Ibongwe is desperately in need of a wheelchair
A FIVE-year-old Khayelitsha boy is desperate for wheelchair, but his family has been told he can only get the chair once he has undergone amputation surgery.
Ibongwe Tshambu suffers from a lower limb deformity, but this has not stopped him from playing in the street with other children from Site C.
Soccer is his favourite sport, and the rules are bent so that he can use his hands to pass the ball fashioned from plastic bags and pieces of paper.
His mother, Vuyiswa Tshambu, 40, said she could not find a suitable pre-school in Khayelitsha, which would be able to accommodate him, and he has not been able to attend any school since late 2016.
Vuyiswa is desperately looking for a wheelchair, but she was told at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital she had to pay R12 000 for an electric wheelchair or surgery was required before receiving a wheelchair.
When Ibongwe was told about the surgery to his knees he cried telling his parents “the other children are laughing at me and the teasing will be worse when my legs have been cut”.
Ibongwe told the Cape Times that when his friends tease him, he threatens to report them to his parents.
“I don’t like them teasing me because they are my friends and I like playing with them.”
Vuyiswa said the constant teasing has lowered her child’s self-esteem, making it hard for him to play outdoors.
She said the parents of other children in the neighbourhood don’t teach their children about Ibongwe’s condition and that was part of the reason why he was teased.
Provincial Health Department spokesperson Darren Francis said: “Unfortunately, there is an extensive backlog in patients waiting to receive a wheelchair.
“Patients are given wheelchairs according to a priority list depending on their needs and level of disability.”
Francis said the hospital has already submitted an application for Ibongwe to be assisted and is waiting feedback.
“Doctors have also advised the mother that the patient requires surgery to both his knees before he can be considered for a wheelchair.”
Other children laugh at me and it will be worse when my legs have been cut