The Science and Technology Train 2012 - background

The rural village of Matjiesfontein is being pointed out by myself. We walked there every day across the 'vlakes' and railway lines. Here I am carrying a new box for the library cards for the school library which still needs to be set up. The tiny public library is only open half day and the children have no where to study or work through reference books like encyclopedias, Creating a school library with a study area is vital. The computer center now set up by the university has very old computers but at least its a start. At present only one teacher can access Internet via a mobile modem and she does all the searching for the junior and high school children who do not even know how to use Internet.

The Train to Matjiesfontein came as a result of us traveling to Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape of South Africa rural area. It is part of the up-liftment project of the Science and Technology Train which will travel to all the poorer areas bringing the truth and a love for science and mathematics to children who have never had the opportunity to see 'science' at its best.  
Mentoring classes and computers will form part of the project. Old train carriages have already been donated, just funding is needed to get it off the ground. It is around R4 million rands for the basic project, but it can be done. Dr Stoffel Fourie from Tshwane University of Technology Science campus, has such a vision and heart for this project - it has to work.

Partners are also erecting a gigantic telescope there - largest in African. This will bring work for the poor coloured community who lives in the surrounding areas.

I am working on the side project of community up-liftment and am busy upgrading the local rural Public Library, introducing technology and mentoring - it meets the needs of the local community but not necessary the needs of the school. Too small to expand futher. 

I am trying to create a school library in the town at Matjiesfontein. The school has one store room it will let me use. Needs shelves, book boxes for preschool grade, paint, carpets and windows for the to-be library, and a container for a new store room.

I have one computer and a few second hand books to give them. Have bought them a simple program for managing their stock. Will train them next time around.

I am also needing tables and chairs for the school children. 

???    Can you help make make a difference in their lives. Do e-mail me kniped@tut.ac.za for an address if you want to be part of this project and have the finances to send the furniture or paint, carpets etc to me. I will make sure it reaches its destination via the Tshwane University of Technology, Science Library where I work as a Training Librarian. Together we can make a difference in the lives of the children of Africa.  Denyse

The Train to Matjiesfontein Pt 2

The Dining Car

The icy Karoo morning air slips through the cracks where the double pane used to be and makes its presence felt kissing my cheek and gnawing at my finger tips and toes.

The dining room meets us unadorned, its naked tables staring back at us, not a placemat, cutlery or curtain in sight.

For a few seconds a flashback to earlier times when as a child I travelled on the train from Cape Town to family – reluctantly forces its way back into my brain. “Don’t live in the past”, I think but the picture is indelible, printed in my memories forever and not that easily brushed aside.

The sound of the gloomy meal time gong once again echoes down the long winding corridors of the carriages. “First sitting”, calls out the ghost of Christmas past. Tables elegant with white “brookie” lace table clothes and serviettes greet the hungry traveler, ladened with fresh fruit and a protea to remind us of the land of milk and honey that we all were part of.

White waiters a splendor in their black and white attire and waistcoats, sweep past with professional ease – extending the warmth of a South Africa welcome to visitors to its shores and taking orders for the steaming hot three course breakfast served on white plates with heavy silver cutlery engraved with pride S&R.

Hot coffee would be served warming the insides and the double window panes and bright curtains would fight the battle and keep the icy fingers of the Karoo morning air outside. It feels like yesterday and then reality kicks in tearing me back to the present with a voice of the waitress wearing the same dirty apron she wore last night at dinner.

“We have no..” as the waitress starts to rattle off a list of what is not available on the menu once again. No surprize here, we accept this without complaint or resistance. Our Fatherland is slowly closing down one service at a time. Lack of service delivery, lack of training, lack of insight, lack of implementing quality to enhance self-pride in ones work – who knows, who cares?

“May we have two eggs please in place of all the missing items”, sparks a running debate of over fifteen minutes with the rest of the staff relaxing in the back chairs of the dining coach. The team decides this time and only this time they will break the rule and supply one extra egg. Thank goodness I almost thought we would have to wait till lunch for a decision, making the extra egg redundant.

“I would like my eggs soft and coffee please”, I dare to ask.

“What?” She scowls, reminiscent of an old school ma’am in Oliver. “You want your coffee first?” The menu clearly states juice (in a foam-a-lite cup), two choices of breakfast (of which they have almost none of the ingredients) followed by coffee. I knew I was expecting too much these people are trained like parrots and cannot deviate from the menu without a “debate” with the rest of the staff texing in the back seats. My heart sunk, lunch time was coming closer by the minute. Then she spun around walked to the kitchen and brought me a cold plate of food with eggs so hard I would need a hack-saw to cut through them, and then ten minutes later thankfully, the hot coffee with steaming milk in a plastic cup appeared. No I did not ask for the juice, would you have?

In the days of old the train driver would slow down during meal times and catch up later. This train driver put his “foot in die hoek”, with the wheels conveying his message – “I want to get home, get home, get home, home”. Coffee splashed everywhere, the ice cold butter tore at the cold toast, the eggs rolled over one more time to die. I just sighed and ate as fast as I could, wrestling for the last time with the Karoo air still sneaking through the cracks determined to freeze the coffee as well, left a tip and in passing, glanced at the younger generation who had crawled in late for breakfast - thankful that maybe it was just as well they did not know what they were missing.

The New South Africa – love it or leave it! 2012


The Train to Matjiesfontein came as a result of us traveling to Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape of South Africa rural area, and was part of the up-liftment project of the Science and Technology train which will travel to all the poorer areas bringing the truth and a love for science to children who have never had the opportunity to see 'science' at its best. Partners are also erecting a gigantic telescope there - largest in African. I am working on the side project of community up-liftment and am busy upgrading the local rural Public Library, introducing technology and mentoring. I am trying to create a school library in the town at Matjiesfontein. The school has one store room it will let me use. Needs paint, carpets and windows.I have one computer and a few books. I am also needing tables and chairs for the school children. Can you help make make a difference in their lives. Do e-mail me kniped@tut.ac.za for an address if you want to be part of this project and have the finances to send the furniture or paint, carpets etc to me. I will make sure it reaches its destination via the Tshwane University of Technology, Science Library where I work as a Training Librarian.