Jackson Drift’s children play ‘ukudlalisa’
When the dumping site is full of waste, it’s Christmas to them.
UKUDLALISA is a popular game in black townships where children emulate the behaviour of their father, mother, brother and sister in the household and perform it while they play.
Jackson Drift informal settlement children Nhlanhla Tshabalala, Amos Tshabalala, Tshwanelo Dlamini and Nompumelelo Tshabalala love playing ukudlalisa. They collect used tins and use them as pots, old boxes become cupboards. The dumping site is like a mall to them and that’s where they get their “furniture” from.
Residents don’t mind them because it’s a normal thing in the settlement for children to play ukudlalisa. When the dumping site is full of waste, it’s Christmas to them, as they would collect plastic, boxes, tins, used clothes, etc.
They even build fabricated houses with distorted bricks. After they finished playing they take everything back to the dump site.
“I am a sister to these children and I understand what they are doing is fun and interesting. I know this because I used to play ukudlalisa a lot. I sometimes motivate them to play,” said sister Mabongi Xaba.
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