Staying with purpose: Changemakers build SA from the ground up

In early July, the Atterbury Theatre in Pretoria hosted a powerful panel discussion titled “How to stay in South Africa” under the banner of the Oosterlig NG Church and the Pretoria east civic organisation, Betereinders.

Speakers like Quinton Adams, Patrick Sekwatlakwatla and Dr Antoinette van der Merwe shared deeply personal stories of how they are transforming their communities and why they remain committed to South Africa, despite its many challenges.

Also on the bill were TikTok influencer Allison Edwina, comedian Themba Robin and Prof Johan Oberholster of The Moot Project.

The event was presented by a Pretoria discussion group, Oosterlig Dialoog (Dialogue), represented by JI de Wet of the NG Oosterlig congregation in Pretoria east, alongside Johan Erasmus from the Betereinders.

They highlighted the work of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to change the fabric of society.

Known affectionately as ‘The Shackbuilder’, Quinton Adams began his journey with relieving housing needs in the Western Cape when he and three young men, recently out of prison, started to build a shack on their request in an informal settlement.

They were without work and tools, but with Adams’ leadership, they built their first structure.

Adams has since dedicated his life to reimagining informal housing in South Africa.

“If you are not poor, you will never understand what it feels like to live in a place with no airflow, rats and dangerous odours,” he said.

His mission is to build safer, higher structures than the usual shacks, more than 2.7 metres tall, for ventilation and dignity.

Through his Backyard University, which includes practical courses like basic carpentry, Adams is equipping young people with the skills to rebuild their communities, shack by shack.

His work stretches from settlements in gangster-torn Manenberg in Cape Town to Soebatsfontein on the West Coast.

He has now been invited to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, where he will share his thoughts on rethinking housing.

“I stay because there is so much opportunity to make a difference,” Adams said.

He is also a psychologist and lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch. “I cannot wait to wake up each day to do the meaningful work of transforming societies one shack at a time because that is where the change begins. In the heart of the house.”

Working with Nick Serfontein of the Sernick Group since 2014, Patrick Sekwatlakwatla has helped build one of South Africa’s most effective models for developing emerging black farmers.

He started with a simple question: What do emerging farmers really need?

The answer was not charity. It was access, knowledge and opportunity.

“It only takes one person to take a step to get these into place and the rest will follow,” said Sekwatlakwatla.

The programme put together by himself and Serfontein integrates emerging farmers into the red meat value chain.

He started out with Serfontein by giving an emerging farmer a small herd and one Bonsmara bull of good stock in the Free State.

After four years, this farmer had a breeding herd of more than 200 high-quality meat cattle.

For him, it is most important to emphasise: “Farmers are taught not to manage poverty but to farm for profit.”

So far, the project has created 1 433 jobs, trained over 700 farmers and built a collective herd of thousands of meat cattle, especially Bonsmaras.

He believes that staying in South Africa is an act of love and respect. “By developing our farmers and our people, we are creating lasting change.”

After living in Switzerland, Dr Antoinette van der Merwe returned to South Africa with a renewed sense of purpose.

She is the creator of a popular podcast, which explores themes of identity and creativity as well as living in South Africa.

Through storytelling and cultural exploration, she inspires others to stay and invest in their communities.

“Our dreams were always rooted here,” she said. “I think as South Africans we underestimate how the place where we live influences our happiness through friendships, family and shared experiences.”

Her message is simple but profound: “There is much at stake in South Africa, but even more to fight for. People here are warm, real and full of potential,” she said.
“I stay here because I can make a meaningful difference and this gives meaning to my life.”

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