Unsung heroine inspires with love and respect
It is shameful that Plastic City even exists.
Peter Bachtis, from Benoni, writes by email:
We drive past them every day, as they scour our garbage bags for any materials that can be recycled.
They walk for miles, pushing their makeshift trolleys, in the hope that they can earn some money to sustain themselves.
On the outskirts of Brakpan, an area has emerged.
A shanty town without facilities, no electricity, no running water, a mud hole when it rains.
Yet thousands of displaced foreigners live there in abysmal conditions, eking out a living from all our “throwaways”.
Known as Plastic City, it is a place where human beings live.
One person has, however, made it her business to step in and help the children born into this squalor, by creating an environment where children can learn, giving their dreary lives some positive meaning.
Also read: Concerned about the future of Brakpan
Yakima Waner, together with a handful of dedicated helpers, is harvesting the goodwill of these young lives, teaching them skills and giving them hope of a better tomorrow.
Local government sees these people as a blemish and turns a blind eye to their existence.
It is shameful that Plastic City even exists.
Some may see Yakima as a modern day angel, but she has had the courage to do something positive, by highlighting the plight of people who otherwise have no hope.
She is indeed a caring human being who should be supported in her efforts.
The lack of support from so-called authorities is disgraceful, allowing Plastic City to resemble the ghettos of Poland during the Second World War.
Yakima continues, in her own small way, to harvest love and respect from those who can’t.
She is Brakpan’s unsung heroine.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Thelma Koorts (editor) brakpanherald@caxton.co.za
or Stacy Slatter (news editor) stacys@caxton.co.za
or Miné Fourie (journalist) minev@caxton.co.za
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