Chapter 23 - Dompas Problem

In 1960, my brother Job came to Alexandra from Pietersburg. Job lived with my grandparents in a village in Pietersburg. When he came to stay with us in Alexandra, the family could finally be all together.

Job struggled to pass Standard 6 in Alexandra. This did not come as a surprise as he barely managed to pass Standard 5. He failed Standard 6 so many times that he finally gave up and started looking for a job. It was not easy for him to get a job because he was not born in Alexandra. In those days, the law prohibited anyone from outside Johannesburg to get a job in Alexandra.

My brother only had a baptismal certificate from Pietersburg. My mother accompanied him to the pass office to try and get him a dompas. At the pass office, he was told to go back to Pietersburg. My mother pleaded with the authorities. She explained to them that he was her son, and she did not want him to be separated from the rest of the family. The officials were cruel; they refused.

My mother went to the local pastor for assistance. Pastor Molaba lived in the Presbyterian church's premises in Tenth Avenue. The pastor ...

To read more on how the pastor helped Rose's mother and her brother on the dompass problem; buy the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Life-Alexandra-Township-Know/dp/1483693805 (Amazon) or http://www.takealot.com/the-memories-of-my-life-in-alexandra-township-i-know/PLID36786983 (Takealot).

My elder brother, Mashaole Job Rakoma,
who had a "dompass" problem.