Page 49 - SCAT Rural Voice II - 35 Stories for 35 Years

MY JOURNeY FROM cLeANeR TO
advice office co-oRdinatoR
MPOPI MTHIYA STARTED WORKING AS A CLEANER AT THE HERSCHEL ADVICE OFFICE. SHE WAS SO INSPIRED BY HOW THE LDA WAS HELPING THE COMMUNITY THAT SHE SOON TOOK ON OTHER ROLES AT THE ORGANISATION EVENTUALLY LEADING UP TO HER jOB AS COORDINATOR.
I was born in the eastern cape in the rural village of Masekeleng in sterkspruit. since I was eighteen, I have been an activist fighting against injustice. I volunteered as an Independent election commission voter educator and was involved in community meetings. I did this because I hate seeing people’s rights being violated. I was also a home-based carer for the old and sick in the village. All my volunteer work made me want to make a difference to people’s lives. This is what led me to find work at the Herschel Advice Office.
The Herschel Advice Office is situated between two borders, the Free State and Lesotho. The area is not easily accessible as it is a mountainous terrain. The sterkspruit and Herschel area have high levels of unemployment and we also have an influx of immigrants from other places. My first job at the Herschel Advice Office was as a cleaner. I cleaned the reception area, the two offices and the hall every day for six months. Through my cleaning work I learned about the amazing service that Herschel Advice Office was giving to the people. While the staff were at community meetings, I had to deal with people who came for advice in the office. This eventually led me to my current job as a coordinator.
sterkspruit and Herschel face many challenges such as domestic violence, labour issues (UIF, appeal forms), late registration of birth certificates and shortages of medication at clinics and hospitals. We help women who do not know their rights how to claim maintenance in order to support their family members. We also encourage the community to report rape cases to the police.
One of the cases that has touched me dearly was a dispute of the paternity of a child born out of wedlock. The mother of the baby boy came to our office after the death of a community member, claiming that the deceased was the father of the child. This caused the deceased man’s mother great anguish. We educated her about paternity tests. she paid R2000.00 for the DNA test. The result was negative. That case made me feel terrible because people were fighting for inheritance which they were not entitled to. But it also felt good to help the mother of the deceased find out the truth about whether her late son fathered a child or not.
Access to Justice
RuRal Voice ii: 35 stories for 35 years
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Mpopi MthiyA