Labour for the mining industry is mainly drawn from workers from other provinces. Thousands of men spend months away from home to earn an income to support their families.

Many of them return home in their death beds

7 year old girl: I take out tablets for him, some water and give it to him ‘€“ because he’€™s very sick. [Fade under]’€¦Then I wash the dishes, scrub the floors.  [In IsiXhosa]

Yolisa: This tiny seven year old tells me how she takes care of her sick father. She goes on to explain what chores she has to perform at home after school. Chores like washing dishes and scrubbing floors.

Her father is bedridden. He was sent home from his workplace ‘€“ a mine in Welkom in the Free State ‘€“ a couple of years ago. He has lost track of time therefore doesn’€™t remember when he came back. And everyday is a struggle for him’€¦

Mzatshukelwa Silangu: I’€™m strained, (coughing intensely) I’€™m terrible strained. I don’€™t know what I will do with these children [fade under] [In IsiXhosa]

Yolisa: He has four children. Three are being looked after by distant relatives.

He was diagnosed with HIV when he arrived home from the mines. Tat’€™uMzatshukelwa is one of a great number of mineworkers whose migrant lifestyle brings the HI Virus back to the rural homes. He has now succumbed to AIDS. His only hope is the help he receives from Bambisanani ‘€“ a home-based care project operating in this area.

Litha Klass: Bambisanani Project is a public private partnership project’€“ that was developed by a project called Equity – which was supported by USAID to strengthen primary health care services in the Eastern Cape and we were piloting home-based care.

When we started this concept of partnership with Bambisanani, the communities were very angry that people are coming to be dumped in the Eastern Cape to die.

Yolisa: Litha Klass ‘€“ the project co-ordinator. The Bambisanani project services Umzimkhulu, Bizana and Lusikisiki in the former Transkei. These areas are further divided into villages.

All three communities are allocated along the Kwa-Zulu Natal border, the province with the highest HIV/AIDS incidence in the country.

Klass says their work is made extra difficult by the non co operation of TEBA. TEBA is an organisation that recruits mineworkers for the South African mining industry. TEBA is also responsible for ensuring payments of various benefits as well as savings to workers and their families in rural areas.

Litha Klass:   They die. The system is not assisting on our communities. They are sent by the mines to be transported by TEBA. When they land here, they land straight to the communities. Not even having a one stop where they can be put over in a hospital for resuscitation. And those are the things that we were discussing and unfortunately those discussions between Bambisanani and TEBA failed.

Yolisa: This region is one of the most economically depressed areas in the country. Poor communication and transport infrastructure makes delivery of any kind of services difficult. The nearest clinic in this area is about an hour away.

Tatu’€™Mzatshukelwa is not able to stand up on his own ‘€“ let alone walk. Chances of him making it to the clinic are non – existent. So he depends on the help he gets from Bambisanani.

Bambisanani has employed one professional nurse to service some 35 villages in this area.

Nurse Nqeketho: The roads are really bad and the locations are scattered. If you are driving from Kokstad to the point of work, it’€™s almost an hour before you reach your destination. And once you’€™re there you’€™ve got to leave the car and walk down the road, a steep road.

Yolisa: Nurse Zikho Nqeketho. The nurse is supported by other people employed by Bambisanani   who visit these homes from time to time. They are known as care givers.

Bambisanani’€™s strength is often challenged by extreme poverty here.  

I arrive at Tatu’€™Mzatshukelwa’€™s house at 12h30. He says he last had tea in the morning. He’€™s now waiting for his 7-year-old daughter to come home from school and help him. He lost his wife two years ago.

Mzatshukelwa Silangu: When the pain is unbearable ‘€“ I start wondering mmmmh ‘€“ I wonder what is going to happen to my children. [In IsiXhosa]

Yolisa: He worries about what will happen to his children when he dies. After 19 years in the mining industry, Tat’€™uMzatshukelwa has nothing to show except for his ill health. He now survives on a government grant.

He’€™s just one in a number of those who’€™re facing this predicament.

Litha Klass: There are a lot of people who’€™re being sent from the mines to the Eastern Cape to die