Children out in the cold as BCM shuts down centre

A DAYCARE centre catering for 40 children up to the age of four was shut down by Buffalo City Metro (BCM) health officials and law enforcement on Friday.

This was after an deemed it unsafe.

The centre, which operates from a building in the East London CBD, has charges as young as one year old having to help themselves to water or wash their hands at a tap in a basin positioned at adult height.

Health officials also cited a lack of adequate ventilation; only two toilets which were adult toilets and hard to reach for many of the youngsters; no designated play area (either inside or outside) and an insufficient number of mattresses for the children to sleep on.

BCM’s chief environmental practitioner, Mkhuseli Ngoma said a member of the public had alerted them to the centre which operated weekdays from 7am to 5pm from the back of the old Victory Cinema building in Bushview Terrace.

Ngoma said upon investigating they found the building did not comply with health and safety standards for a daycare centre and was not authorised by BCM town planning.

“I do not understand how parents can pay for their children to be here, this place is not safe. The worst part is that children are trapped inside these walls and not

inspection stimulated because there is no play area,” said Ngoma.

When the Daily Dispatch arrived on the scene the owner of the daycare, Unathi Somhlahlo, was answering questions posed by officials.

“We sometimes take them to the East London Zoo to play,” she said.

The children were sleeping on the floor, there was not a single toy in sight and there were three adult males and a female helping with the children.

Some of the children attempted to run out of the door when it was unlocked to let the officials inside.

Parents who were fetching their children seemed unfazed by the unsafe and unhygienic conditions pointed out by the officials.

“I am not complaining. They are good with our children and the fee is affordable,” said one parent.

Somhlahlo said the building also served as a church on Sundays.

“Most of the parents are members of the church and are from the surrounding communities,” said Somhlahlo.

She said the centre has been operating from the building for the past year and charges between R300 and R400 a month for each child.

Somhlahlo also produced a letter from the national Social Development Department that stated that her centre was registered, which Ngoma said they would be investigating. —