Villa Gloria in Krugersdorp (Lockdown Day 81)

by | Jun 15, 2020 | COVID-19, Johannesburg, West Rand | 8 comments

Over the weekend I went with my friend Michelle to Krugersdorp — an outer suburb on Joburg’s West Rand. (You may remember Michelle as the proprietor of the Junkie Charity Shop, and former human to the Melville Cat.) Michelle was donating a large potjie (Afrikaans for “stew”) pot to a feeding scheme in Krugersdorp, and she asked me to come along to take photos.

Neither Michelle nor I knew very much about where we were going. But eventually we found our way to a plot of land with a big, boarding-house-like building called Villa Gloria. Virtually every inch of land around the big house was occupied by tiny wooden dwellings.

Row of houses at Villa Gloria
A row of houses at Villa Gloria.

Villa Gloria is home to a non-profit organization called the God Disciples Foundation. There are more than 300 people living there, including 120 children, paying rent on a sliding scale. The Foundation also runs a creche (nursery school) for the small children and babies at Villa Gloria.

Daniel Geyer, the owner of Villa Gloria, describes the property as a kind of halfway house. But some of the residents have lived there for years. Many of Villa Gloria’s residents are elderly, disabled, survivors of domestic violence, and/or recovering addicts. Others have faced homelessness or simply fallen on hard times.

Daniel Geyer at Villa Gloria in Krugersorp
Daniel at the entrance to the small shop at Villa Gloria. Daniel and his late wife moved to Villa Gloria more than two decades ago, and began renting out a few rooms to people in need. As the need kept growing, they gradually built more accommodation. Daniel’s brother-in-law Porra established the NPO five years ago.

We dropped off Michelle’s cooking pot and food donations and then took a walk around the property with Porra and Vicky du Preez, who run the non-profit organization. Porra and Vicky introduced us to several of the residents.

Andre has been living at Villa Gloria for seven or eight years.
Maria at Villa Gloria
Maria moved in about two months ago.
Canary
Maria’s canary.
Danie and green bakkie
Danie and his lime-green bakkie.
People at Villa Gloria
After a while I got overwhelmed and stopped writing down names.
A family haircut.
These kids were playing a game with bottles of nail polish.
Cutie.

During the lockdown, the Foundation has been trying to provide at least one meal a day for Villa Gloria residents (when funding allows) — hence the need for the large potjie pot.

In case the non-South-Africans among you are wondering what a potjie (pronounced POY-kee) pot looks like. Potjiekos (the plural of potjie) are almost always cooked over an open fire — hence the need for legs on the pot.

If you’re anything like me, you might be thinking these aren’t the faces you’re used to seeing in stories about poverty in South Africa. Nearly everyone living at Villa Gloria is white. I feel awkward acknowledging this obvious fact — and I’m not sure what to say beyond simply pointing it out — but I also feel it would be strange not to acknowledge it. Things often don’t look the way we expect them to in South Africa (or anywhere for that matter), and this country’s inequality manifests itself in many forms.

The God Disciples Foundation is in desperate need of funds to continue feeding the residents of Villa Gloria each day. Obviously most people there are living hand to mouth, and most lost their jobs during the early phases of lockdown. Some, but not all, have returned to work. The future is totally uncertain.

Incidentally, Daniel told me the government has come to the settlement more than once during lockdown to screen for COVID-19. Thus far no one has been affected, and everyone at Villa Gloria wears a mask when leaving the property.

If you would like to deliver food to Villa Gloria, the address is:

25 Engelbrecht Street
Krugersdorp West
Porra du Preez: 076-065-5900
goddisciplesfoundation@gmail.com

If you’d like to donate, the bank details are:

Acc name: God Disciples Foundation
Savings account
Acc#: 015533271
Branch code: 01584141
Standard Bank Key West

If you’d like to donate from overseas, please contact me. The God Disciple Foundation also has a Facebook group.

An elderly man at Villa Gloria in Krugersdorp on the West Rand
A dapper gentleman.

8 Comments

  1. Catrina

    What an amazing foundation. These photos are all so touching, especially the dapper gentleman. How do you get your subjects to be so poised and peaceful?

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thank you. I don’t know what I do!

      Reply
  2. Porra Du Preez

    Hi thank you Heather Mason for everything

    Reply
    • 2summers

      It’s a pleasure Porra. All the best.

      Reply
  3. maarten

    again a interesting blog Heather. I’ve been here before long time ago and some people call it the township for the white. Not my words to prescribe this place but I can imagine that people look at this place using these words.

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Yes. It’s complicated to explain.

      Reply
  4. Margaret Urban

    The thing that I note when looking at the pictures is that this is a community; something that many who are down and out do not have.

    Reply
    • 2summers

      I thought exactly the same thing when I was there.

      Reply

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