It is only with time that the full impact of the draconian lockdown laws South Africans were subjected to will be clear, but for now we can say with some certainty that it will take decades for society to fully recover from the ludicrous legislation implemented by our government this year.
And while it is no secret that individuals and institutions that exist to serve the frail and voiceless will bear the brunt of ill-conceived decisions (like banning the sale of tobacco), it will be an even sadder day when those with kind hearts are no longer able to provide some form of assistance.
It will also be foolish to think that our country’s exploitationeers would have developed a sense of dignity or morality in the meantime.
But this is not about them; it is about people who still care, people who want to make a difference.
The Roscan Sanctum Needs Your Help
Like millions of others who find themselves in a downright depressive financial situation, Duncan and Rosemary Briggs of the Roscan Sanctum’s lives are on the brink of complete destruction as a direct result of government’s response to the global pandemic.
Granted, they would always have needed assistance to fully achieve their goal of becoming completely self-sustainable, but, the backup they had prior to lockdown, has now been depleted.
Duncan and Rosemary have reached that stage where hope is all they have left, and that too is steadily declining. They have, however, vowed that they will never give up and that’s why you’ll find them at the Montagu Village Market on any given Saturday – selling dollhouses and homemade produce.
They do this to support not only themselves, but also an entire tribe of humans and animals that call the Roscan Sanctum home.
This fairly costly 150km round trip is done in an attempt to help generate the R70 000 they need every month to feed, bathe, clothe and medicate the 18 humans, 50 to 60 dogs, 60 plus pot-bellied pigs and 70 various specimens of poultry that miraculously escaped the clutches of abuse.
Their sanctuary is situated near Touwsriver, behind the once proud Matroosberg Railway Station. Upon arriving at their gate you will be met with a mixed bag of emotions that range from utter delight to complete depression.
There are animals everywhere. At the main entrance Snoopy’s home from the Peanuts comic strip indicates that you are at the right place.
In the distance you’ll notice a few characters that look like they escaped from a Roger Ballen shoot. Many of them are recovering drug addicts or alcoholics.
As you enter the property where the animals are neatly cordoned-off in camps that were created in line with their unique behaviour, the diverse sounds that emanate from the farm is likely to bring back memories of a time when we were allowed to attend rugby matches at Newlands.
Barking dogs, belt sanders, bellowing pigs and a combination of duck, chicken and goose sounds fill the air. Organised chaos at its best.
Despite their dire situation, Duncan and Rose still manage to smile and provide a warm welcome to their weird, yet wonderful world.
“Just mind that Staffie, he is new here and may be scared of you at first, because he was raped,” Duncan said as a pack of survivors started to sniffing out the new human in their midst.
As we entered the house where the dogs have allowed a group of humans to wash and sleep, it becomes apparent that the lockdown is still at level five at the Roscan Sanctum.
“We have been in a form of isolation for four years now,” Rose noted. “Lockdown was not that much different, although it complicated things on other levels,” she added.
Duncan explained that while they were able to keep their heads above water prior to the lockdown, they suffered huge losses when the sale of cigarettes was declared illegal.
“Recovering drug addicts need cigarettes. If you take that away, you reduce their chances of making it through the withdrawal stage by 80%,” Duncan explained.
As a result, eight people were evicted from Roscan Sanctum after they were caught stealing meat from the freezers.
“Everything of value was taken to town and sold for cigarettes or drugs and I knew we would not make it through the winter if those people stayed on. It was not an easy thing to do.”
Meat, household goods and diesel meant for the generator, were not the only things that disappeared during that time. The almost 100 donors that formed part of the Roscan Sanctum coffee club also vanished as people started cutting back on expenses.
“Of the 100 odd people who donated around R50 per month to our cause, we only have three donors left,” Duncan explained.
Between the three of them they get about R1500 a month – a mere drop in the bucket.
Another main source of income that had dried up, was the picturesque Impangele Mountain Lodge that Duncan rents out as self-catering accommodation.
Overlooking the Hexriver valley, the lodge used to be a brilliant money-maker for the sanctum, but with tourism out of the question during lockdown, they had to start making a few (sometimes silly) decisions.
“When the lodge (I’m only renting the property) was doing well. We could bank on about R50 000 a month while the woodwork easily brings in about R20 000 to R30 000 per month. It was still touch and go some months, but far less stressful than the position we are in now,” Duncan noted.
One of the silly decisions was to sell weekends at the lodge at a lower prince to try and gain some capital to do much-needed repairs at the sanctum.
That, in combination with bookings that were rescheduled because of lockdown, means that the lodge is fully booked over weekends until June – but the income from these bookings has already been spent.
On the carpentry front, Duncan can report that they are almost done with orders that were made-pre lockdown, but again, without the finances to purchase fuel for the generator (the farm is completely off the grid), they will not be able to build a more sustainable business.
Money for fuel is money for electricity that ultimately generates the money they need to feed humans and animals alike.
Rosemary highlighted that there are some other expenses too.
“Sometimes we need to take an animal to the vet and while some NGOs run up high bills, we only deal in cash.”
“While our vets are amazing (they do not charge us for their time – including surgery time), we still have to pay for the meds and the equipment they use.”
She explained that syringes and plasters are expensive and that a small issue with an animal could end up costing R2500.
Duncan added that keeping their solar energy system up and running also has its challenges (thus the need to sometimes use the generator) and that the cherry on top was a R40 000 bill he had to pay to have their bakkie repaired.
He said that somehow they have always managed to pull a proverbial rabbit out of the hat, but that a capital injection in the form of a partnership would allow them to improve the site’s infrastructure, which has a lot of potential.
As for the naysayers who may question whether the funds donated to their cause reaches its destination, Duncan has the following to say: “Our view has always been: come and have a look at what we do. If you have a worry about where the money is going, come and look at who we are and what we are doing. Come and spend a day here and see for yourself.”
He spoke about the reactive nature of fund raising and that he would much rather see consistency, since prevention is better than cure. He highlighted how huge amounts of money was raised for Cape Town based NPO recently and how that NPO (despite a R400 000 injection) still had to close its doors.
“While we will take any help we can get, the real victory will be to find a a solution that will enable us to become the self-sustainable institution we want to be.
“We know we don’t have a right to be helped by anyone, we have chosen this path so we have to take the good with the bad.”
“We are actually normal people who sacrifice as much as we can.”
Rose and Duncan (and all the humans and animals in their care) are desperately in need of assistance, whether it be financial or on an advisory capacity.
To get in touch with them, you can find them on Facebook or simply phone Rose on 062 209 9185.
