Out of (South) Africa: mining offers new hope for new families

Daniel and Judith Lombaard and family arrived in Tumbler Ridge in April from South Africa. They came from a land where they had never seen snow and landed at the tail end of winter.

“My first expression was it was cold,” says Daniel, who was hired as a heavy duty mechanic at Conuma. “It wasn’t that cold for you guys, but it was cold for us. It was still snowing. Where we come from, there’s no snow.”

“But it was a nice cold,” adds Judith.

But more than the weather, the biggest change for the Johannasberg couple was the culture. “There were no fences around the houses,” says Daniel. “There were kids running everywhere. You could tell it was safe and clean in the town.

“It was a cultural shock. Where we came from, everything had to be fenced in,” says Daniel.

“Our kids couldn’t play outside,” says Judith. “They couldn’t go to, like, a teen centre like they can here. It was so hard to accept that our kids could actually … be free. We came here for our kid’s future. We didn’t realize they would have this freedom. We won’t see the kids until 10 tonight. They’re out with friends. That freedom is a bonus for us. ”

The couple tried to find jobs in New Zealand, in Australia, but were unsuccessful, so they looked to Canada, where Daniel got a position with Conuma. “Everything went so smoothly,” says Judith. “In six months we were here. That’s fast.”

The couple says that even though Daniel was working as a heavy duty mechanic in South Africa, he did not make as much as he does now. “Financially, we were not stable,” says Judith. “We couldn’t live like we do now. In South Africa, we never owned a new vehicle, but we were able to buy a brand new truck. We could not afford a new vehicle on his salary. Schools are expensive in South Africa. Not just the private schools. The normal schools. We have three children. It was really difficult for us.”

So when they got the job, the couple sold everything they own, leaving nothing behind to return to. “We’re all in,” says Daniel.

“We’re not planning on going back,” agrees Judith. “South Africa is said to be the most dangerous place for women. They are raped. Killed. Yes, the houses are fenced, but if someone wants to come in, they are coming. I miss nothing. Not even my family.” She pauses. “Well, I miss my dogs.

“I was talking to someone the other day, and I asked them if it was weird that I didn’t miss my family? I know I can call them on the phone. If they want to see me again, they’ll have to come visit me here, because I am not going back.”

She says she especially won’t miss the load sharing that happens there, where the power is turned off for four, five, six hours at a time. “You’ll have four hours without power, you’ll have power for a couple hours, then it will go out again.

“I don’t miss that. I don’t miss the people. I don’t even miss the food. The food is different here. Sauces and stuff are different. And the portions are bigger. The boxes are bigger. A box of baking soda is heavy here.

“The first night here, I realized I didn’t hear any dogs barking,” says Judith. “In South Africa they bark all night. You’re always alert. Daniel had to carry a gun with him all the time. He started night shift recently, and I feel safe. I can sleep alone with the kids in the house and I know no one is going to try and hurt us here. It’s like an iceberg that is melting down for us.”

Daniel says he is glad for the opportunity to leave. “We’re just so grateful for Conuma,” he says. “They gave us this opportunity. They helped us a lot. The support. The people are very friendly. All the Canadians we’ve met so far have welcomed us with open arms.”

The couple has already begun the process to become permanent residents. “We really want to buy a house,” says Judith. “We will do anything to stay here. We’ve fallen in love with Tumbler Ridge. Everyone looks out for each other here.”

And having to drive into Dawson Creek to buy things that are not available in town? That’s nothing out of the ordinary for the couple, who lived half an hour outside Johannesburg. And while it isn’t perfect (Daniel says he’s not looking forward to working outside at -40), they are settling into the community.

The couple is part of a recruiting push that Conuma has been having to find workers, especially heavy-duty mechanics. A few years back, the company was actively recruiting from England, Ireland and Scotland. Now they’re looking to South Africa to recruit people.

Daniel says he loves working seven on and seven off. “I get to spend time with my family. In South Africa, I worked seven on, seven on, seven on. I was never off. The wages here are so good that you can afford to spend time off with your family. You don’t have to work 24/7, 30 days a month. It’s very very nice.”

Daniel says he’s working on getting used to the terminology, too. “Here, they call it a box. We called it a bucket,” he says. “They’ll call an articulated dump truck a ‘wiggle wagon’. What’s an ‘adjustable wrench?’ It’s just a matter of getting used to the terminology.”

The couple only picked up their new truck a few days before we spoke to them, but they are looking forward to getting out and exploring all that the Geopark has to offer. “I’m looking forward to going on the hiking trails,” says Judith. “You could do that in South Africa, but you had to do it in groups, and you had to do it in a private garden. You could go for a five km hike, but only on weekends. We are going to get bikes so we can bike with the kids, we are looking forward to camping, and Daniel really loves golfing.”

The couple found out about the job through a Facebook group, set up by an agent that helps people emigrate from South Africa. “People can go on there and ask questions and get advice. There are a few groups on Facebook. That’s how I found out about the job,” says Judith. “There’s a bunch of other South Africans working here and in Chetwynd. And there’s a couple that we became really good friends with that will be arriving in a couple works. I’m looking forward to meeting them, because we became good friends on-line, but we never had a chance to meet.”