Johannesburg - Photographer Lungile Qhakaza and Victoria Schnieder, a journalist from Germany, were sitting side by side in a co-working space in Victoria Yards – the idyllic artist development in Lorentzville, Johannesburg – over a year ago when a young boy from the neighbourhood wandered in and asked them for help with his bicycle.
What started off as a five-minute bicycle maintenance intervention, led to a full-time after-school group for the children who were aged three years and older and hailed from the Lorentzville area, later named Timbuktu in the Valley. The group met every day for a year with the two community heroes feeding more than 30 kids, tweens and teens daily; keeping them engaged with learning arts and craft, life-skills as well as school curricula.
Last year, they visited art museums, attended workshops and found a few willing donors to help along the way.
This year, with the Covid-19 lockdown, Victoria Yards had to close its doors. Schnieder reluctantly headed home to Germany and Qhakaza stayed on and is now a mask-hero in the community. Together with a team from 10MillionMasks, Qhakaza established a well-oiled mask-making and distribution machine in the community.
Every second or third day she sets off on her bicycle from Yeoville to Lorentzille, winding down Stuart Drive, “into the Valley”, where from her bicycle trailer she distributes fabric and food to the mothers of the children. Those with sewing machines promptly work on making masks for their community and earn enough from the project to keep hunger away.
Blessing Sinyolo previously knitted and crocheted for Urban Flock in Victoria Yards, while Nobom Nondal, from the Eastern Cape, worked for Tshepo - The Jeanmaker, a charismatic entrepreneur, who hit global headlines when Meghan Markle popped in and ordered more than a few pairs of his designer jeans.
Once a week, the masks are collected and distributed to the local community. At that point, the kids emerge from their houses and rigidly observe social distancing protocols, while trying on their new fabric protection wear and the goodie bags of treats that are handed out. They reminisce and all look forward to a time when the coronavirus will be conquered, and they can recreate the magic of Timbuktu in the Valley.
Lungile Qhawaza delivers fabric by bicycle and trailer in Lorentzville.
Schnieder is setting up a digital learning platform for the group from Germany for those who can afford phones and data. Recently three desktop computers and a laptop was donated, and now every family is regularly receiving a box of fresh permaculture produce through a community green initiative.
When Schnieder saw pictures of the group with their masks on after the Easter weekend, she had a heartfelt reaction and said: “They are all looking so healthy! For most of them, this is the first time in their lives that they are eating every day and I really hope this carries on. Isn’t it tragic that the virus had to lead to this for them to eat properly?”
For now, Qhakaza continues to cycle up and down the hill and still manages the community, while Blessing, Nobom and a handful of new converts keep sewing masks from the fabric dropped off each week in the hope of reaching that goal of 10 Million Masks.
10MillionMasks is an NGO that calls on South Africans to help get 10 million fabric masks to the people who need them. 10MillionMasks has partnered with Independent Media to drive their "Heroes don't wear capes, they wear masks" campaign.
Download and print our easy to use cut-out pattern for a face mask, follow the step-by-step instructions on how to make it. Then be a hero too, make your mask and wear it.
Take a picture of you and your family wearing your masks, post it on IOL's Facebook page and you could stand a chance to win a R500 Loot voucher.