Longing For Shelter And Food

By Patricia Maganu
Staff Writer | Monday June 16, 2008 00:00

 

Life has dealt them blow after blow but giving up is not in the cards, they say. The Pelontle family consists of 13 people, two mothers and 11 children. The mothers, who are sisters, say that they are the only adults left in the family.

Their situation is so extreme such that Monitor reporters had to meet with them at someone else's yard because at the moment they are homeless. Agnes and Galethuse Pelontle are struggling to raise 11 children between them without a single thebe and no home. Agnes is the stronger of the two and the responsibility lies solely on her, as her sister has been sick for several years now. Even though they cannot be said to have been better off at some stage, Pelontle's situation worsened when their two huts collapsed on them earlier this year. 'We were inside one of the huts with the children when the huts collapsed. Our property was damaged and we had to move some of our stuff to the neighbours,' she said.

A Good Samaritan, Sithembiso Seno, came to their rescue and offered them accommodation for six months but that period is about to expire, thus raising fresh worries. 'We are not related to her but she was moved by compassion and offered us accommodation. However, we still have to struggle to feed the children and the sick people,' she said. 

As if that were not enough, Galethuse, who is ailing, has a bed-ridden daughter. 'The child has been sick for months and we cannot even get the ambulance here to take her to the hospital,' she said.

She went and fetched the child from the veranda and emerged with a frail looking girl who could barely walk and looked much younger than her 13 years. When she coughed one could tell that she had to gather all her strength. The sad looking mother, who is also ailing, says that they have been practically begging the clinic to bring the ambulance. 'We tried. We used to carry her there hoping that they would refer her to Nyangabgwe (Referral Hospital) but all they do is send her back home. They have also lost her blood results. Now the ambulance will not come at all,' she said with tears in her eyes. Agnes says that she has to struggle to find food, which is not an easy task with all those children to take care of.

'I have to find piece jobs to feed the children and the sick people because they cannot take their medications on empty stomachs,' she says. She says it is never easy to find piece jobs and sometimes they have to depend on someone to give them food.

When Monitor team got to the yard at around noon, the women and small children were eating boiled corn from cups and they said that it was their first meal of the day brought by one of their distant cousins. Agnes says that she does not know what they are going to do after their six months expire.

'I guess we will have to find zinc sheets from people and make shelter. Right now I am making mud bricks so I can build a hut but I don't know how I am going to transport them to our yard,' she said.

But all hope is not lost for the Pelontles because Shashe River School Geography Club plans to build them a house. Monitor confirmed this with club chairman Letlhogonolo Matenge, a Form Five student, who said that as the Geography Club, they have taken it upon themselves to help the needy in the community. 'We try to help a needy family every year.

Last year we helped some one and this year students identified this family and we decided to help them after hearing their touching story,' he said. Matenge says that even though they have to juggle the project with other school responsibilities, they are well on their way with preparations. 'We have already held some fund-raising activities and we will build that house for the family,' said the strong-willed young man. He says that they have already gone to assess the situation at the yard along with the teachers.

'They deserve to be helped. It's a sad situation and all those children need help,' he said. In the meantime, the Pelontles have 'left their fate in the hands of God,' as Agnes puts it. They are still awaiting a response of the social worker to help the home-based care patient.