Surfer's Paradise
by Charlie Edwards
Rachel B and I spent time with Tom Hewitt who runs the Umthombo project, a charity/ think tank that aims to build relationships with street children in Durban. The organisation's goal is to reunite street children with their family, and where this is not possible act as a friendly bridge to the local shelters. The plight of the street children in Durban is emblematic of wider socio-economic problems in the city and the local government is desperate to 'fix' the problem'the reason? Durban is one of the cities that will host the 2007 World Cup in South Africa but the city will only be selected if the local authority literally 'cleans up its act'. Instead of sweeping the problem under the carpet as the authority regularly does, it should engage with local organisations such as the Umthombo project- officials might find the answer to their problems lie at their feet.