1
00:00:09,526 --> 00:00:11,352
- Every day it is the
same.
2
00:00:11,352 --> 00:00:13,427
The same darkness, the same ritual
3
00:00:13,427 --> 00:00:15,281
for Monwabisi and his family.
4
00:00:15,281 --> 00:00:18,214
For them and for the thousands
of others getting ready
5
00:00:18,214 --> 00:00:19,047
for work.
6
00:01:44,454 --> 00:01:46,871
Slowly human shadows
gather at different corners
7
00:01:46,871 --> 00:01:47,871
of the slum.
8
00:01:59,723 --> 00:02:02,719
Like the others Monwabisi
easily spots the truck
9
00:02:02,719 --> 00:02:05,386
that will bring him to the farm.
10
00:02:06,269 --> 00:02:09,269
(slow somber music)
11
00:02:36,814 --> 00:02:39,943
At the end of the road, 13
hours of work await Monwabisi
12
00:02:39,943 --> 00:02:41,993
and his companions.
13
00:02:41,993 --> 00:02:43,818
Impossible for us to go any further,
14
00:02:43,818 --> 00:02:45,946
Monwabisi works in one those farms
15
00:02:45,946 --> 00:02:48,740
where time and politics don't
seem to have changed much
16
00:02:48,740 --> 00:02:51,225
in the past 20 years.
17
00:02:51,225 --> 00:02:52,808
We are not welcome.
18
00:03:01,813 --> 00:03:03,513
Tourists are sparse around here
19
00:03:03,513 --> 00:03:06,292
but everybody may have
had a taste of the region.
20
00:03:06,292 --> 00:03:08,753
This is the land of South
African Table Grapes,
21
00:03:08,753 --> 00:03:11,219
one of the countries riches.
22
00:03:11,219 --> 00:03:15,158
Europe, the Middle East,
Asia, 2,008,000 tons
23
00:03:15,158 --> 00:03:18,161
of South African grapes
are exported each year.
24
00:03:18,161 --> 00:03:20,411
They mainly come from here.
25
00:03:25,118 --> 00:03:28,384
Stofland in Afrikaans means land of dust.
26
00:03:28,384 --> 00:03:30,936
It's difficult to know how
many people live in the shacks.
27
00:03:30,936 --> 00:03:33,552
Nobody really keeps track.
28
00:03:33,552 --> 00:03:36,202
South Africans, immigrants, legal or not,
29
00:03:36,202 --> 00:03:40,097
from Zimbabwe or Lesotho,
permanent or seasonal,
30
00:03:40,097 --> 00:03:43,467
altogether there might
be as many as 50,000.
31
00:03:43,467 --> 00:03:45,767
They all live off the table grapes.
32
00:03:45,767 --> 00:03:48,267
(baby crying)
33
00:03:51,510 --> 00:03:54,834
Even in South Africa, no one
had really heard about Stofland
34
00:03:54,834 --> 00:03:57,869
until November of 2012 when workers dared
35
00:03:57,869 --> 00:03:59,703
to go on strike.
36
00:03:59,703 --> 00:04:02,419
Three months of blockades,
three months of fighting
37
00:04:02,419 --> 00:04:05,805
which succeeded in
paralyzing the local economy.
38
00:04:05,805 --> 00:04:08,709
Shawn was one of the leaders.
39
00:04:08,709 --> 00:04:12,528
- We were working from six
o'clock until six o'clock.
40
00:04:12,528 --> 00:04:16,509
We get only one lunch from
half past 12 to one o'clock
41
00:04:16,509 --> 00:04:19,876
so even the manager there was rude.
42
00:04:19,876 --> 00:04:21,832
The supervisors were rude.
43
00:04:21,832 --> 00:04:23,680
They were pushing people around.
44
00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:25,575
Saying whatever they want
to say to the people.
45
00:04:25,575 --> 00:04:29,242
But now since the strike,
everything started
46
00:04:30,199 --> 00:04:32,486
to have a shift but there is a difference
47
00:04:32,486 --> 00:04:35,783
than before because
before we getting 69 rand,
48
00:04:35,783 --> 00:04:37,547
now it's 105, but not all the farmers
49
00:04:37,547 --> 00:04:39,214
are paying that 105.
