Orphans of Nkandla

120 kilometres north of the South African city of Durban lies Nkandla, the heart of Zululand, where running water and electricity are luxury amenities. As in so many other places in Africa, the community is infested by an AIDS epidemic. This documentary tells the story of a number of children who are about to become orphans. Until that time, they have to care for their dying parents with the few means they have. Like 13-year-old Mbali, who has to labour night and day, and another girl, Nobuhle, who takes care of her weakening mother and has to queue for her meagre monthly allowance. “We have a terrible life,” she says straightforwardly. A 16-year-old boy was forced to adopt his two parentless cousins and has to beg for food. They can no longer pay for school. A nun, Sister Hedwig, tries to help these children by getting them the right forms to apply for an allowance and by bringing them some food now and then, but this is only a drop in the ocean. 750,000 children in South Africa are orphans, and 5 million people have come down with AIDS, the voiceover tells us.