September 9, 2002
By Sheree Russouw
THEY were barely paid. They had to ensure that they smiled warmly - all of the time.
As if that was not enough, they had to walk endlessly throughout the 11 000 square metre expanse of the Ubuntu Village, based at the Wanderers in Illovo, guiding throngs of foreign delegates and ordinary folk.
And they loved it.
This weekend, the World Summit on Sustainable Development having come to an end, the 500 volunteers at Ubuntu Village will be saying goodbye to the village. They have formed treasured friendships, conversed with world leaders, and learnt all about the environment - in a space of just two weeks. And the volunteers cite their experience as being among the best of their lives.
"It's going to be so sad to say goodbye. We're like one big happy family," says
Hilda Masibi, a 41-year-old volunteer clad in her regal Ndebele-inspired tunic, the uniform of the volunteers. She plans to store the outfit in her cupboard until her grandchildren are grown up.
"Then I will show them that I was a part of the World Summit and I'm so proud to be a part of it. It's been the best experience for me. I wear my uniform with such pride. Delegates have been queuing up to buy my uniform but it is priceless," she says.
Masibi and her son Seako, who is also a volunteer, say they will return to their flat in Hillbrow and look for other work, but they will never forget the time they spent at Ubuntu Village. And it is likely that their fellow volunteers won't forget them either. Seako's Desmond Tutu impersonation inspired the volunteers to refer to him as the comedian of the group.
"It's nice to work with my mom. I've never once gone hungry," he says, which elicits a scowl from his mom. An aspirant boxer, he opted to become a volunteer after some encouragement from his mom. "Hey, it's cool. At least I'm not bored at home, and I've had the chance to meet so many cool and interesting people."
While there may be no immediate promise of riches for the volunteers, they affirm that it has enriched their knowledge about the world. "It touched me so much to work as a volunteer," says Joseph Molepo. "It's the first time that I have gotten involved in something like this. From working with my fellow volunteers, I've learned so much. It's a great, great feeling and I'm so proud to be South African. I think that this is an opportunity that not many people get."
The volunteer programme incorporated an eclectic mix of people, from 16-year-olds to 50-year-olds. Some of the volunteers are students, while others are mothers and fathers. They were drawn from regions such as Soweto, Pretoria, and Johannesburg and more obscure dorps like Winterveldt.
Every morning for the last two weeks, Thabo Matlou and his twin brother Tebogo woke up at 3.30am, and braved the chilly Winterveldt air to catch the 5.30am bus. "I've learnt so much, and I think the exposure for South Africa during this summit is great," says Thabo.
Moved by the work of polar explorer Robert Swan, who took 35 young people from 25 countries to the Antarctic to remove 1 000 tons of waste, Thabo says his volunteer work has improved his knowledge of the environment. Now, he speaks with a resolute zeal any Greenpeace supporter would be proud of. "If one man can teach the world so much about waste in the cold conditions of the Antarctic, then imagine what South Africa can do. Let's do it!"
And when a golf cart crammed with a ministerial delegation rode over his brother's foot, he returned to work the same evening after being treated in hospital. But he is nonchalant about meeting local and foreign leaders. "I toured with [Zimbabwean President] Robert Mugabe yesterday, but it doesn't matter to me," says Tebogo. "We are all just people. At this summit, I've seen a lot of people come with reactions but not actions - and actions speak louder than words."
For volunteer Jacob Ngozo, however, ferrying Mugabe around Ubuntu Village was something of a highlight. "He's a very nice oke. He's just an ordinary person man," he says. "I became a volunteer because I wanted to know what's happening with the governments of the world, to see what they're doing. Now I've learnt so much."
Before the village was opened, the volunteers attended courses on communication skills and how to conduct themselves. They were even given some intellectually demanding background on the United Nations and the need for the summit. For a week, they patrolled the expansive domains of the village - and, judging by the favourable comments the group has received, they literally did go the extra mile for the visitors to Ubuntu.
"We've had the most amazing feedback from the delegates", says Lana Snyman, head of human resources at Ubuntu Village. "We've had the crème de la crème visiting us and our volunteers have made me proud. We made sure that our volunteers were not just 'Hello, how are you?' guides. We made an effort to enlighten them as walking, talking information guides.
"It has been the most positive and enriching experience of my life," she says. "There is such a great interaction between us, and I feel blessed to have met them."
Each volunteer worked eight-hour shifts, shifts that sometimes seemed to stretch into eight days, they admit. "We did get tired," says Collines Nkosi, who lives in Bertrams, Johannesburg. "That's natural. But we've all been drawing on our energy reserves. At all times, it's been enjoyable." Nkosi plans to further his studies in disaster management, spurred on by his newfound knowledge of management at Ubuntu.
At first glance, Mary Whitworth seems an unlikely volunteer. At 56, she's also a mother of two children. "I just wanted to be a part of it," she says. "To me it's the most amazing thing. Three great things have been a part of South Africa - the 1994 elections, the rugby world cup and now the summit the whole world is focused on. We could never do something like this during apartheid." She says, with a wry smile, that now that the summit is over she will return to her job as "mother's taxi".
Tryphine Thethe says that working as a volunteer and spending most of her time outdoors in the sunshine has been worlds away from the dull confines of her office. Now she is not too sure if she wants to return to her office job. As she says, "It's been such a wonderful experience for me to work with different people from all over the world, and with my fellow volunteers. It's something of great value, which leaves me with a great feeling."
There can be no doubt that for these volunteers, listing a United Nations project such as the summit on their CVs could take them to exciting places. But even if it does not land them new and equally exciting jobs, they have undeniably sampled one of the best experiences offered by South Africa's hosting of the summit.
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