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MBABANE - Gogo Sakhephi Lukhele’s seventh child says she is tired of trying to take her life because of poverty.
Esther Gama (36), who was also found at Mbuluzi, said the situation at her home was painful and she was tired of being poor.
“I’m tired of being poor and maybe death would be better, but the strain of burying me would be unfair to my mother,” she said.
She further said the article should get the attention of her other siblings who were not helping them yet they were not as impoverished.
She explained that among the children found on the yard some were hers.
One of her children currently needs sponsorship to continue with her Form V studies.
“My children stopped attending school but they would like to go back. I need a job also because people from around the area exploit me.
“I wash and cook for certain homesteads but the payment is always insufficient or they want to pay ‘in kind’,” she said.
The exploitation was confirmed by a community police officer, Sidwell Ndlangamandla, who said the family was actually in danger.
“There are teenage girls there; even the old lady is not safe from thugs. People who know that the family is vulnerable can take advantage
FAMILY LIST
of them.
“This is a plea to the good nation to please help us put together any form of assistance for the Lukhele family,” said Ndlangamandla.
With permission from her mother Esther, the young teenage girl Goodness Dlamini (18) mentioned that she aspires to be a doctor. She mentioned that she wanted to study medicine to help better her home situation. Her results in the Junior Certificate she said were outstanding. She obtained 6A*s.
“I want to better my life and take care of my siblings; I just want a shot at education so I can give my grandmother the life she deserves before the Lord decides to take her.
Emotional
I want more for myself. I do not want to live like this. Anyone reading this please take me back to school, I’m a focused child,” said an emotional Goodness.
It was established that the family was previously visited by Eswatini TV reporters where they broadcast the family’s plea for help.
It was then that the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) office committed to helping the family.
When reached for an update, the DPM’s office Communication Officer Mihla Khumalo said they would look into the matter. He said if possible, the DPM would pay a visit to the family.
Meanwhile, a Clinical Psychologist Innocentia Ndwandwe said people who were less privileged engaged in a lot of sexual activity.
Ndwandwe said this after she was fully presented with the Lukhele family’s scenario.
She said for people who were living in dire poverty, they were prone to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse because they had nothing else to do. She said as sad and mean as this statement was, they make babies to pass time.
“Families in poverty, particularly those who make their living through agriculture, may have more children as a way of supporting the family’s livelihood. Children are often tasked with chores like, walking to collect water, gardening, field work and herding livestock, even when they’re very young,” she said giving an example.