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WOW! FREE TICKETS TO THE AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS FINAL!

“Happiness is…” going to the AFCON final! Emma, Moise and Rafik waiting to go into the stadium

Felix, our Sudanese Medical Technology student, is not only a boffin, but also a great soccer fan. “Happiness is……” going to the AFCON final. Thanks to our Dr Emmanuel.

For Emma it was like a dream being fulfilled!

OUR BOOK

For years the request has been made that the truly amazing history of our Mercy work should be put down on paper. Finally and at last this really has happened. In December we printed just enough copies for our benefactors and interested persons. It is available from Emmanuel (free of charge) to anyone who would like to read and use it. A huge big thank you to our Emmanuel who spent hours, without any financial reward, in type-setting and designing this beautiful book. Feedback from those who have read it is, that they were simply unable to put it down until they had finished reading it, so much did it move and engage them. If anyone is looking for a tool to deepen their faith in the Year of Faith, this would certainly be something that would qualify. 

OUR THANK YOU LUNCHEON

On Sunday, 20 January, we had our first ever coming together of persons involved in supporting Mercy House. We decided that we would thank our benefactors with a luncheon. They also received the gift of the above-mentioned book. The occasion was held at Koinonia Retreat Centre and began with Holy Mass celebrated by Comboni Father John Maneschg. Father gave a very meaningful sermon, describing our work as a “Movement of Mercy,” which we hope will be prophetic!
Comboni Father Provincial, Father Jeremiah, was unable to be present, but sent us a message which was read out at the end of the Mass, relating to the Gospel of the day, namely the Miracle of Cana. 

  

His message commenced with the thought-provoking and rather mind-boggling words that, “The miracle of Cana happens every day at Mercy House…” Indeed, we hope and pray that this is and will remain true always.
After the Mass and lunch, Emmanuel gave a presentation about our work, which was quite an eye-opener for many. The day was blessed. It was indeed a “best wine” day!

VISITOR FROM CONGO (DRC)

ST VINCENT’S BRAAI

VISIT FROM COMBONI FATHER ANDREW

CHRISTMAS WAS FUN

As usual our Christmas celebration was lovely. Thanks to the donations of gifts from Rosebank Union Church and several individuals, everyone received a gift. Moise, our 12 year old from Rwanda, was Father Christmas. 

He had several pillows under his belt, so he was a really fat Father Christmas, but the belt came loose during the gift-giving, and suddenly Father Christmas lost weight. The celebration went on. We were grateful to have our Combonis with us: Provincial Father Jeremiah and Father John Maneschg.
The really delicious lunch was provided, as last year, by a most generous woman: Anna, to whom we are deeply grateful since we could not have managed this catering (for 60 people) alone. May the Christ-Child duly deliver His rewards.
We wish all our viewers a good New Year. Pray for us.

KASIA REVISITS

BACK TO STUDIES 

FOR THE JEWELS IN OUR CROWN!

Left to right: School boys Moise, Zeng and Emmanuel

Mugisha, left, and Norbert, right, both of whom were enrolled at Nationwide school this year, through the kindness of sponsors.

In the first and second week of January our scholars and students returned to their work. Through the very generous responses to the appeal in parishes for help with education, we were able to help many school children, not only those who live in but even more who live out, with stationery, text books, uniforms and fees. Thanks also to St Richards in the UK who raised money towards education at their Christmas market as well.

Zeng

On Wednesday, 6 June 2012 Vanneaux Kongolo, young refugee from the DRC, took his life.  It was an act of total despair and desperation.

Vanneaux was a person of great integrity, with a fixation for the truth and justice.  This is why as a student in DRC he got involved in the opposition party in politics, to fight abuse and corruption in the Kabila government. He was a very strong character. It would take a lot to bring him to this.  He fled from the DRC in 2006, when, in February  he was on his way with 2 friends to a political meeting, and stopped to buy some airtime.  Soldiers spotted his car and shot at it, not knowing that he was not inside, killing his one companion and wounding the other. Someone smsed him when he was inside the shop and told him not to come out. He escaped out of the back door and made off very soon, to leave his country and come to South Africa.  He knew that he could no longer stay in the DRC, because his life was seriously threatened.

To receive recognition as a refugee the international criteria are:

1. Having to flee from one’s country for reason of political persecution or war

2..  That one’s life would be threatened if one returned.

Clearly Vanneaux qualified on these international criteria. but, against all justice, his request for refugee status was rejected. Vanneaux was denied this right, which  was not only totally unjust but a death sentence for him as history has now shown.  As a result of this unfair rejection, Vanneaux was unable to get registered with the Health Council to do his profession, physiotherapy ( which was a cause of tremendous suffering to him), he had very  great difficulty in opening a bank account and so on and so on.  We appealled against the rejection and Diana Beamish sat with him through his appeal in May 2008.  The lawyer/judge was completely understanding of his situation and we assumed he had granted him status, but Home Affairs never gave it to him – every time they simply said that they had never received any outcome from the Refugee Appeal Board.

His situation got worse and worse. He was attacked outside Mercy House (a home for refugees  in Johannesburg where he lived for most of his time in SA) and his refugee permit was stolen. When Home Affairs  reprinted it, they did so, but, oddly,  gave him a NEW ID number, to our great distress. So when he went to ABSA bank where Mercy House had been able to open an account for him, he was not allowed to withdraw his money, inspite of an affadavit from the police about the attack.  He walked around, desperate,  for months unable to draw on his salary.  That account was closed. In January 2012, Diana Beamish managed to get a new account opened for him at FNB and after a few weeks he went with enormous relief, to collect his ATM card. When he got there they told him that they now had a new regulation and could not give him his card until Home Affairs would verify his document. This was again another death sentence, because we knew that would never happen. It in effect closes banking to refugees.

I then went back to ABSA where he had his original account and explained to the situation to the manageres. She said that she would help him to reopen his account and gave him an appointment for Saturday 26 May, 8.00 a.m. When Vanneaux got there he was told that she had not come to work. No one helped him. He went home very, very disappointed. I called the manager again and she made another appointment for Saturday 2 June.  I found out 2 days before he died that he had not even gone.  He told me that he was feeling too depressed to even try.

 At this moment, June 2012,  there are THOUSANDS of refugees sleeping outside Home Affairs in a desperate attempt to get in tomorrow morning. Young refugees  are walking around illegal, BECAUSE IN SPITE OF GOING THERE daily and even sleeping outside in the cold, THEY CANNOT EVEN GET INSIDE, OR WHEN THEY DO,  THEY are TOLD TO COME BACK ANOTHER DAY.  It would appear to me that the treatment that they receive at HOME AFFAIRS is going to kill their spirit, humiliate them and slowly, psychologically strangle them to death, as this case shows.

Vanneaux just gave up hope on life. The root if all his problems emmanated from the fact that Home Affairs unjustly and xenophobically denied him refugee status which he qualified for and which would have enabled him to lead a normal life and contribute to society with his much-needed skills. It was a huge worry to him that he could not register in the profession which to him was a calling. He was a very solid and strong character – it would take a lot to break him, but Home Affairs did.

Moise

Zeng

Bertraud

Fabi

Sister Fidelis (Left) and Tish (Right) at Mercy House

Tish Holding

Little Kevin

At the Park

Tish in action on weekend

Youngest Enrique

having fun on weekend