50
00:04:40,398 --> 00:04:43,593
They are good farmers that
are paying around 117, 125,
51
00:04:43,593 --> 00:04:47,949
and there are those who are
still paying 80 rand to 95 rand,
52
00:04:47,949 --> 00:04:49,997
and the money that where
we can form the farms
53
00:04:49,997 --> 00:04:52,768
not that much because you
still have to buy clothes
54
00:04:52,768 --> 00:04:56,506
and stuff and food, so it's very sad,
55
00:04:56,506 --> 00:04:58,506
and the poverty is high.
56
00:05:00,483 --> 00:05:02,566
Not everyone can survive.
57
00:05:04,492 --> 00:05:05,996
- Despite
some electrical lines
58
00:05:05,996 --> 00:05:08,401
and a few water points, the place is just
59
00:05:08,401 --> 00:05:11,800
a jumble of corrugated
iron, cardboard, and rubbish
60
00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:13,217
left in the open.
61
00:05:15,429 --> 00:05:19,007
- Nobody cares, not even
the government, not anyone,
62
00:05:19,007 --> 00:05:23,475
so the feeling is there each
and every day when I wake up.
63
00:05:23,475 --> 00:05:25,018
I see the feeling.
64
00:05:25,018 --> 00:05:27,778
There's a lot of change
since the Apartheid,
65
00:05:27,778 --> 00:05:30,904
but the conditions of the
people are still staying on,
66
00:05:30,904 --> 00:05:35,212
so I'd still believe that we
are not celebrating anything,
67
00:05:35,212 --> 00:05:38,629
only the rich, the elite are celebrating.
68
00:05:39,585 --> 00:05:41,672
The working class is still struggling
69
00:05:41,672 --> 00:05:45,471
to go on with living, so
there is nothing to celebrate.
70
00:05:45,471 --> 00:05:48,187
(baby crying)
71
00:05:48,187 --> 00:05:49,161
- During the day,
72
00:05:49,161 --> 00:05:51,147
the entire slum is a ghost town.
73
00:05:51,147 --> 00:05:55,591
Men who work leave at five
AM, women an hour later.
74
00:05:55,591 --> 00:05:57,653
Babies are left behind.
75
00:05:57,653 --> 00:06:00,653
Many nurseries had to be improvised.
76
00:06:01,976 --> 00:06:05,299
Petronella, she arrived six
years ago from Zimbabwe,
77
00:06:05,299 --> 00:06:07,152
owns one of them.
78
00:06:07,152 --> 00:06:10,410
At 44, she concedes it is a good business,
79
00:06:10,410 --> 00:06:13,776
50 rand per baby left for the entire day
80
00:06:13,776 --> 00:06:16,109
in the dirt of a small yard.
81
00:06:51,871 --> 00:06:54,371
(baby crying)
82
00:07:01,874 --> 00:07:03,906
- Older
children are at school.
83
00:07:03,906 --> 00:07:05,832
There are nine in the area.
84
00:07:05,832 --> 00:07:07,368
Education is not free.
85
00:07:07,368 --> 00:07:09,285
100 rand per household.
86
00:07:13,914 --> 00:07:18,673
Different grades are mixed
in the same classroom.
87
00:07:18,673 --> 00:07:21,605
The quality of education is poor,
88
00:07:21,605 --> 00:07:23,394
and the real highlight
of the schooling hours
89
00:07:23,394 --> 00:07:26,704
is the free meal distributed for lunch.
90
00:07:26,704 --> 00:07:30,121
(children reading aloud)
91
00:07:37,543 --> 00:07:39,970
- [Teacher] Let's pray.
92
00:07:39,970 --> 00:07:41,387
Let's pray again.
93
00:07:42,311 --> 00:07:44,791
- [Children] God is good.
94
00:07:44,791 --> 00:07:45,874
God is there.
95
00:07:47,129 --> 00:07:49,546
Thank you for the food, amen.
96
00:07:51,170 --> 00:07:53,733
- At school, at least, they can cope
97
00:07:53,733 --> 00:07:56,522
because there's food for them,
98
00:07:56,522 --> 00:07:57,837
but the environment at home,
99
00:07:57,837 --> 00:08:00,934
we can't do anything about
the environment at home
100
00:08:00,934 --> 00:08:03,523
because especially during the off-season
101
00:08:03,523 --> 00:08:06,943
when there's no work, you
will find some of the parents
102
00:08:06,943 --> 00:08:09,719
loitering also looking for food.
