dead in his apartment.

This breaking news story caught the imagination of the public, how could such a beautifull  young woman in her early twenties murder two people in less than a week?

The headlines of the daily newspapers ran the story of the Suitcase Murder and once Angelique failed to appear in court on the 22 of January, her first appearance, more questions was raised in the murders of Alfred Weich and Winston Ferreira (49).

All the papers turned to Table View and the Questions surrounding Ferreira’s death.

At court on the 22 of January, my collegue, Colin Hendricks and I, managed to find an address of the family of the accused Cilliers and we decided to pay the family a visit.

Under the circumstances, Angelique’s mother, Bernadine, did not want to speak to the media and a family friend opened her doors to us.

We were shocked to learn  that Angelique was a prostitute and heroin addict.

Colin and I  decided to follow her footsteps in the streets and brothels in Bellville. Our investigations into her life lead us to a Gentlemen’s club. By chance we found her Stepfather that was a plumber at the club. We caught him off guard and he told us Angelique’s whole life story, without hesitation…

The story that unfolded was a touching and tragic story of a drug addict who was failed by the system. A young girl that was brutally raped by three men and left to die when she was 16.

Zoe, as she was known by her clients, was a beautiful young prostitute and Winston Ferreira a rich friend from Dubai, one of her regular clients, according to her stepdad.

Angelique’s life was spend in an out of rehabs and prison. She was a patient in various rehabilitation clinics. She was also placed in the Infamous Noupoort rehabilitation centre, where she escaped.

Angelique’s self-destructing habits and ways led to the murder of Alfriede Weich and death of Winston Ferreira. Sadly, before she could answer questions about her involvement in the double murder investigation, she committed suicide in Polsmoor Prison. She hanged herself with her white scarf.

I believe that a stroke of luck and good investigative journalism lead to the stories that was published by Colin and I. The person behind the murders came to life . The sad life story of the beautiful young woman, the beauty queen, prostitute and heroin addict changed many people’s perceptions about drugs, addicts and prostitution.

An NGO was founded in her name and  Director Revel Fox is planning a documentary film based on the life of Angelique Cilliers. Both of us, Colin and I, plan to be involved in the project.

I hope that our work in regards to this very moving story would show the desperation of some people that fall into the trap of addiction and that awareness would be created to help people that are struggling with and fighting this deadly monster.

I was moved by this tragic story.  I believe that  Angel’s story would change many lives. It is a tragic story of a normal family who lost their beautiful daughter because of addiction. In our society today, there are many families living with the problem of addiction and stories like these will help people cope and definately teach people valuable life lessons.

Front page Rapport

Filed under: Reportage/Photojournalism Tagged: Addicts, Belville, Crime, Drugs, Gangsterism and Drugs, Investigative Journalism, Journalism, Murder, News, People, Photography, Photojournalism, Photojournalist, Prostitution ]]> http://lizanelouw.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/the-suitcase-murder-tasmoord/feed/ 3 lila Alles oor Tasmoord Angelique Cilliers Beeldskone kind se pad na verderf Bernadine Diary Media_24-RH-RH016-001-NuusJHB-6 - Copy http://lizanelouw.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/forgotten-people/ http://lizanelouw.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/forgotten-people/#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:47:06 +0000 Lizane http://lizanelouw.wordpress.com/?p=291 ]]>  

11/19/2009.  Caledon, South Africa.

Mnr. Arnoldus Plaatjies and his wife Alithea van Breda lived  in a humble home on a farm near Caledon in the Western Cape South Africa.

During 2009 the farming communities in the Western Cape were once again under the Human Rghts spotlight. Many stories were published about the poor living conditions some of the farmworkers on farms are living in and questions were raised about farmers and their treatment of their workers.

Mr. Plaatjies fell terminially ill on a farm and his elderly wife, Alithea van Breda had to resign from her job to nurse her partner.

At the time of my visit to the elderly couple the farmer had threatened to forcefully remove the couple and leave them to live on the street. Mr. Plaatjies has not received any medical treament and lived withou water and electricity. The house is torn and the elderly couple is left to fend the ellements and extreme conditions they are living in.

