1 min. with a superhero: Gerhard Pieterse from Autism Western Cape
by Fred on 19/06/08 at 12:49 pm
2 comments
This morning, I’m at Bayside Mall, with maybe the superest Superhero so far. Gerhard Pieterse, Chairman of Autism Western Cape, is currently sitting in a jail cell, constructed to the specifications of the South African Police Force, and is coming out when he’s raised R1m for his organisation. This is the Jail 4 Bail project. Gerhard has been featured on Kfm, Cape Times, Die Burger, Radio 702, 567 Cape Talk, RSG, and on MyVideo.co.za.
How are you feeling Gerhard?
Tell you what Fred, I’m not ever doing anything like this again in my life. This is by far the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.
What are you finding the most challenging?
It’s a combination of things. First of all the trauma of going through an arrest. It wasn’t a game, I was seriously traumatised. SAPS was extremely professional in what they did, which means that they treated me like a real prisoner. Even the photographer asked me ‘Why did the cops rough you up like that?‘ I didn’t expect it. They were pushing me around, ripping my valuables off. Fingerprints, cuffing me, shackling me. All the time, giving me a bit of nudge nudge ‘Kom kom!‘ It was pretty serious.
Eish! Hectic.
Yes, Fred, all I can say is ‘Whatever you do, don’t do crime!’ There are other factors as well. Little things that I didn’t expect. Beforehand we went to a prison to research the life of a prisoner, and the average food intake during the day. I’m eating what the prisoners eat. Breakfast, porridge. Lunch, sandwich. Dinner, starch and protein meal. To drink, water and Vida. I’m not allowed any sponsored food – which is harder than you think. Especially since KFC have offered lunch every day, and Panarottis pizza for supper. Believe me, it was hard saying no to those.
How do you get through the day?
Vida. [The Bayside Vida e Caffe is right opposite Gerhard's jail cell]. I’m drinking around 10 coffees a day. The guys from Round Table have been fantastic, and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without them.
Isn’t this a bit extreme? Gerhard, why are you doing Jail 4 Bail?
I’m doing this for several reasons. One, to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Two, for personal reasons. My daughter is autistic. Kendall, now 11 years old, was diagnosed with ASD at the age of three. I want to ensure a better future for Kendall, and a better future can only happen with a higher level of awareness.
Autism is something that is not really understood by the general public. How serious is Autism for a parent?
The fact that Autism is a developmental disorder means that it is life long. That’s a journey that brings a huge amount of fear in a parent’s life. You continually have questions and concerns, like service provision, resources… my child’s future, you know?
What is it like for parents whose child has just been diagnosed?
Shock. Disbelief. It’s like being told that your future expectations, the life that you planned for your child, has been ripped out of your system. It is heartbreak. Even to talk about it is extremely difficult, because each person in the family structure, wife, siblings, uncles, aunts… each person has to deal with it in their own way.
What do you expect to come out of the Jail 4 Bail Project? What, ideally, would you like to happen?
Two things. One is awareness. It is critical that people, and especially parents, understand and know that Autism is on the increase. In everyday discussions, I want people to understand Autism and speak about it in an educated way. I want people to understand the ‘spectrum‘. That, on the one side, there are high functioning individuals with Autism [commonly diagnosed as Asperger Syndrome] who are extremely effective individuals. Then, on the other side, you’ve got individuals who are affected more severely.
The second thing is to maintain Autism Western Cape’s standing as a financially strong organisation. I want to be able to sustain existing service delivery, as well as develop additional resources to accommodate the dramatic increase in diagnoses. Currently, waiting lists at existing schools exceed two years. If you have a child that is diagnosed now, it will take you two years to get into a school. So, if you’re a parent, what do you do in that space of time?
Describe the challenges faced by parents of an Autistic child?
Well, I personally am a proud father of an Autistic child. Some days are better than others. I can only speak from my personal journey with Autism for the last 8 years. 
Some days Kendall will be an absolute honey. We will feel like we’ve got such a normal family that we’re comfortable to anything. This can change in a flash, however. An emotional outburst for example:. Kendall will be a laughing 11-year-old one moment, and then become, in a second, extremely angry, aggressive and emotional – with absolutely no obvious or rational reason to justify it.
Kendall is the little girl that will walk past you in the Spur and steal your tomato off your plate. In her mind, she understands you’re not going to eat it and the waiter is going to come and take your plate. So, you’re going to be the person who will comment ‘What a rude child!’ or ‘What a bad parent!’ All because Kendall loves tomato! You cannot see her Autism, and that is what makes it really hard. You cannot see that Kendall is different.
OK, Gerhard, fortunately I have to go back to the humdrum of my normal life. One more question, how can we at Ideate.co.za contribute?
Easy. You can go to the website and make a donation online. You can visit me at Bayside Mall where there is a donation box, and keep me company for a while. You can also make a direct transfer to the AWC bank account: AWC, First National Bank, Adderley Street, 201409, Acc. 62060287416, Swift Code: FIRNZAJJXXX (International). Thanks for visiting, Fred.
Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. He runs a web marketing company called World Wide Creative and loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. View more articles by Fred.
Ideate - Small Business in South Africa
Aug 20th, 2008
[...] written a couple of times about Gerhard Pieterse on Ideate. Gerhard’s the guy who’s been in the [...]
1 min. with a Superhero: Gerhard Pieterse of Autism Western Cape (on his way to Kilimanjaro!) | Ideate
Nov 20th, 2009
[...] first you get locked up in jail for Autism for 74 days, now you’re trudging your 7ft frame up the highest freestanding mountain in the wwworld and the [...]