The poverty stricken community of Happy Valley situated in Blackheath face many struggles to accomplish the vision that they set out for themselves.
This informal settlement is faced with many problems like unemployment, HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy. Alcohol and drug use is also rife in this area and the bunch of liquor stores in the area does not make it any easier for the problem to be solved.
Rosy van Wyk, a resident in the area says that ward councillor, Bertus van Dalen, is doing no justice to this informal settlement. "In a recent meeting with van Dalen in the Blackheath Civic Centre we brought it to his attention that he is doing absolutely nothing and we wanted to know who is sweeping our streets if they can't even provide us with jobs," said van Wyk.
David November, pastor and community worker, says that the evils of this community is out of control. At the moment he is currently serving this community. "We came here 9 years ago and we started having church, later we discovered that we can't just feed the people with the word of God but there are people who are hungry," November said. He started a soup kitchen to bring improvement to the lives of these residents it has now grown to feeding a big percentage in Happy Valley.
Health workers in the area say that they are there to help where they can because usually there is no transport or money for the ill to go to the doctor.
According to November, the things that are said by the Minister of Social Development and promises made by them is never seen coming to grass root level and there is no evidence either.
However the residents of Happy Valley still are faced with other difficulties, even though some sort of help has been put out there. November also says that being chairman of the Oostenberg Development Forum progress is slowly being made as they are working together.
November has a vision to build a multi-purpose care centre, where social workers, health care facilitators and a help-line that should be available 24 hours of the day and where the soup kitchen can be open on a regular basis.
"My vision is that these young ones get a good education and come back to improve this area where they grew up, be qualified lawyers and ward councillors because they know the circumstances here and they should come back and make a difference."
By feeding this poor community through the soup kitchen might be seen as a breakthrough, the real concern is: when will ward councillors and government step up to the responsibility that they have towards the residents of Happy Valley and the circumstances which they are troubled with.
