The following pages tell the story of the birth of UMOJA,
a dream realized by it's Creators: Todd Twala and
Thembi Nyandeni

Living in those times..

In 1950 the apartheid government passed a law, The Group Areas Act. The Act allowed the government to determine who would live where. Forced removals and the relocation of Black people who occupied valuable land, or land considered too close to White settlements were the order of the day. This was to ensure that Blacks remained in “reserves” and only came to the White areas when needed for work. Over the years, tens of thousands of Black people were forcibly removed, not compensated and dumped, often in the middle of nowhere. Lack of food, improper housing and little sanitation resulted in incredible poverty, malnutrition and suffering by Blacks living in the most prosperous country in Africa!

It is against this background that Todd and Thembi’s
ambitions of a better life took shape.

Where their story begins..

Todd Twala grew up in a township outside Johannesburg, called George Goch. In 1968, Todd and her family woke up to a bulldozer at their front door. They were forced to leave.