103
00:08:09,719 --> 00:08:12,886
As a person who grow up in this place,
104
00:08:14,438 --> 00:08:17,681
see the population Jotores
is very overcrowded,
105
00:08:17,681 --> 00:08:20,723
there's a lot of crime now,
106
00:08:20,723 --> 00:08:24,890
pupils are using drugs,
which were not here before.
107
00:08:25,888 --> 00:08:30,786
A lot of learners or children
are squatters even now.
108
00:08:30,786 --> 00:08:34,953
(children chanting and chattering)
109
00:08:55,025 --> 00:08:58,312
I would like to see them educated,
110
00:08:58,312 --> 00:09:00,477
not going back to the farms.
111
00:09:00,477 --> 00:09:03,932
Being a product of
working on a farm, me too,
112
00:09:03,932 --> 00:09:06,689
I told myself I won't
go and work on the farm,
113
00:09:06,689 --> 00:09:10,253
so I won't like to see
any kid I am educating
114
00:09:10,253 --> 00:09:11,753
working on a farm.
115
00:09:12,732 --> 00:09:15,399
It's my duty to try to encourage
116
00:09:17,129 --> 00:09:20,395
and even try to educate parents
117
00:09:20,395 --> 00:09:23,576
the main reason of educating their kids.
118
00:09:23,576 --> 00:09:25,718
Not go to and work on the farm,
119
00:09:25,718 --> 00:09:29,456
but to try and give them a better living.
120
00:09:29,456 --> 00:09:31,164
- That's your
hope, but in reality,
121
00:09:31,164 --> 00:09:32,370
what are the odds?
122
00:09:32,370 --> 00:09:35,371
- But in reality, doesn't happen.
123
00:09:35,371 --> 00:09:39,371
(children shouting and playing)
124
00:09:45,253 --> 00:09:46,732
- Men have been
cutting grapes
125
00:09:46,732 --> 00:09:50,115
for the past three hours, 10 more to go.
126
00:09:50,115 --> 00:09:53,352
This is their first 15
minute break of the day.
127
00:09:53,352 --> 00:09:55,316
They will stop for an hour for lunch,
128
00:09:55,316 --> 00:09:58,483
and 15 minutes again in the afternoon.
129
00:10:05,364 --> 00:10:09,531
The 180 employees are paid the
minimum wage, 105 rand a day,
130
00:10:10,645 --> 00:10:13,836
but here, one can make up to 200.
131
00:10:13,836 --> 00:10:16,516
The more you harvest, the more you make.
132
00:10:16,516 --> 00:10:19,599
(machinery rumbling)
133
00:10:42,935 --> 00:10:45,503
Women, with the precise
movements of their hands,
134
00:10:45,503 --> 00:10:49,376
prepare the packaging of
the grapes, 18 tons a day.
135
00:10:49,376 --> 00:10:53,543
They will end up on the
shelves of our supermarkets.
136
00:11:11,491 --> 00:11:14,407
The organization is similar on every farm,
137
00:11:14,407 --> 00:11:16,818
but in some, where
cameras are not allowed,
138
00:11:16,818 --> 00:11:20,420
working conditions seem horrendous.
139
00:11:20,420 --> 00:11:22,526
In a recent report, Human Rights Watch
140
00:11:22,526 --> 00:11:25,244
denounced farms where
even access to toilets
141
00:11:25,244 --> 00:11:28,661
was denied to the workers during the day.
142
00:11:42,375 --> 00:11:44,862
The season is short, the process quick.
143
00:11:44,862 --> 00:11:46,627
Once cut and packed, the grapes are sent
144
00:11:46,627 --> 00:11:49,395
to a storage facility where
they will be dispatched
145
00:11:49,395 --> 00:11:51,062
to Cape Town Harbor.
146
00:11:52,571 --> 00:11:53,952
Less than three weeks later,
147
00:11:53,952 --> 00:11:57,535
the grapes will be on
many European tables.
148
00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:16,387
In the winter of 2013, the
Social Development Department
149
00:12:16,387 --> 00:12:18,842
reported that De Doorns had
one of the highest rates
150
00:12:18,842 --> 00:12:21,755
of malnutrition in the country.
