User:Snigdha.peddireddy/Wentworth, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

Wentworth, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal is a township of Durban, South Africa on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal. It is located completely inside an area known as the South Durban Basin. The Wentworth area is located near major freeways M4 and M7 is approximately 11 km south of the Durban City Centre.

History

During the years of apartheid, the Groups Area Act divided Durban South into racial districts, sections clearly seen along Tara Road. The nature reserve on this road, Bluff Nature Reserve, divided Wentworth from the Bluff and the “colored” people from the whites. In the 1960s, colored people, mostly renters from other regions, were relocated to the swamps and mostly unoccupied land of Wentworth (also known as Austerville). The lone red brick buildings in the area, once occupied by white military families, were converted into homes for the colored. Affluent colored families could purchase prime real estate on Treasure Beach. The expensive beachfront property was set aside for colored development. An area known as Happy Valley separated Treasure Beach from Tara Road and the Wentworth area. This bushland was the site of many informal settlements and tin shanties. They were soon demolished when the area’s largest oil refineries, Engen and Sapref moved in. Further down Tara Road, past Wentworth, is an area known as Merebank. This is where Indians were relocated. Colored and Indian people were not allowed to move into the white regions. The Groups Area Act was not unique to Durban South. It was found in many cities across the country, and is the reason for many homogenous townships and municipalities.

Culture

The primarily spoken languages in Wentworth and the surrounding areas are English, Zulu, Khosa, Afrikaans, Tamil, and Urdu.

Government and Infrastructure

Wentworth is part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and is served by its current councilor, Aubrey Snyman. Wentworth Hospital is a major government hospital located in the Bluff. The South African Post Office operates the Wentworth and Bluff Post Office on Austerville Road.

Economy

Many inhabitants of Wentworth and the South Durban Basin are employed by the major refineries and factories of South Africa, including Engen, Sapref, and Mondi Group. Despite the fact that Wentworth is a relatively industrialized area, many people in the area live below the poverty line. Furthermore, most families living in poverty struggle with drug and alcohol abuse and an extremely high rate of HIV infection.

Education

Primary Schools

• Assegai Primary: Assegai Primary School was founded in 1961 with the motto “Prosperity, Peace, Progress.” The classrooms that students sit in today, however, were not completed until about twenty years later. The school’s facilities include a computer room, library, and grounds with basketball and netball courts as well as a soccer field. The school begins with grade R and continues until grade 7, with four classes of about forty students per grade (excluding grade R, which has two classes). Each class has one teacher. However, the senior primary (grades 4 through 7) has recently adopted a successful program of specialization in which educators are assigned a subject and move from class to class to teach that particular discipline. Assegai’s students come from many different areas including both the surrounding Wentworth community and the nearby township of Umlazi. They are taught three languages (English, Zulu, and Afrikaans) in addition to the basic subjects such as Mathematics, Arts and Culture, Geography, etc. Learners also have the option to participate in after-school activities such as soccer, baseball, and rugby. The senior primary’s soccer team recently won an inter-school championship. The dedicated staff truly makes Assegai a close-knit community. Some members have been at the school for over 25 years. The educators provide a structured, nurturing, and positive environment for all of their students to grow, flourish, and perform to the best of their ability, making Assegai a truly special place to learn.
• Austerville Primary
• Collingwood Primary
• Durban East Primary
• Gardenia Primary
• Wentworth Primary

Secondary Schools

• Fairvale Secondary
• Interfellowship School
• Umbilo Secondary
• Wentworth Secondary

Public Libraries

Austerville Library is located on Austerville Drive next to the local community hall.

Non-governmental Organizations

The South Durban Basin area is known for having a vast number of NGOs, which can range from childrens’ homes to computer centers.

Isiaiah 54 Children’s Home

Started by Keith and Glynnis Dauth 26 years ago, Isiaiah 54 Children's Sanctuary is a place of safety for abused and abandoned children. Brought to the Home from welfare and police stations, the children of Isiaiah 54 become well-adjusted human beings with love and discipline. They learn that despite life's circumstances, there is hope, and that, no matter what happens, there is a "mom" and "dad" to turn to. The motto of the home is "Looking after the future of our community.”

