Apartheid was an institution in South Africa for over 46 years. It ended officially in 1994, but the separation of “white”, “colored” and “black” people left a legacy of despair and destitution that still carries on to this day. One of these legacies are the townships, a construct of legalized separate development created by the former National government which forcibly designated living areas according to perceived ethnic divides.  Geluksdal and Tsakane are two such townships.

Geluksdal is made up primarily of “colored” people, of mixed ethnic heritage, lighter in skin tone than African “blacks”.

Tsakane is primarily an African “black” township. The norm is extreme poverty. Shanties made of corrugated tin scatter the landscape. Few dwellings have indoor plumbing, or paved roads except in the more established areas. Water is obtained by bucket at community faucets. Kitchens consist of ancient potbelly stoves or battered hot plates. Crime is rampant. Rape, carjacking, and mugging are common occurrences. Orphans roam the streets looking for food, protection and shelter. Each shanty has barbed wire around its perimeter to protect the meager possessions of the owner. In this environment, where poverty, crime, despair and death are common events, the mothers and grannies, together with the Dominican Sisters assisting them, began the Kopanang-Sithandi'zingane project, a way of bringing hope, faith, and healing to the women and children in this sprawling township of over 82,000 people.