Page 24 - SCAT Rural Voice II - 35 Stories for 35 Years

Access to Justice
Christiaan Oerson greeting people coming to the Cederberg Matzikama Aids Network (CMAN) office.
Cederberg Matzikama Aids Network (CMAN).
Joanne Harding and Nikiwe Kaunda speaking to Elizabeth Bassin - Board member and Christopher Smith - administrator of CMAN.
christiAAn oerson
CHRISTIAAN OERSON WRITES ABOUT THE HUMBLE ORIGINS OF THE CEDERBERG MATzIKAMA AIDS NETWORK WHICH EMPLOYS A STAFF OF 30 TODAY.
I worked at Goede Hoop citrus as a full-time support steward for the Food and Allied Workers Union. Goede Hoop citrus is a factory that packs oranges. I left Goede Hoop in 2003 and was unemployed until 2004. In 2004 the Citrusdal Advice Office was closed because of funding and political infighting. The office was at the sport hall at Oranjeville sports ground. I asked for the key to the office and cleaned the office which was empty apart from dust and a few black bags of rubbish. There was no phone, fax or anything and also no funding but I revived the Advice Office by starting with labour issues on farms and in the community. If I wanted to do clients’ cases I had to buy a telephone card and call from a card phone in town. If I wanted to send a fax I had to go to Goede Hoop and pay R5.00 a page. I worked at the Advice Office until 2006 with no funding. In 2006 I applied for funding from scAT. It was at that time R3500.00 per month. I also applied to DSD and received R5000.00 per month. My first salary was R1200.00 per month after two years at the Advice Office.
Most of the cases we initially dealt with were labour cases, unfair dismissals and evictions. In 2014 we assisted a family of five who lived under a bridge for 3 years. We asked the local municipality for a piece of land and we bought building material to build a shack in the informal settlement which is much better than living under a bridge. The family still lives there. There are also cases we refer to the small claims court.
After receiving funding from SCAT, we became the first and only organisation in this region working with HIV AIDs. When I started at the organisation the only knowledge I had was about labour issues from my shop steward background. After receiving funding from scAT, we were exposed to a lot of training like fundraising, budgeting, leadership and paralegal training. I always tell people that scAT did not give us a lot of money,
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RuRal Voice ii: 35 stories for 35 years
IT ALL BeGAN WITH A DUsTY OFFIce
and a feW BLack RUBBiSH BagS