A group of childhood friends brought their old neighbourhood friends together in September for a reunion after their community was split from Payneville and scattered to different areas during the apartheid’s Group Areas Act.
Eva Sandamela-Padi explained that during the apartheid era, residents from Payneville were forcibly removed from the area in the 1980s to Bakerton, Geluksdal, Tsakani and Kwa-Thema.
“Coming from an Indian and Coloured family it was total segregation because this meant half of my family had to be moved to Geluksdal and the other half to Bakerton.
“We lived as one big happy family in Payneville. However, things changed when we moved,” she expressed.
“I remember we had to be bussed from Geluksdal to Payneville to attend school during that time and we were the first Standard Sevens when the school was built.”
Sandamela-Padi said when her childhood friend had come to visit her, she thought it would be good to take her down memory lane to the streets of Payneville.
“We were so emotional to find that our primary school, called Fast Move was still standing, along with the clinic and the Catholic church.
“The Catholic church has fond memories for us as the community of Payneville that grew there because we used to have a priest named Father Dominic who was like a father to all of us.
“Every child growing up knew who Father Dominic was. We were moved in such haste that we didn’t get a chance to take our blessings with us.”
This year, Sandamela-Padi and her childhood friends started a campaign called We Remember Payneville. They had planned a get-together with those they grew up with but later decided to have a reunion for all those who lived in Payneville.
“We decided to have this reunion to recap and rekindle friendships that were broken because of the ugliness of the Group Areas Act and to remember the good times we shared before the chaos.
“We did not have a dry eye in that hall. It was so emotional for everyone,” she said.
With the first leg of the campaign concluded, they are arranging a commemoration event for next year. The event will start with a Mass at the church for people who come from Payneville. Thereafter, they will tour the area.
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