Greater Good South Africa

Situated in the heart of Devon Valley and approximately 10 minutes from the centre of Stellenbosch is Protea Heights Farm.  The first farm in South Africa to cultivate Protea flowers in the late 1940s, the first to export the flowers in the late 1960s and the farm that captured the heart of an American, Ginny Povall. Habitat for Humanity shares this story of hope.

Captivated by the Cape whilst on a trip to South Africa in January 2008, Ginny visited the farm with the intention of possibly purchasing it and putting down roots in South Africa. Still not convinced, she visited the farm again in July and being winter in Cape Town the wet rainy weather caused a fair amount of mud on the farm resulting in her car getting stuck in the mud. Realizing she didn’t have any airtime on her phone to call for help, she asked one of the labourers if he could assist her and within minutes the whole farm was there to help her. Struck by the sheer enormity of the kindness received, the positive energy radiating from the people and a desire to be part of this community, Ginny purchased the farm.

New homes
Wanting to return the kindness and in particular to reward those farm workers who had devoted their lives to the farm, Ginny set about investigating the possibility of building new homes to replace the dilapidated houses in which they were residing on the farm.

Two plots of land (each measuring 155 m²) were purchased in the Jamestown area - a peri-urban settlement south of Stellenbosch.  Habitat for Humanity was approached to partner with her in this project together with the Department of Human Settlements and building started in April 2011. The six semi-detached duplex units each measure 75m² and have an open plan lounge/dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms and a separate bathroom. 

Sweat equity
Part of the agreement and in line with Habitat’s ethos in giving back and building communities, is that the homeowners were required to perform “sweat equity” – physically working on each other’s homes so that communities take ownership of the process and not just act as passive recipients of housing. Time was set aside during their working week and a roster set up to enable the farm workers to work the required hours on the various homes as the building progressed.

“This presented us with the opportunity to acquire some building skills and to witness and be part of every stage in the building of our home” said Annie and Jacob van Wyk who have lived and worked on the farm for 21 years.

Dream to reality
At the beginning of November and some seven months from the start of the project, the dream of finally owning their own homes became a reality for the families chosen as part of the project.  For Barnie Williams, who has worked on the farm for 17 years as a tractor driver spraying the flowers and vineyards, the move presented an opportunity for his children to make new friends and be able to play in the park adjacent to their new homes. “When we lived on the farm this wasn’t possible as the houses were too far apart” said Barnie.

For Alfred Williams, now retired and in his golden years, having worked for the farm since he was 14, “the prospect of owning your own home represents security and a roof over our heads for both my wife and me, and a lifelong legacy for our children and grandchildren”.

After 28 years working on the farm and now recently retired; “I am really happy as I can carry on with my hobby of carpentry knowing that my home is my own” said Samuel Solomons.

And in the words of Hendrik Adam, a tractor driver on the farm since 1973: “it’s wonderful to have your own home, and we are not alone – we still have our friends all together and a chance to look out for one another!”

Florence Nightingale
The official handover ceremony hosted by Habitat for Humanity in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Ginny Povall of Protea Heights farm took place on Friday 9 December in Jamestown. At the ceremony, Alfred Williams (who spoke on behalf of all the homeowners) referred to Ginny as their “Florence Nightingale” and said he had never met anyone in his life like her.  He thanked her for her generosity and said that they would be grateful to her forever. 

Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela, Human Settlements, Provincial Government of the Western Cape spoke of five reasons why he was very excited about the project:

“First,  the project was successful in bringing people together and it showed that in partnering with all the relevant stakeholders these are the results one can achieve. Second, it’s not about the number of houses but rather the quality of houses - the quality of houses we see here is out of this world and they’ve been built by people who really put their heart into what they were doing. Third, the project is directly linked to one of Government’s strategic goals in maximizing the utilization of land which is in short supply especially in the areas around the city. The way these houses have been built in not having the luxury of a large piece of land and together with Habitat, has shown us the direction we need to take as Government. 

Fourth, we are starting to address the needs of our farm workers through partnerships like these; Ginny you have shown us the way to approach other partnerships and we need to follow this example. And finally, if you go back to some of the houses Government has built over the years you will find young people living in these houses while the old people are still living in appalling conditions. The beneficiaries here today are elderly people who have been waiting for years and now have their own home.”

Pockets of excellence
And in closing to Habitat, the Minister said: “projects like these are pockets of excellence and you are very good partners in empowering our emerging contractors as it is not only about building houses but also empowering our people in job creation. This is what you have done and what you continue to do and I encourage you to continue with this good work.”

As one of Habitat’s Nation Builder’s for 2011 and in recognition of her efforts towards achieving sustainable and transformational development, Ginny Povall was presented with a plaque by Habitat’s National Director, Paul Durrant. In his closing address, Paul Durrant thanked everyone for their contribution and acknowledged God’s wisdom and guidance throughout the challenging project.

This is the third such project, involving employer/employee relationships, in which Habitat has been involved.  Whether building with employers or in partnership with Government or their corporate donors, building communities of people who care around communities in need is at the forefront of what Habitat does.

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