Lempu Students' Mystery Disease Turns Hope Into Despair
Pini Bothoko | Monday May 6, 2019 12:53
Hope has now become a distant echo for the residents, village leadership together with education officials, who have fallen deeper into despair following an admission by Scottish Livingstone Hospital that they have found no cure for the mysterious disease.
In March, more than 100 Lempu JSS students were hit by this rare condition that caused them to exhibit wobbliness while walking. Then, they were taken to the Molepolole-based hospital where they were booked for about a week and then later discharged.
However, upon arrival at their respective homes, the students’ wobbliness resurfaced.Since then, parents, the village leadership, and the school management, have been sending the students back to the hospital with the hope that a permanent cure could be found.
Lessons are currently ongoing at the school without about 70 of the students who were reported to be sick and had been sent back home. Reached for an interview, Salajwe senior chief representative Moalo Gaerupe said confusion rules in his village as cases of the disease continue to reoccur.
He said doctors at Scottish Livingstone Hospital have tried their best, but the condition keeps reoccurring amongst the students. Gaerupe explained that they have now left everything in God’s hands.
“Churches have been gathering at the school for prayers ever since the first attack two months ago, but students continue to show signs of the disease.
As the village leadership we had requested the ministers’ fraternal chosen by the education ministry to lead prayers and allow different churches to hold the prayers, but our pleas have hit a snag,” he said.
He stated that they were told that the Ministry of Basic Education has refused to meet their pleas, but rather opted for churches to gather together for prayers.
“To me prayers have not made an impact so far because churches were grouped to pray at the same time. Churches have different beliefs and how they do things in their churches might frighten some not accustomed to others’ different ways. We have put our faith in God to heal the struggling school,” Gaerupe said.
Councillor, Lopang Sebutlenyane shared the same sentiments of having put everything in God’s hands. He said parents have requested the school to allow churches to keep vigil. The councillor said having meletelo to pray for the school with hopes of uprooting the root cause of this mysterious disease could help.
“Our pleas have failed as we were told churches could only come for prayers at the same time like they have been doing, not being scheduled on different times like we had requested. Recently during Vice President Slumber Tsogwane’s visit, one parent asked him to request Zion Christian Church (ZCC) to hold an all night prayer popularly known as kosha for the school and we are still waiting, hoping (the ministry reconsiders its choices on religious requests and practices),” Sebutlenyane said.
He said they had requested so because churches have been praying together, but the number of students affected continues to increase.
“I suspect if churches were to be given the privacy to pray on their own, how they want can be better, because they have different beliefs. As we speak the sick students have been sent home and their parents are stuck with them not knowing what to do,” Sebutlenyane said.
Kweneng Education Regional officer, Benson Rauwe said they have lost hope in finding a cure of the disease because the doctors said the disease does not have one. He said the doctors informed them that it is a scientific problem without a cure and advised continued counselling for the affected students and their parents because it is a condition that begins in the mind.
“About 70 students are sick and we have asked their parents to take them back home after the school resumed last week. If the problem lasts for more than 20 days we will see what to do as the ministry. Last week ministers fraternal from Salajwe, Letlhakeng and Molepolole held prayers at the school and hoped for the best,” Rauwe said.
Asked why the request to allow churches to hold all night prayers as the parents wish it so was denied, Rauwe said:
“We cannot allow churches to hold night prayers. We have engaged ministers fraternal to lead the prayers and they are the ones guiding us. They recently held prayers and prayers will be ongoing up until the situation gets back to normal”.