Izandla Zenkosi

Izandla Zenkosi is a not-for-profit arm of the Olamarc company. Izandla strives to enhance and support coordination and collaboration among non-governmental organizations in the community and between NGOs and the corporate sector. Its operation is three-pronged: provide guidance to NGOs; provide job skills training to NGOs and community members; and facilitate cooperation among NGO groups. Izandla is establishing a community center, which intends to provide job training, a computer center, and other services to Wentworth citizens. Izandla works to enhance relationships between NGOs and the locally-based Engen and Sapref oil refineries, focusing on the corporations’ corporate social investment.

One Global Economy Computer Centre

The Centre houses approximately 20 computers and has two staff. It was launched with the assistance of other community groups as well as One Global Economy. It adjoins the public library, the local elected Councilor’s office, and a community hall. Children form lines at the door when the Centre opens after school. In the mornings and many evenings, the Centre is open for adults to attend computer classes and to use the centre for their computer needs.

South Durban Community Environmental Alliance

SDCEA focuses on environmental justice and related issues of concern to the citizens of Wentworth and neighboring communities. Its activities and initiatives include: monitoring air pollution and incidents, lobbying elected officials for clean air legislation, writing and distributing information to stakeholders, convening workshops to inform and empower community members, and working for sustainable urban development.

St. Monica Children’s Home

St. Monica Children’s Home is a non-governmental institution in the Bluff area, providing residential care to 87 court-appointed children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The home opened in 1895, under an Anglican missionary and takes in girls aged 3-18 and boys aged 3-12. The children go through a variety of skills programs— educational, social, and recreational—and are also offered counseling and reunification services as needed. St. Monica’s gives children who would otherwise be at risk on the streets of Durban a safe and nurturing home to grow up in and molds them into well-rounded and productive citizens. For more information, visit www.stmonicashome.co.za.

Wentworth Victim Friendly Centre

The Centre is responsible for counseling and providing support for people (mostly women and children) who have been abused. It consists of a small office and some counseling rooms and is staffed by four to five women at a time. The women advise a vast range of clients daily, from children who are struggling in school to victims of rape and sexual abuse. The Centre is located within the police station, and officers usually escort anyone who has been traumatized in some way to the office. The Centre has taken a new shelter and resource center across the road in order to accommodate more clients. The shelter will house battered women for any number of months. The resource center will be fully staffed and equipped with a boardroom, library, skills development room, and a play therapy room for abused children.

We Help Our Children (WHOC)

WHOC is a not-for-profit, youth led community-based organization established in 1994. For the past 16 years, it has grown from a local community-based organization in Wentworth to a well-established and highly regarded youth based organization that reaches local schools and youth with different backgrounds. WHOC has been instrumental in tapping the potential of youth in hard to reach areas. WHOC provides motivation for social action through the Lead 4 Change Programme and leadership and life skills training to through Leadership Training workshops, adventure camps, presentations, and other creative approaches to youth engagement. These programs regularly include youth of different cultures, ethnicities, genders, and those with vulnerabilities such as disabilities, HIV/AIDS and poverty. Most importantly, all of WHOC’s work emphasizes youth leadership development and strategies for empowering youth in their communities. Moreover, WHOC strives for sustainability by continuously developing relevant materials and helping the youth develop skills necessary for them to become leaders equipped to solve complex issues and be catalysts for change in their communities.

Keep a Child Alive – Blue Roof Clinic

Keep a Child Alive is an international NGO that operates the Blue Roof, an HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention clinic in Wentworth. Patients not only receive anti-retroviral drugs and a range of support services to address nutrition, mental health, and other needs.

Activities

There are many local soccer, rugby, and cricket leagues. Because of Wentworth’s proximity to the coast, the area is ideal for fishing and recreational swimming.