The Comboni Scholasticate community at St John of Arc in Pietermaritzburg is committed to putting their faith into action for the benefit of their neighbours in the informal settlement of Jika-Joe. Malawian scholastic Gerard Paul Hiernimo witnesses God’s actions among the township’s most vulnerable people.
Upon arriving at St Daniel Comboni Scholasticate in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, I was excited to begin my theological studies and immerse myself in the vibrant culture of this rainbow nation. My journey began in the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg, where I experienced urban life, expecting Pietermaritzburg to offer a similar vibe.
However, my perspective shifted completely when I entered the informal settlement of Jika-Joe. Living close to this community has been an eye-opening and transformative experience for me. Hope and being present for the poorest and most abandoned became not just spoken words but a reality lived daily with joy and perseverance.
As you walk through this neighbourhood, you cannot help but notice how residents face various unforgiving realities. Life in overcrowded homes, under harsh conditions, while conducting minimal businesses under the sweltering sun, amid the cacophony of urban chaos, and with limited role models, makes survival a daily challenge.
Living with and listening to these people’s untold stories reveals the overlooked struggles they face. They grapple with poverty, peer pressure, abuse, and a lack of clear direction for their future, all of which expose them to significant hardships. Life often crushes their dreams, energy, and aspirations for a better life, leaving them with a profound sense of unhappiness.
Only those who are strong, and solely by God’s grace, manage to survive, but most still fail to fulfil their deep-seated hopes and needs. Others resort to vicious activities and dubious coping mechanisms to survive in this harsh environment.
In the township of Jika-Joe there are many non- South Africans. While some manage to get by through piecework and small businesses, many face daily challenges that lead them to question whether they would have been better off in their home countries. A significant issue most of them must confront daily is the lack of proper documentation required to apply for a job. Many are ignorant about the process of obtaining this documentation; some have overstayed their visas, while others possess no valid documents at all.
Faced with so many desperate situations, we strive to uplift the lives of those around us through prayer and various initiatives, guided by deep faith and humility. We engage with people by listening to them with the love of Christ and offering them support.
This includes providing limited material resources, assisting with schoolwork and offering printing and photocopying services.
We have a group dedicated to identifying the needs of the less fortunate among us and providing the necessary and possible support. They also engage in outreach within the community by visiting families, and specifically the sick.
The parish makes its premises available as a space for dialogue among community members, civil authorities, and concerned groups to discuss ways to transform and empower the community. Socially, we organise singing and sporting activities to instil hope and remind the communities that Christ loves them and that a brighter future is possible.
We are committed to living alongside these less fortunate people, despite the various challenges we face. We are there for them and we are with them, the poorest and the most abandoned.
This shows that hope is not a passive feeling but an active force that drives us forward. We need to work together to find ways to bring hope to our world.
As individuals, groups, sodalities, parishes, and families, we are called to be witnesses and carriers of hope to others. Our presence must be transformative, life-giving, and a testament to Christ’s love; our attitudes must reflect the true presence of Christ within us. We are the guardians of hope.
