Teens making change - 16 June and 45 years after

Jun 16, 2021

3 min read

At the start of their Matric (Grade 12) year of High School, teenagers Ahmad, Jos and Sam started volunteering at the Cissie Gool House (CGH) Resource Centre. On Mondays and Thursdays for about two hours, they assist students from the occupation with their homework and studies. 

This work has been easily integrated into the already existing tutoring structures, which is managed by Amanda Gericke. With the help of another motivated youth, Hakiem,  a collective atmosphere has been created with you. Hakiem is a matric learner in the occupation and the programme is reaching learners from 18 to as young as 5 years old. The aim is sharing their knowledge and skills.

Amanda and Granny Moolajee are residents at the CGH and volunteer and run the resource centre. Amanda loves playing with the kids and she’s been doing it for four years. She also manages the daily activities in the resource centre, helping children in the occupation with their school work and teaching students from the surrounding neighbourhood Afrikaans. Granny is a professional teacher and gives free lessons and helps with school work. She has a keen focus on improving literacy. Shaneeka was the third to occupy the hospital, since renamed it after the anti-apartheid leader Cissie Gool.

Amanda Gerida, Grannie Moolajee, and Shaneeka Abdulla on the Lower Main Road in Woodstock, Cape Town. They are from the waste yard where they bought some items for the kids to play with. Friday, 04 June 14, 2021.

Amanda Gericke, Grannie Moolajee, and Shaneeka Abdulla on the Lower Main Road in Woodstock, Cape Town. They are from the waste yard where they bought some items for the kids to play with. Friday, 04 June 14, 2021.

How it started

During the hard Covid-19 lockdown Ahmad, Jos and Sam spent some time looking for a way to valuably spend their time. Eventually they came across Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF) political materials online and subsequently reached out to the longstanding organisation. On Saturday, 13 February 2021 AKA Mzamani from NCC and GRStories, Shawn from ZACF and the three matric pupils met at the International Labour Research Information Group (ILRIG) who are associated with ZACF. 

After rigorous discussions about post-apartheid and working class struggles – and decided that to get help it was best to try to support already existing communities. 

Within days Shawn introduced us to anti-apartheid stalwart: Bevel Lucas, one of the leaders at the CGH. The ZACF has since been holding its reading group meetings in the CGH meeting room and we have discussed the relationship between nationalism, patriarchy, women oppression, slavery, feudalism, the state, capitalism, and the nation-state – working-class struggles and how to build a revolutionary movement.

On 27 February, they watched the film telling the story of Democratic Confederalism in Rojava, Syria.  ICR have since organised their militia to defend themselves and the militia are largely young women. All positions in the highest decision-making structures or councils have equal representation of a 1:1 ratio of men and women. The speaker emphasized for the current progressive movements to consider those who died fighting for political and moral justice.

A system of governance realised after many years of the Kurdish people's resistance in the four nation-states of Türkiye, Iran, Syria, and Iraq. There are many parallels between Rojava and CGH which is a testimony to the dream of those who died in the hands of state brutalities. 

There will be a parents' meeting every Saturday of the first week of the Month at the CGH community Hall in Woodstock, Cape Town. The meeting will include the CGH gardening activities and is open to any other issues that are important for improving the people’s ways of living.