Diary of a South African roadtrip

The BBC's Peter Biles is keeping a diary of his travels across South Africa examining issues facing the governing African National Congress (ANC) ahead of its major leadership contest and national conference in December:

MONDAY 5 NOVEMBER

Msinga district, KwaZulu-Natal

An overnight stop at Hilton in the lush green hills above Pietermaritzburg brings the title of an Alan Paton novel to mind: Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful.

The city lies hidden beneath us in the morning mist, but the views are spectacular nonetheless.

The latest journey takes us through Greytown, into rural KwaZulu-Natal. Following the south bank of the Tugela River, we transfer to an old bakkie [pick-up truck] to travel up the hills in this remote Msinga district.

Without schools, our children won't learn anything Sikebhe Majozi Farmer, KwaZulu Natal

This is one of the basic problems facing the people in these small settlements.

The villages are accessed by stony dirt tracks, and sometimes people have to walk up to 10km to catch a lift.

Msinga includes the towns of Colenso, Weenan and Tugela Ferry but most people live in traditional, rural areas.

Polygamy is still practised. Families are large and often uneducated.

Sikebhe Majozi welcomes us to his Zulu homestead.

He has two wives and 17 children, although many of them have left home in search of work.

Basic infrastructure is lacking

Mr Majozi was born in 1948, the year the National Party came to power and began implementing apartheid.

But after 13 years of ANC government, Mr Majozi's life is still pretty tough.

The family home consists of four thatch-roofed rondavels, a small additional brick building and a kraal for a complement of cattle and goats.

Mr Majozi farms on a small scale, and receives welfare grants from the state.

But the basic infrastructure is lacking: "We have no water," he complains.

"And we need more schools and roads. Without schools, our children won't learn anything."

The school was too far away, and we used to worry about walking home through the bush. We could get raped Khethi, 13

He regrets the fact that his own father was unable to send him to school half a century ago.

At 0600 local time, soon after dawn, I join two of Mr Majozi's daughters, Lingi, 15, and Khethi, 13, on a 20-minute walk to the river to collect water.

Each carries a 20 litre plastic container.

Both of them dropped out of school last year.

"The school was too far away, and we used to worry about walking home through the bush. We could get raped," says Khethi.

Everyone in the Majozi family has a job during the day.

Thirteen-year-old Dando helps his father herding the livestock.

And when the family sits around a small wood fire inside one of the huts at night, the conversation turns to the future.

"I don't want my children to grow up like me," says Mr Majozi. "I want them to have a better life."

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Read Peter Biles' previous diary entry

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