Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Documents and school placement bring joy
THE Johannes family in Heinz Park is relieved as the two orphaned children received reprints of their birth certificates and the younger one will begin school next year.
Last month, the Weekend Argus Saturday reported about the dire need for help following the recent death from tuberculosis of their mother, Josline Johannes.
The kids were left destitute, with their unemployed grandmother, no birth certificates and never having attended school.
“Thank you for helping us. I can’t wait to put on a school uniform and attend school with my friends. I have always wanted to go. And my sister won’t stop talking about it,” said Jamaca, 9, after they received their documents.
Both the Department of Home Affairs and the Western Cape Education Department assisted. On November 1 the children received their certificates and they were accepted at Heinz Park Primary School.
Community activist Nomvume Mphanjukelwa was grateful.
“Thank you, Weekend Argus, for listening and telling our story. I wasn’t sure where to start, and what to expect when I took the initiative to help them. I was honoured by the swift reaction and care shown by the departments.
“My journey with the kids is almost halfway through. I am positive the older child will get placed too.”
“The positive feedback from the granny and community leader is noted with appreciation. This matter is testament of the department’s willingness to respond to the needs of clients,” said Samuel Plaatjies, district co-ordinator for the Cape Metro Department of Home Affairs
“Anyone seeking help or assistance on any matter involving their personal information, or that of their loved ones, should personally engage the Department of Home Affairs.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the department was committed to assisting parents with placement of pupils.
“While we certainly have our challenges, we do have dedicated staff who are committed and sympathetic to the plight of some children and their families in difficult circumstances and will do their utmost to assist.
“We are approached regularly with circumstances in which parents of learners have passed away, and are being cared for by someone else and require placement in the areas of their new home.
“Parents need to visit the nearest education district when encountering a problem with admissions. A child may be placed provisionally if they do not have the required documents,” said Hammond.
Mphanjukelwa wishes to apply for foster care grants.
Grandmother, Elsabe Johannes, 55, thanked everyone involved. “I didn’t know there are people who still care. Nomvume has really been a blessing. God sent her to my direction just at the right time. And thank you to the newspaper for everything.”