151
00:12:21,755 --> 00:12:24,313
Lack of food, lack of hygiene as well,
152
00:12:24,313 --> 00:12:27,230
the youngest are the first victims.
153
00:12:32,719 --> 00:12:34,387
Like all the children in the world,
154
00:12:34,387 --> 00:12:37,432
those of Stofland have
make believe tea parties.
155
00:12:37,432 --> 00:12:40,133
In the dump, in the center of the slum,
156
00:12:40,133 --> 00:12:44,050
they share rotten food
and discarded chemicals.
157
00:12:47,055 --> 00:12:49,990
- We have a lot of children with that is
158
00:12:49,990 --> 00:12:52,708
very very underweight, and due to that,
159
00:12:52,708 --> 00:12:56,458
they also end up with
loose stools, diarrhea,
160
00:12:58,038 --> 00:13:01,279
and also with severe pneumonia as well.
161
00:13:01,279 --> 00:13:04,658
What we also experience is that, you know,
162
00:13:04,658 --> 00:13:07,434
we speak to the mothers on a daily basis,
163
00:13:07,434 --> 00:13:09,662
but in your sick child at the facility,
164
00:13:09,662 --> 00:13:13,819
but the first thing they
do is take this sick child,
165
00:13:13,819 --> 00:13:15,676
go to the creche, leave
the sick child there,
166
00:13:15,676 --> 00:13:18,016
and they go to work because, for them,
167
00:13:18,016 --> 00:13:19,882
they need the money, you know,
168
00:13:19,882 --> 00:13:22,333
they're desperate for that.
169
00:13:22,333 --> 00:13:25,666
(indistinct chattering)
170
00:13:32,700 --> 00:13:33,703
How many months?
171
00:13:33,703 --> 00:13:34,949
- Two.
172
00:13:34,949 --> 00:13:38,282
(indistinct chattering)
173
00:14:00,573 --> 00:14:02,142
- The hospital needs for more money,
174
00:14:02,142 --> 00:14:05,834
but what we try and do is
try and do the best we can
175
00:14:05,834 --> 00:14:09,179
with what we have, and that forces us
176
00:14:09,179 --> 00:14:12,012
to think smarter and work smarter,
177
00:14:12,940 --> 00:14:15,282
so that we can enhance
our patients' experience
178
00:14:15,282 --> 00:14:17,154
with the resources that we have,
179
00:14:17,154 --> 00:14:19,055
and the need is much greater.
180
00:14:19,055 --> 00:14:21,471
If I think where we were with
primary healthcare services
181
00:14:21,471 --> 00:14:25,221
10 years ago and how
far we've moved forward,
182
00:14:26,645 --> 00:14:29,382
it's actually, I think, exceptional
183
00:14:29,382 --> 00:14:31,256
with the report this time.
184
00:14:31,256 --> 00:14:34,589
(indistinct chattering)
185
00:14:39,387 --> 00:14:42,887
- We also have a high rate of HIV as well.
186
00:14:43,749 --> 00:14:45,999
We have 1,500 HIV patients,
187
00:14:48,875 --> 00:14:52,552
and we also have TB in this community.
188
00:14:52,552 --> 00:14:54,705
We have a lot of social problems.
189
00:14:54,705 --> 00:14:56,546
We have unemployment issues,
190
00:14:56,546 --> 00:15:01,470
and as we saw previously is
the abuse, alcohol abuse also.
191
00:15:01,470 --> 00:15:03,970
(light music)
192
00:15:24,199 --> 00:15:25,875
- At dusk, dozens of
trucks
193
00:15:25,875 --> 00:15:28,958
start following their morning tracks.
194
00:15:40,205 --> 00:15:43,111
Like Monwabisi, the
workers are dropped off
195
00:15:43,111 --> 00:15:45,694
where they have been picked up.
196
00:17:15,891 --> 00:17:18,474
(somber music)
197
00:17:27,653 --> 00:17:29,967
In clusters, the shadows of Stofland
198
00:17:29,967 --> 00:17:33,329
make their way back to
what they call home,
199
00:17:33,329 --> 00:17:36,621
just an ordinary day in the land of dust.
200
00:17:36,621 --> 00:17:39,204
(somber music)
201
00:18:01,839 --> 00:18:04,339
(tense music)