I have chosen to interview Florence Mdliwa, a Pondo (not originally, but married into a Pondo family) woman who has lived on our farm (Rheenedal) and worked for us since they moved from their village near Umtata 14 years ago.
I conducted the interviews in our living room, as Florence has 5 children and said that they would disturb us. Florence is also very comfortable in our house, as she has worked there for 14 years. One of the things I noticed for the first time was how basic Florence's vocabulary was. In the day-to-day conversations we have had, it went unnoticed, but once I had started to question her about certain things, I had to explain more and more. Florence's children all speak fluent Afrikaans and English, her eldest is even a sales representative in town, selling pesticides for the Co-op. …