Upon my visit I was made aware of the poor conditions some of the farm labours in the Western Cape are facing everyday. Somehow being made aware of this and making the mental notes inspired this ongoing project. I visit many farms and many poor communities everyday as we go and document events, stories and people. I am meeting and spending time with many people that are forgotten.

Sadly, three days after our visit Mr. Plaatjies passed away.

I went to a shop to go buy the last ingredients and drove to a suburban area to visit a friend. She runs a wood factory and I know the area well.( I got lost there before…) Again I took a wrong turn and ended up in a place called Scottsville.

I wanted to find a place to turn and to my shock found water….lots of it. I realised the whole area have been flooded. In one of the streets I found people blocking the streets and protesting.

It has been raining in Cape Town for the last couple of days and many areas have been flooded. The streets, the houses….I haven’t seen anything like it in a while and realised then that I did not have my camera with me. This was one of the very view times that I actually did not have my camera on me…

I informed one of our Editors of the chaos I am witnessing and immediately drove all the way home to get my camera gear and my laptop. I forgot my gumboots as I left and had to take on the water with my black leather boots.

Upon my return the crowds of people were dispersing. According to an witness to the events,  people where burning tires to get attention to their plight. Somehow it seems like people are using tires and fires to communicate nowadays. In the past this action was accompanied by violence and mass destruction.  No violence this morning. Just one tire on fire. I missed that.

The members of the community went into a hall upon my arrival and were discussing the matters at hand with various community leaders. And so many people had too-much –to-say-and –then-some-more.

I did not want to listen to all the speeches by-those-who-know-better-that-anyone-else. My objective was visual storytelling and I headed to the water. I know the area to be very dangerous, so I did not want to spend too much time by myself. Immediately I was surrounded by about 10 people who became my guards and guides as I went into Greymourstreet. The street flooded with rain water and what seemed like drain water.

I was taken into various homes and did not have much time to spend. There were too much to document.. I had to think fast and be creative as well. I have never witnessed so much water in one area before. I have seen aftermaths but this time again I was there when it was happening.

I wandered down the street in the water and spoke to some of the people. None of them has any insurance. I walked into one house and the water was up to my knees. The TV in front of me was playing loud and for one moment I was totally confused. I had to tell the young boys sitting on the couch that they have to switch of the TV, because they might be shocked.

I followed my guides and walked through about 7 houses, making my way through the water kitchens, lounges, living rooms, in the garden and in the streets…

I was later told that the water was indeed ‘Kakwater.’

Nevertheless, in the chaos of the water, the drifting fridges, floating cars and ‘Kakwater’, I captured some amazing moments.

The boots was soaked with ‘Kakwater’ and had to be washed. They are hanging upside down in my shower to dry.

‘Kakwater’ is a word that I heard for the first time today. Kak is an Afrikaans word for “shit” and water is water.

Controvercy in Caledon

Mr. Roy James in Silent protest against the government and the establishment in Caledon, South Africa.

Imizamu Yethu Township Fire

Imizamu Yethu Township Fire, Hout Bay, December 2008.

I was sent to find pictures of people eating on the street in Cape Town. Rapport was doing a story on Fish and Chips and Take Away. Instinctively I knew that the photo that I was looking for would be found in the Parade, opposite the Town Hall in Cape Town. This is an area that my boss, Sharief, also suggested and I went for a stroll.

As I wondered around I found an old man sitting on a bench eating fish and chips. I was amazed by the lines on his face. The picture was waiting to be taken. The lines, the simplicity of the subject, the composition…

I stopped and observed him for a while and was amused by the way he was eating and enjoying his food.

I walked over and apologised for interrupting his lunch. At first he was very reluctant to listen to my story. I explained that I am a photojournalist and that I would love to take a picture of him for a story that one of the journalists is working on.

After I took his name and had a short conversation with him, I walked away and found a space on the floor in front of him. I was flat on my stomach. The tar was dirty, painted with cigarette buds, bubblegum.

I was observing him, whilst he was eating. His hands were clutching the bread and his feet, protecting the other food, between his shoes. It was a very beautiful moment. I captured eating, enjoying and the beauty of this everyday ritual. The moment for me as a photographer was close to perfect.

I am alive today.

When I feel inspired, I take photographs. I create visual copies of situations that I see, experiences I have. When I am moved, when something in me changes, I write. Maybe it is because I form a better understanding of my thoughts buzzing in my head or maybe it is just so beautiful to have the memories printed in black and white and also to share them with those that are interested.

