The children wake up early in the morning to fetch water. They are used to waking up at 4am because water comes very slowly (spring water) from a bore hole after many have used it. The mother wakes up at 5am and cooks porridge for the children to eat before they go to school. Other days they may eat left-overs from the previous evening meal.

When the children come back from collecting water they bathe, eat their porridge and leave home at 6am to walk to school. This walk can take up to one hour and a half.

The mother cleans the house, cooks food, goes to the garden, and does the washing during the day. When the children come back from school they will have food, wash the dishes and fetch water again for cooking the evening food. They will wash their school uniform, and after eating the evening meal the children do their homework and then sleep. They sleep earlier to save candles. (Sunset times range from 5pm to 7pm through the year, Ed).

Girls sleep together in their room and boys in their room, providing they do have enough rooms. Others sleep altogether in one room.

They fetch wood during the week-end. Every afternoon, boys fetch cows or goats, depending on what they have. For those who do not have animals the boys assist with the wood collection.

There is no water and electricity in most areas. It depends, but there can be five to fifteen people in one family. Most families have grand children. Girls start having babies while at school, others after Matric at 18 years old.

Sons and daughters stay living at home because there are no job opportunities. They could be staying with parents and depending upon them until they are 40 years old and more. Families rely on pension funds provided by the state for the elderly and for carers.

Their groceries are mielie meal (A coarse flour made from maize, Ed), dried beans, rice, potatoes, tinned fish, cooking oil, sugar and peanuts. There’s a grass that they boil to have tea. Bread is very rare. Some do have free-range chickens.