Three badly neglected children from Mashau Doli village in the Collins Chabane Municipality have been removed from their mother's care and placed with relatives. The Department of Social Development (DSD) is also investigating the mother's conduct.
The children's plight came to light last month after local residents, along with community organisations, took the children under their wing and urged the DSD to intervene. The children had allegedly been neglected for nearly four years.
When Limpopo Mirror visited Mashau Doli on 10 April, a family from a nearby household had already been caring for the children for almost a week. According to a member of this family, the children's mother used to lock them inside their home or leave them alone while she spent days and nights at local shebeens.
"A resident found the children scavenging for food and playing with used condoms at a shebeen. She brought them to me, and I agreed to look after them while we engaged the ward councillor and the local social welfare office. But the social worker continued to drag his feet," said Vhakoma Elisa Nditsheni Mufamadi, a community leader in Mashau Doli.
Although the DSD eventually took the children into its care, Mufamadi and the Positive Women's Network continued to criticise the department for its slow response. "These children are sick and often cry at night, which forces me to wake up and check on them. I have to buy nappies for the two-year-old and change them regularly. I cannot continue to take care of them," Mufamadi told Limpopo Mirror.
Gladys Maumela Thenga from the Positive Women's Network added: "As an NPO, we are really concerned. The DSD is failing these children. This is supposed to be an urgent matter that should be addressed immediately, once reported."
When Limpopo Mirror visited the village, the children were seen playing barefoot and wearing dirty clothes at Mufamadi's home. It was reported that the eight-year-old should have been in school but lacked clean clothes and a school uniform.
The children's home is only a few metres from Mufamadi's house. It appeared deserted. One of the two structures, likely used as a kitchen, had no doors. The other, which was closed, emitted a foul smell. Inside, clothes were strewn across the rooms and an old, torn bed was visible in one of them.
The ward councillor for Mashau Doli, Molly Mutele, confirmed last week that the children had been placed with relatives, following the DSD's intervention.