Page 77 - SCAT Rural Voice II - 35 Stories for 35 Years

FlAGstAFF
CommUnity ADVICE OFFICE
Flagstaff is a small rural eastern Cape town situated 80km south-east of Kokstad and 45km north of Lusikisiki. The town was established in the late 1800s by two traders. Its name can be traced to the traders’ practice of running a white flag up a flagstaff every Sunday as a signal to everyone that the shop was closed. The town has a population of 2,584, most of whom (96%) are isiXhosa speakers. The main economic activities of Flagstaff are construction (11.9%), finance (7.7%), electricity (4.5%), community services (2.5%), agriculture and trade/manufacturing. Flagstaff is the seat of the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality which is part of OR Tambo District Municipality.
The Flagstaff Community Advice Centre serves both Flagstaff and villages in the broader Ingquza Hill municipality. A vibrant local development agency, the team has assisted over three thousand community members with paralegal advice. The team played a major role in creating awareness in their community around the unfair practices of ukuthwala which is when young girls (sometimes as young as 13) are forced into marriage with older men. The staff are also skilled at providing advice and assistance on the sensitive issues surrounding male circumcision and the LGBTI community.
FAST faCts
NaMe: Flagstaff Community Advice Centre
LeD By: Bomkazi Mhlongo
MaiN CHaLLeNGes faCeD By tHe CoMMUNity: ukuthwala (forced marriage of young girls to older men), domestic violence, unemployment.
MaiN aCtiVities: Paralegal support; social injustice; labour disputes; gender equality; human rights (especially for the LGBTI community)
aDDress: erf 20 Vatsha Building, Main Street, Flagstaff
CoNtaCt: Cell: 073 280 5599 or 079 252 1679
Email: flagstaffadviceoffice@gmail.com or bomikazi.mhlongo@outlook.com
Gender
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