Project name: Alternative History Project Date of interview: 2007-09-13 Location of interview: Sebokeng, Gauteng Language of interview: Sotho/English Name of Interviewer/s: Dale McKinley & Ahmed Veriava Name of Interviewee/s: Daniel Serame Masemola Name of translator: Joseph Matutoane Name of transcriber: Moses Moremi Audio file name: AHP_SEB_MasemolaDanielSerame_20070913 INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL SERAME MASEMOLA. Dale McKinley (DM): Just for the record so that we have it on the tape - can you just state your full name please? Daniel Serame Masemola (DSM): I am Daniel Serame Masemola. I came here in 1965 from the place called Meyerton. DM: Were you born in Meyerton, is that your home? DSM: I was born in Henley-on-Klip, district Vereeniging. DM: What year were you born? DSM: 1921. DM: In 1921? DSM: Yes. DM: And you lived there until 1965, until you moved here? DSM: Yes, in 1965 I came here from Meyerton. Should I tell about my wife? DM: You can tell us whatever you want Daniel. DSM: I got married to Merriam Dikeledi Moabi and we had 9 children. God gave me those children and I have struggled to give them education and they have now all been educated. When we came here it was difficult; we were given the stamps that these houses will be ours in five years time. But the superintendent from Residentia took those stamps from us so that we cannot get those houses. It was a very serious problem and we fought too much with the committee that we had on this community. The committee said if you don’t pay your rent after seven days, they will throw out your belongings and the house will be locked up. When it’s been thrown out they will be destroyed by rain and dust. From there, when I thought I was resting I found the letter from the superintendent saying that they are giving people the rights called titles, for the place. Daniel Serame Masemola: 2007-09-13: 1 DM: Daniel I just want to ask you … when you were growing up in Meyerton what was life like when you grow up there in the 1930s and 40s … can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? DSM: The world of Meyerton was for Mr Shapiro in 1933, when Meyerton it started to be there. Well my life by that time was quite well, without problems. My father was John Masemola, he was working at the hotel as a chef and he was earning 3 pounds a month. I went to school and my teacher was Mr. Laqua from Sub A. After passing my Std. 7 my first job was at the Mining Springfield as Mapalani (clerk) at Amalgamation. After that I went to Viljoensdrift - I was also a Mapalani. It is a long story, I don’t know. DM: Daniel when you were doing these jobs, when you got your first few jobs there - tell us a little bit about how things were like in terms of your living … were you married already or did you have children at that point? How was life - was it difficult for you or were things ok? DSM: I was already married. I remember in 1939 during the war of Adolph Hitler. It was then that hunger came and we even experienced the shortage of mealie-meal. By that time to get mealie-meal you were to go to the queue at around 03h00 in the morning to the place, I was number 7 to buy mealie-meal. I remember one day I was at the queue and the person who has to sold us mealie-meal came and looked at me in my eyes and denies selling me mealie-meal saying I am young. By that time I was having three children. I went back to take my marriage certificate and at that time my children had no food. From there the jobs that I did besides those of mines … I was in Leuhoof police station because that place was for the soldiers of 1939 at that time for it to be a prison I was one of the builders there. I even built the Vereeniging Court and the police station. DM: Were you working for yourself as a builder or were you working for someone? DSM: I was working for that company to build; I was there to carry cement, wheelbarrows that time they used to make a step as far as highest … then with certain steps on the plank and for a way only for the wheelbarrow upwards and it was loaded down there and I was the first man that the supervisor would call and say come young boy - they called me pickinin - come and push up this wheelbarrow. Then I was there to take a full wheelbarrow with cement running up with it … But the other people, the big people when they come they could not go up - in fact it was that because I was a trainer I was full, I used to be a boxer. I was full and I had power ja and then those old people, when he is in the middle of the way up the wheelbarrow is falling off and he is discharged at the moment, same time. DM: So you were very good at what you were doing, they liked the work that you did? DSM: Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes. DM: How long did you work as a construction worker there? DSM: Is only the moment is that how long that house takes … only how long they take to build a big house. The interpreter: He asked you how long did you work at the constructions? Daniel Serame Masemola: 2007-09-13: 2 DSM: Ooh it was very difficult. People were discharged within seven days, three days, you used to work here and tomorrow you are discharged for nothing. You have got to look … hey we used to suffer to look for work. And then we were called to come together there at the wire works while we are a group at this time waiting for the managers to come and choose … I want you, I want you, I want you and the police were there. When the police were there we were all arrested … that we are loafers while we are looking for the job. There used to be a police man of Vereeniging, he was travelling on the site car motor vehicle - his name was Lang Piet. That man was very strict … we had those Dom Pass … when he comes to you he says ‘pass’ … you take out your hands and you go at the back of your pockets taking out this pass - then he says jy sit op die pass on jou gaat and then he would clap you. It was very difficult. It was very heavy. DM: So what other kind of work after the construction did you do? Tell us about the other work that you did. DSM: From there locally, let me just say to finish up these things … I used to work for the China man, Mr Hong, there at Meyerton – being a clerk, being a man driving his truck selling everything, running for the whole place there. People were buying and within certain days this side that day, this side that day, is where I used to work for a longer time. Then I was a principal that the China man has to give me the numbers and I must go and pull fafe (numbers) for the people. I’m on his car giving me he used to have new cars driving to go to Henly on Klip, Daleside, Thabeng tsa Manong pulling fafe there. I’m there just to give the people the number, taking the bag of money just like that and then going back. He is there to look and check and pay the people. Something else now at Residentia should I tell what Residentia is now. DM: Ok just before you do that let’s just move forward a bit. What made you come to this area – Residentia when you moved … what brought you here and your family here? DSM: We wouldn’t know, we were just told that we have got to move from Meyerton to come here. And we were offered R300 per house although it was build at your house with face bricks or whatever it is. We were just given R300 to move from that place and leave. You leave the house as it is, you just take the things inside the house … zincs, windows everything, you are just leaving it like that. DM: So were you forcibly removed? DSM: Yes I had to leave my house as it is the windows, roof everything. Ahmed Veriava (AV): Who told you to leave? DSM: The superintendent of the place at that time. AV: What happened to the people who didn’t take the money and didn’t want to leave? DSM: It was a matter of must move, we had to move. Although they never wanted to move but there was a matter of must to move there. Then there used to be a certain rondovel house - that house was left there while other people, you know how people there are some taking their zincs, whatever. And that house, inside that house there was a three footed pot - a small one in the middle of that house. You will find in that pot there is mealies inside, it is cooking … and then that house, it was the house that was left, I don’t Daniel Serame Masemola: 2007-09-13: 3 know how did they abolish that house.