We Don't Provide Nappies - SPTC

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Monday February 15, 2010 00:00

 

The SPTC was responding to pleas by Kgotsong Obonetse of Phase One Location in Selebi-Phikwe who has two handicapped children

While Obonetse is registered with the council as a permanent destitute and receives help from them in various ways, she feels that it is not adequate to cover her needs. 

Council senior public relations Officer, Ogomoditse Gaokgethelwe said in an interview that they cannot assist Obonetse with nappies for her children.

'Obonetse did not join the Ipelegeng programme on her own will but it was initiated by the Council. Her employment under the programme is in a permanent basis on recognition of the fact that her plight was taken into consideration. This move was meant to assist her feed her family,' she said.

Gaokgethelwe explained that Obonetse is provided with food rations and cash to cater for her other family needs.

She mentioned that the council has provided her with a smart switch card loaded with P426.94 to use at retailing shops. She said the family is given cash of P81.00 by the Council and the money is collected from the post office and Ipelegeng pays her P360.00 per month.

She went on to explain that the children, Maikano and Dimpho cannot be registered independently as destitutes because they are dependent on their mother. She said the two boys were provided with clothing valued at P595.50 in 2008 and in 2009, the amount was P797.25. 'It is true that the clothes are provided once a year and this is not peculiar to the Obonetse family but to all needy children. Blankets are available at Ikageleng Social and Community Development (S&CD) offices but Obonetse has not collected them for her children,' says Gaokgethelwe.

She pointed out that after the retrenchment of Obonetse's husband by BCL Mine, the Council advised her to relocate to her home village (Mogorosi). She added that they would be able to repatriate her to Mogorosi and hand her to the relevant authorities who will continue assisting them. Gaokgethelwe added that relocating to her home village has an added advantage in that she will not pay rent and family members will assist in caring for the disabled children.

Obonetse said she was not aware of the availability of blankets at the S&CD offices. She explained that when she visited the office to enquire about them in January, she was told that her children were not on the list. Obonetse said some people from Red Cross Botswana visited her family and showed interest in assisting them but have now disappeared.

A representative of Red Cross in Selebi-Phikwe, Elda Matsheka explained that they have not abandoned the family. She mentioned that they are still discussing the matter and the first thing that they want to get for the two boys are wheelchairs.

'We have sent someone to our head office in Gaborone to inform our superiors about the two boys and maybe they can assist them with wheelchairs.  The situation that the family stays in is really bad. The boys need clothes and blankets. They also need nappies due to their situation. I don't think the Council is doing enough to assist,' she said. Matsheka said their committee will be meeting next week, Wednesday to come up with ideas of raising funds for the family.    

Selebi-Phikwe Government Hospital Superintendent, Dr Jeff Shama suggested that the two boys should be taken for a brain scan at Nyangabwe Referral Hospital or Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone to analyse their condition.

He mentioned that the condition the two boys have is strange and suspects that they might have problems in their brains. He said specialists might find out the cause of the problem.