This is an interview with  Miss Ngxothelwa, a woman in her 60s who lives in Nyanga. She is a retired teacher and went through the education system during the apartheid regime. 

Simamkele Zweni (Me): I know that you were born in Eastern Cape, what made you come to Cape Town?

Interviewee: I was born in Eastern Cape at Nqamakhwe, but at the age of 5 years I came to Cape Town because my father was working here. Because during apartheid time no man could live with his wife in Eastern Cape, they were expected to live in Cape Town and work to support their families. We lived in different places, I think in 60s we lived in Kensington, we lived with coloured people because there was no specific place for black people. After 1960s black people were divided from coloured people and that they must go and stay in Townships and that is why they made Nyanga. My father got a house in Nyanga in Zwelistha therefore we all lived together.

Simamkele Zweni (Me):Okay, so which schools did you attend as a result of all the moving?

Interviewee:First school was John Pama which was a primary school then I went to Walter Siteka where they finished up to standard 6, that time we wrote standard 6 internally, we got a certificate if you passed standard 6 then we go to High school level. That time there was no grades so it was form 1, form 2, form 3, at form 3 that was when you could choose what you want to study. Either you want to be a nurse or a teacher. So, I moved to Eastern Cape again for high school level because there were only a few high schools for black people in Cape Town and it couldn’t accommodate all of us. So, we left to live in Eastern Cape to find higher education in Colosa high school. 

Simamkele Zweni (Me):  How was the quality of education compared to now?

Interviewee:It’s far different, that time we studied everything. All the courses, we studied English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, History, Science, Geography, General Science, Mathematics I even studied Latin and Agriculture they mixed it all together. We studied all these courses and we didn’t even know our careers, we even did Biblical studies, all these courses,  even though you were not going to be the Ministry, but we did Biblical studies. 

 Simamkele Zweni (Me):  Oh wow that is interesting, what are things that we have now that your generation did not have, in terms of academic resources, for example computers?

Interviewee? No, we didn’t have all those things. We started from primary, there was something they called  islate, it was something like a small blackboard, from the Lower Primary. You write with a chalk and after you finish writing you wipe all those things, there was no notes, we didn’t have notes, you wipe everything. So, you had to keep everything that you have been taught by the teacher in your head. Till you go to the Higher Primary, in higher primary you were given a pencil and one exercise book. All the courses must be written in that 1 book, you mixed everything there. 

Simamkele Zweni (Me):  Did you strughle with remembering the work ?  

Interviewee: ( laughs) We had to remember everything since primary, we did not have a choice.

Simamkele Zweni (Me): So, after high school, what career options did you have as a black woman?

Interviewee: We could be a nurse, teacher, secretary. All these studies that you have now like psychologist, doctors, architect and engineers etc they were not there in our time so you can see that we have been oppressed even by the education system.

Simamkele Zweni (Me):  Do you think that if black people were given better education or the same quality education as white people, the poverty rate of black people wouldn’t be this high? 

Interviewee: Yes it wouldn’t be this high, if we were given the education. That is why we are the poorest of the poor.

This was written as part of the Fundza Fellowship Programme.