ANNA MOFOKENG

For the price of a loaf of bread

Anna Mofokeng was a shack dweller in Ivory Park, an informal settlement near Olifantsfontein. After a storm washed away a nearby shack, taking a sleeping baby inside with it, Anna set out to ensure that such a tragedy never befell her own family.

Instead of waiting for handouts from the government, Mofokeng and six friends started putting away R3.50 a day - the equivalent of a loaf of bread. Each week they used their savings to buy bricks.

They used the bricks to start building a wall. After a month they had completed a wall, then a room, and eventually an entire house with a proper foundation - and so began the Masisizane Women's Club.

The department of labour, recognising their efforts, trained the women to make their own bricks, build and weld their own window frames.

To date, the Masisizane Women's Club has built over 300 houses in Thembisa and Soweto, and has grown to include 4 500 members around Gauteng.