NC triplets face bleak future

WHILE it was a joyous occasion as the rural town of Garies, in the heart of the Northern Cape, welcomed home its first set of triplets, the three small babies face a bleak future as both parents are unemployed.

The triplets, two girls, Gavinecia and Gavinay, and a boy, Gilarmo, were born in the Upington Hospital on August 22 and are currently at home with their parents, Jennifer Willems and Gavin Adams, in Garies.

They are believed to be the first set of triplets born in the area. Willems said yesterday that while the trio are the “first triplets in the history of Garies” it was not all “joy and happiness”, as unemployment placed them in a “difficult situation”.

“Both my husband and I are unemployed and he just does small jobs around town. Our financial condition is extremely dire and we do not have even the basic necessities to look after the three babies in the way we would like to,” she said.

The couple also have an adopted son. Willems added that the three babies, who each weighed more than two kilograms when they were born, were currently “doing very well”.

“Gilarmo, the boy, is the quiet one who likes to sleep, while the two girls, Gavinecia and Gavinay, are ‘raasbekke’ (noisy). Gavinecia has got the biggest appetite of the three, while Gavinay has the biggest smile. All three of them go to bed early at night but wake up ‘long before the birds’ at around 2 to 3am,” Willems said.

Community members have been called on to assist the family with donations like disposable nappies, clothes, milk formula and toiletries, as well as cash. Anyone who wishes to assist can contact Willems on 061 038 1572 or make a deposit into the following FNB bank account: Account holder: Y.I. Wessels; Account number: 62405567960.