I’m Ethel Tshandu. I grew up in Red hill. I was raised by a single mother. Life in Red Hill was not easy. We had no water. And electricity. I mean, there was no transport. We had to walk to Simons Town station and catch a train when going to town. It was not safe for women to walk alone because of rape and snakes on the way to the station. People had to walk in groups to be safe.

Growing up in Red Hill has made me strong and at the same time respectful, more open-minded and caring for other people. More loving to children. We used fire and paraffin stoves to cook food. We got water from people who cared. I don’t know where they came from. I was only nine years old. At times I was unhappy about the life in Red Hill. I even wanted to move to Masi but my mother said, “No, we are not moving.”

Red Hill has changed a lot. We have water now. Electricity and a library. I, Ethel, work at the library as an Associate Librarian.