Mfanafuthi + Ethembeni Trauma team = restoration of hope

Mfanafuthi was a 17 year old young person, a hard worker at school, popular and easy-going. He had many friends and enjoyed spending time with them. One evening he and five friends, two male and three female, were walking and talking together along the road. A group of men, drunk and armed with knives, approached the friends and started to threaten them. The group dispersed and ran away.
The next morning Mfanafuthi was completely shocked as he came across a crime scene where police and community members were present. One of the girls he had been walking along with the night before had not got away and had been stabbed to death. After this event, Mfanafuthi felt shaky, helpless, fearful of going out at night, and mistrustful of any strangers. He could not get the scene out of his mind and his school work suffered as a result. Many thoughts and fears plagued him.

Mfanafuthi suffered a trauma. A trauma is a specific event which involves actual or threatened death, serious injury or threat to ones physical integrity or the witness of such to another person. A traumatic event is characterised by feelings of horror, helplessness and fear. In South African today there are far too many people who experience traumatic events, either directly or indirectly. Armed robbery, muggings, hijackings, rape, witness of violence, all types of abuse, and road traffic accidents are all examples of traumas. A trauma is indirect when it has occurred to a loved one but impacts upon you deeply. Some trauma is ongoing, such as a domestic violence situation, and some trauma is once-off, such as a serious car accident. The important thing to remember is that one CAN heal from trauma with support and counselling.

There is a trauma team at Ethembeni! Four staff members; Dudu Zulu, Faniswa Dlakavu, Zwelihle Sokhela and Thembekile Mkhize, along with Linda Smallbones are trained in trauma counselling skills. A member of the trauma team assisted Mfanafuthi to deal with his overwhelming feelings following the trauma of the night of his friend’s death and he is now doing well again at school and coping well in his life. Trauma counselling does not make one forget the experience, this is something one carries through life as a memory. However, it does help one to process the memory within a safe environment and help one to work through all of the overwhelming emotions and thoughts that accompany such an experience. Some people who experience trauma could be so overwhelmed by the experience that they turn to destructive means of coping such as drinking, drug-use, or even perpetuating the cycle of violence. We want people to be aware that such destructive “coping” is not necessary and that healing and help is available.

The trauma team are using Psalm 127:1a as their foundation for 2012. “Unless the Lord builds the house, it labourers labour in vain.” We believe God wishes to build through the trauma team in 2012; A safe space for people to talk, and restoration and healing for brokenness. We are aiming to present a Trauma Awareness Day to the Mpophomeni community in March and ask that you would pray for us in this endeavour. Our country needs healing. Our community of Mpophomeni needs healing. We wish to be part of God’s process of healing and restoring. If you have any further queries regarding our services and how to go about booking an appointment for counselling please contact: Dudu Zulu – 033 238 0596.