Across the richest square mile in Africa lies the richest square mile in the world. In Sandton, wealth in Rands is counted as a real measure of a man and given the wealthy’s preponderance, this area is classified as the richest square mile in Africa. Across the Ben Schoeman and in the sprawling community of Alexander where poverty - certainly post-Covid-19 has enveloped the community - here a different measure of a man applies. The rich do not inhabit this place. The 400 000 people who reside here are an underclass of our society, eking out a leaving serving the rich across Ben Schoeman.

 The statistics from the police catalogue a heart-wrenching story of crime and violence. Where cases of murder and rape are thick on the ground.  When the xenophobic violence erupted in Alexander a few years ago a Mozambique man was stabbed by local youth. Fortuitously for James Oatway, the photographer who took the picture, he was nearby and he captured this gory incident for posterities. That image is firmly ensconced in our memory. Sadly it has left a dark mark on the image of this township. It is with this backdrop, with a montage of such incidents that the work of Baba Twala is quite inspirational.  Baba Twala is Alexander’s well know citizen. He is known not for his enormous wealth like that of his neighbors in Sandton but for his generosity of spirit. He recently invited me to witness one of his acts of generosity.

 On this day he was handing over a renovated house to an elderly lady whose house was infested with rats. Not small rats but big Alex rats. A fully renovated house, sealed off from the famous rats marauding the streets of Alex was handed over to the owner. As usual with Baba Twala this was followed by pomp and ceremony. Elevating the recipients of his generosity from the life of hardships and struggle to that of glamour and stardom. On this day they had jettisoned their threadbare clothing and reached out for the best items on their wardrobe. The handover also included food parcels to deserving families. It was an uplifting moment that where hope sprung forth. Our communities are in dire need of thousands of Baba Twala’s. 

Given its high level of hopelessness and despair people who are working to uplift the community is far more beneficial to society than those whose pockets are full to the brim with cash and coins. Whose success and rising are for them and their families. We must never forget to lift as we rise, otherwise, our rising is in vain. I have written at length in the past about the desperate situation we found ourselves in. Our communities are broken. Crime and grime are key features in our communities. There is growing hopelessness and despair, poverty is rife and unemployment is chronic.

We can catalogue many of the incidents that are taking place in South Africa. They used to be dotted across the country but by now they have blanketed South Africa and are happening with increasing regularity. Daily, our social media, aided by ubiquitous smartphone stream-live youths burning down schools, libraries, and other community infrastructure whilst protesting lack of service delivery.  We demur not by media posts but by action. We have now reached a perfect inflection point. The difference between many and Baba Twala is that he has grasped the proverbial nettle. He is doing something about our desperate situation. To illustrate the importance of this man and many like him, let me use the healing technique called acupuncture.

 Acupuncture is a form of treatment that involves inserting very thin needles through a person’s skin at a specific point on the body, to various depths. Acupuncture points are seen as places where nerves, muscles, and connective tissue can be stimulated. The stimulation increases blood flow. By treating the areas of the body affected by trauma, acupuncture can help release the emotional pain that is being held in the body's tissues, helping to process the feelings and memories, let them go, and move on. Baba Twala’s work is like acupuncture for communities. It releases pain, heals, and revives. 

You see the belief they imbue, the hope they instill, the energy they release is what keeps our communities moving forward. They are the buoys keeping our sinking community afloat. Without their effort, our communities would have been further deep in the depths of despair. They would have sunk further into the cesspool of hopelessness. It is regrettable that we don’t always value them. We don’t cherish their work, they receive little adulation as our postmodern world sees those with money as real important members of our society. Baba Twala is our society’s most unsung hero.