LAND STORIES Samson – the Water Man

Production by Ciara O’Donaghue & Zama Lithuli

Meet Samson – the water man, a resident of Hogsback and a plumber. This video is about Samson Matini, a resident of Hogsback and plumber. Samson speaks about his family land history, the impact of not being able to own land and how moving around prior to settling at Esikhululweni affected him and his family. Samson’s expertise lies in water and water systems and he uses this skill to try and help his community. Samson also shares his knowledge on the water systems in Hogsback and how the forestry company plantation affects the water supply and quality.

This film is one of six videos made to illustrate a range of typical Land struggles that people living in the Thyme River catchment in South Africa have experienced during their lifetimes.
A common feature in each of the six participants’ stories is the role and impact of insecure tenure on their own lives, their families and their communities. Although each family now has a ‘secure’ home, many of the participants have moved several times – between farmland, communal land, land owned by employers and as well as absentee landowners.
Despite the right to housing being enshrined in the South African Constitution, 24 years after the advent of democracy, the families have yet to secure formal tenure. Each of the stories highlight aspects of the ongoing struggle to ‘live a good life’ – many gained access to electricity for the first time in late 2017. The films provide a digital record for the young people in each family of how their parents struggled to have a permanent place called home.