Survivor of Apartheid Assassination Attempt Gives a Speech

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            Hey there world,

Getting pretty used to the grind here. Wake up, eat breakfast, drive to the satellite campus of University of Pretoria, sing worship, teach English, eat lunch, teach photography, practice worship, go home.

However, that grind was interrupted by a speech during morning assembly by the headmaster of the University of Pretoria satellite campus. He was first introduced by Richard, who told a short storythat I have already heard more than once while working with The Mamelodi Initiative. He said tat 5 years ago when He was trying to start the initiative that there was one person in particular that told him three things; First is that no matter what he did he would never get SA’n college students to volunteer because they simply didn’t care about the kids in the township, second he was told that kids would never show up and use their breaks to better themselves and lastly he was told that the program at most would last one or two years before it fell apart. Well five years later, The Mamelodi Initiative has seventy SA’n volunteers and last year 90% of students showed up to program every single day. Richard then always ends that speech the same way, by mentioning the naysayers didn’t account for God.

Then it was time for the man of the hour,

Edwin. His story was highly wrapped up in education and Apartheid. During Apartheid he had been exiled from the country, for organizing against the government. He sought to better himself through education but had to stay on the run from government spies, forcing him to flee to many different countries. He finally found safety and Soloman Mahlango freedom College in Tanzania. Mahlango had been born in Mamelodi, and statue stand in his likeness in Mamelodi West to this day. Mahlango was hung for Apartheid crimes at an early age, it is reported that his final words on the stool to his mother before it was kicked out from under him where as follows, “Do not cry Mother because I am not afraid. Tell my people and my country that I love them. Tell them my blood will water the tree of freedom.” In his third year in college and seventh year as a refugee, an Aparthied government spy poisoned Edwin and his fellow students. The man had infiltrated the cook staff of the college and was hired on as a chef. After reportedly chasing Edwin for three years, with a vile of poison hidden in his rectum, he carried out the deed. Edwin was dying but specimen samples were taken to a University and the poison was able to be indentified and an antidote was developed. Edwin ended up surviving the assassination attempt. He stood there before us as a testament of perseverance in education and someone who had put his life on the line to fight unjust rule. I would like to say that his speech ended there but it actually went on to be quite long and many students had their heads in the clouds by the time he was done.

And with that note, knowing that even the best of stories can be ruined when there isn’t a concise point I’ll end my post here for today.

Just two shots today, students doing portraits on the left and the Mamelodi Initiative Co-Director Mische Kang on the right.

Please pray that:

Children were able to take the inspriring pieces of Edwin’s story and take them to heart, that they are able to appreciate their opportunities for education knowing that if they had been born not so long ago they likely would have been robbed of that opportunity.

God bless and all the best,

Dylan Rollins