Yeoville is perhaps unique in the multiplicity and diversity of local activists it gathers – reflecting specific local social structures, networks and opportunities, but also perhaps a symptom of the fragility of activism in a low-income neighbourhood. It is this paradox that the present vignette explores, presenting a kaleidoscope of types of activism, personalities and repertoires of action, united by activists’ dedication to a cause over their lifetime. Never falling into romanticism, Yeoville activists also reflect on the toll their activism takes on their lives, the multi-faceted resources it requires, the constant compromise between the cause and the need to earn a living. They narrate the lost battles and the challenges as well as the victories and hopes. Together, these portraits illuminate not only Yeoville community politics, but more broadly, the conditions of local activism in South African cities today.

BORN: 1951, Graaff Reinet

LIVED IN YEOVILLE: Since 1978

CURRENT JOB: Director, Yeoville Bellevue Community Development Trust (YBCDT)

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Treasurer, Yeoville Community Policing Forum (YCPF); adviser, African Diaspora Forum (ADF); Ex officio: Yeoville Stakeholders Forum (YSF)

Vision

It is not about going back to Yeoville ‘as it was’. It is about embracing what Yeoville is today: a multicultural, African area, but making it sustainable and managed.

Being an activist in Yeoville

I do community service; it's actually a service that government should be offering, but isn’t. I can't charge the community for it. I am an activist. I engage in community-building activities, and in broader programmes to promote development in Yeoville so that it becomes a sustainable, viable and desirable area to live in. But you can't address all the huge array of problems in this area on a voluntary basis. You need full-time capacity. That's why I set up the YBCDT.