New Life in Eldorado Park

With the hint of spring in the air and the blossoming of the apple flower we know that new hope and life is on the way.

So too it seemed today as I participated in a restorative justice and conflict resolution workshop in a township of Soweto called Eldorado Park. It was not long ago that this 'coloured' township was known for its violence and had one of the most corrupt police precincts in South Africa. Drugs, abuse and violence abounded!

Finally out of desperation the churches banded together to do something. A Community Policing Forum' was started and things began to change. A local pastor headed the forum and established a good working relationship with the police chief. Twice most of the police force was replaced due to corruption charges. Citizens, equipped with cell phones, took to the streets and reported crime and violence. A new spirit entered the township and issues were dealt with quickly and firmly. When we visited there last year the Forum Commissioner told us it was now one of the safest places to walk in Soweto and anywhere in Johannesburg.

The workshops today were part of a multi-year training effort MCC is sponsoring among church leadership, police force and the Eldorado Park community. The southern Africa MCC Regional Peace Network advisor Carl Stauffer was the resource person for the day. With humour, incredibly dynamic stories of conflict resolution efforts from the transitional years just after the collapse of the apartheid system, and solid theory Carl introduced the 26 township residents to conflict mediation.

Role playing at times became almost serious in nature and when two people were asked to try to mediate a case study conflict between the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party you would almost have thought it was the real thing with all the shouting and positioning and pounding the table that occurred. Needless to say it was a great way to introduce the concept of mediation and the two new mediators quickly looked for help!

There was a lot of resonance with the ideas being presented and much discussion about issues such as violence, gender discrimination and dealing with a court system that was retributive in nature. When I went outside during one of the breaks to warm up in the sun I came across a group of young adults passionately engaged in a gender related discussion about the revictimization of women in the court system. One of the men pulled me to his side to explain his understanding of the role of men and women in society. Needless to say we did not resolve all the issues - but when people engage the realities within their community, then there is indeed hope for new life and restored relationships in a context of peace and justice based on the well-being of all citizens.