Hofmeyr

The rural town of Hofmeyr lies in the shadow of the Bamboes Mountain Range in the Karoo. This beautiful mountain range that, depending on the time of day, ranges in colour from purple red in the mornings to a deep smoky blue in the late afternoons, begins in Molteno and forms part of the Drakensberg escarpment as it enters the Eastern Cape. 

Hofmeyr lies in a part of South Africa that is beautiful, peaceful and unique. It lies just 60 kilometres away from Cradock and 40 kilometres from Steynsburg in an area with access to an incredible variety of succulents, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth.  Hofmeyer lies more or less halfway between Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth when driving by car.   Hofmeyr's physical beauty belies the difficulties the majority of people living there face, such as high unemployment; violence towards women and children; a high rate of HIV and AIDS and crime.  The Hofmeyr Advice Office plays a valuable role in assisting the community in dealing with these challenges. 

The Hofmeyr Advice Office is renting space from the old local municipality building in the centre of town, as one enters Hofmeyr, the office is on the left hand side of the road when driving from Cradock.

Some of the activities the Local Development Agency (LDA) embarked on during 2010 and 2011:

Workshops on domestic violence:   This was due to high number of community members visiting the office and complaining about their partners who are being abusive. The LDA decided to conduct workshops to make each and every individual know their rights. Since the workshop took place, in one of the farm areas the case statistics have dropped.  Children seem to feel more comfortable to talk about any type of abuse that they are encountering.

Basic Conditions of Employment Workshops (BCOE) were facilitated to farm workers and farm owners and created better understanding to both parties. The Hofmeyr Office has a good relationship with the local Department of Labour.  The farm owners who at first did not want representatives from the Office to enter their farms realised the importance of the LDA representatives within their farms over the last year.  After the workshops were held, the LDA is enjoying a positive relationship with most farm owners.

In October 2010 two farm owners donated two sheep to the LDA as a means of recognising the good work the LDA is doing. The farm workers are working normal hours and get paid for any overtime worked. The farm owners seem comfortable to ask the LDA to intervene when the need arises.

The LDA since May 2010 participated in the national community monitoring advocacy project (C-Map) that was introduced by The Black Sash. Through this participation the LDA created a platform for the government departments to be accessible to the community as the area is far from town. The LDA facilitated a process for 3 other government departments to visit the area at least twice in a month, excepting the Department of Labour which has been visiting the area once a month. The Department of Home Affairs is in the area at least twice a week for community members who need to apply for ID books, birth and death certificates.  The South African Social Security Association (SASSA) opened an office in Hofmeyr and the LDA is monitoring the office. At the beginning there were a lot of issues related to SASSA officials neglecting the community members but due to the LDA’s continuous presence and pressure, SASSA is improving its relationships with the community.  This process enabled the community to access grants from their small town instead of travelling to Cradock.

The LDA through Scat’s Development Fund for Training, managed to attend a Proposal Workshop organised and facilitated by the Foundation for Human Rights in March 2010. A call for proposals was advertised by the Foundation for Human Rights later in the year and the LDA submitted. The proposal was approved an amount of R80 000 was granted to the LDA to facilitate a human rights workshop in 2011. This support came at a time when there was a severe lack of funding for the LDA’s admirable activities. 

The LDA managed to get two young volunteers to lead the HIV and AIDS desk at the end of 2010. The two volunteers met with the sister in charge of the clinic, as the LDA is works in consultation with the local clinic. Their plan is to start up an HIV support group.

The Hofmeyr Advice Office conducted a successful Fundraising Incentive Scheme (FRIS) event with the help of volunteers.  An amount of R12 500 was claimed from Scat, and the funds assisted with tightening the security in the building after a robbery took place.  The fee also assisted in paying a small stipend for volunteers and purchasing an old working computer as well as a fax machine.

Hofmeyr Advice Office
194 Molteno Street
HOFMEYR, 5930
Tel: 048 885 0319
Fax: 048 885 0200
Contact: Makhazi Sintu