We had an early breakfast on our way to a memorial service for the 12 victims of the Paarl Print fire. The devastating blaze at the printers turned into an inferno that took the lives of 12 people.

I often wonder if people understand how hard it is for us as journalists and photojournalists to document these events. It is not by choice that we actually attend funerals and memorials. When something so catastrophic happens that it changes lives, I think that it is important  to report about these events. It can prevent future accidents or guide people to not make the same mistakes as others.

I was keeping my tears back. It was hard. I felt the suffering and the pain of the people in the service; I felt their tears, their sorrow, their grief…. So many unanswered questions on the faces of the family members and friends that stayed behind. So many questions…

All that I have to do is document the event as it unfolds. I always try and do it in the most respectful and honest way. And once more I did. Upon leaving the service, I had a huge lump in my throat. We drove away from Nederburg and the three of us went back to the scene. One of my colleagues  that attended the service with us, has never been there. There were flowers entangled in the wired fence that surrounds the building and I was drawn to a corner at the top end, because of bright orange. Walking up to the cross that was wired onto the fence, next to the orange ribbon, I saw photos…

Someone cut out the front page of Kaap Rapport and pasted the photographs onto the middle section of the cross and wrote the message R.I.P on the cross. This was the photographs that my colleague gathered for the first article that Rapport Published on the 19th of April. The Article was written by my colleague, Seraj Jones. I called Seraj and showed him the cross. He stood there for a while taking in the impression before him.

I have worked with this very special individual on many stories and he is one of those journalists that can always keep a straight face. I have often asked him about this, we had many discussions. Never have I seen him like this. He stood there, motionless, staring. I know how hard the task were to gather the photographs, family members being is shock, not talking to the press, Editors wanting the story. The pressure. Then weeks later the cross. His hard work. Their tribute, their farewell.

I was not able to hold my tears back anymore. I cried, because I am alive and I shared a very special moment with a very special colleague.

13 people have died in the blaze that destroyed the factory of Paarl Print. An investigation in the the origin of the fire still continues.

They live in one of the poorest communities on the Cape Flats and are subjected to violent crimes, rape and robberies. Still the community of Blikkiesdorp keep their heads and spirits high.

4000 People call these steel structures and the sand dunes surrounding it, home. They live in close proximity to each other and the family atmosphere that binds all these poor individuals together brought tears to my eyes. The monotone structures and grey palette of the scenery leaves you with little to be exited about. It was not until I met Ouma that my mind changed. How these little people can have such colourful lives amidst the emptiness and greys.

Even though all the heartache and pain that these people are suffering breaks your heart the sense of positivity and will to survive is contagious. Many community members run their own little shops to provide the necessities for every day survival. Living from hand to hand, day to day.

The Kaap Rapport newspaper that I am currently working for as a contract photographer, is being re- launched. Our focus would be more positive features and news stories on the communities in Cape Town.This feature was a test run for future publications.

Bad news sells papers, but good news can inspire. I believe that many of our communities that face the same hardship, poverty and all the social issues arising out of their fate, could be uplifted and educated with social photo stories.

I was moved by the simplicity of the people, their will to survive, the feeling of community. I left Blikkiesdorp wondering what it is that binds people together in difficulty like that.

This particular feature on Blikkiesdorp inspired a positive atmosphere in the community. The pastors, priests and leaders of the community posted the page on walls and in the community halls.

Upon my return to Blikkiesdorp to deliver some papers I spoke to some of the residents and they were so proud and said that the positive portrayal is encouraging and that it is better to see good news of their village for a change.

Blikkiesdorp is in the news most of the time because of violent rapes of Toddlers and children. I believe that features like these, portraying the good in a community would not only inspire people that live in communities, but it will also encourage them to live better and healthier lives.

I found beauty in the negative space in Blikkiesdorp and would go back to shoot there in the next couple of weeks. I am also planning a solo exibition with the work that I would gather from shooting there.

Posted in Reportage/Photojournalism Tagged: Africa, Township Life, Townships ]]> http://lizanelouw.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/blikkiesdorp/feed/ 2 lila Rapport-RM-Rapport-4