Gogo shares room with 20 kids
MBABANE – An elderly woman has been forced by poverty to share a one room flat with her 20 grandchildren and great grandchildren.
This is the reality of 85-year-old Princeton Sakhephi Lukhele.
The old woman lives with her 20 grandchildren in a one room stick and mud house at Mbuluzi, in the outskirts of Mbabane.
A visit to her home by this reporter uncovered her sad story.
The woman has been living in the area since 1978.
Back then, it was just her and her now deceased husband. They went on to have eight children together.
They had a three bedroom house which was destroyed by heavy rains some years ago.
Lukhele described life as simple back then, but things took a turn when they lost their third-born child, who was a teacher by profession, due to an unknown illness.
He was the breadwinner.
After the burial of their child, their three bedroom brick house was destroyed by heavy rains.
When this reporter arrived at the residence, at least seven half naked children were found in the yard.
A walk towards the one room house proved that Lukhele’s situation was actually worse than it had been described over the phone by concerned resident. With a huge grin and genuine energy, Gogo Lukhele greeted the reporter in the middle of her yard.
“Sanibonani mntfwanami (hello my child),” she said, while leaning on a makeshift door to her one-room mud house.
After the formal introductions and the purpose of the visit were explained to her, Lukhele started narrating her story and how she had ended up with 20 grandchildren.
“I had a lot of children, they all had babies whom they left here with me. Some of my grandchildren also have their own babies,” she said.
During a tour of the room, it was discovered that the children and their grandmother share the room and sleep on a carpet.
Inside the room, there was a big, dusty and dirty mat that was covered with thin blankets and a pile of children’s clothes.
In front of the sleeping mat there was a huge coal stove which they use to make whatever food they could get from strangers.
During the interview, Lukhele was boiling peanuts for the children.
“We all sleep here; the children and I sleep here. There is another room outside but we cannot use it anymore because of the recent rains,” she said.
When the room was fully inspected the walls seemed to have been slightly burnt by an undisclosed substance and there was only one window, which had broken glass.
There were two buckets that the children use to collect and store water in and three big pots.
When Gogo Lukhele further narrated her story, she revealed that things were getting tougher by the day.
She mentioned that some of the children were in school while others had gone in search of odd jobs and most probably food.
The ages of the grandchildren, together with the great grandchildren range from three to 18 years.
She further pleaded with the nation to help her take care of her grandchildren, especially since the winter season had started.
“I need help, one of my children is here and she tries all she can but we need more help. I do not care about food but clothes for the children because this place is very cold,” she said.
A rural health motivator (Mgcugcuteli) Tengetile Hlophe from the area confirmed knowing the Lukhele family. She said their situation was disheartening and they felt helpless as a community.
Hlophe said it was heartbreaking to witness the situation Gogo Lukhele was in. She said they had previously tried as a community to help her with whatever they could but it was never enough.
“Kubuhlungu sisi, because not only are they suffering but there is also a risk of hygiene and mental trauma for the children and even rape from cruel people,” she said.
A resident from the area said they had as a community come together to help put money together for a one bedroom house.
Mehluli Nsibande said they put together E10 each and helped purchase building blocks.
“As you saw, from behind the yard, we are constructing a house for the family and we are asking for help and hands to see this house through,” said Nsibande.