The Lekganyane clan in Limpopo is celebrated for its Zionist ideals and icons of wealth, but there is this particular household that has become the face of abject poverty.Not only is this family weighed down by poverty, the mother, son and daughter are all mental patients and society has long washed its hands on them.As if that's not heartbreaking enough, their well-to-do family members are trying to conceal their plight because their social ills could bring shame on them.It's been years since Mapeu Lekganyane (57), her son Makgoka (32) and daughter Lebogang (29) have been leaving in filthy conditions.
SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS
Despite Lebogang's mental status, she fell pregnant as few years ago and the identity of the baby daddy is unknown. It is understood the baby is under parental care of one family member. Their RDP house at Luthuli Park, outside Polokwane, is a dilapidated structure threatening to collapse on them. With no running water and electricity, during cold conditions, they kept themselves warm by burning tyres. The dark smoke emitted by burning tyres has turned the inside of the house pitch dark while the floor resembles a dumping site.The house's doors and windows have long being smashed.Without any form of security, nyaope addicts have turned the house into a drug den where they come and leave as they please.The constant presence of these addicts exposes the vulnerable mother and daughter to rape and other forms of sexual abuse.Allegations of Makgoka "having consensual sex' with his mother and younger sister are prevalent in the neck of the woods.
TALKING ADVANTAGE ON THE MENTALLY ILL
A neighbour said they tried to intervene but some family members have instructed them to "stop sneaking their noses in other families' affairs'. Community members witness the tear-jerking episodes as the events degenerate into the reincarnation of the Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah.The neighbour, who chose to speak on the basis of anonymity, said she has seen grown men visiting the house and picked the mentally ill mother and daughter. She said "The situation in that house is dire. Those people are living as if God and their ancestors have turned their backs on them. No human being deserves to live like that. They are always dirty and eat leftovers off dustbins.' A concerned community activist, Marothi Letsoalo described the situation in the Lekganyane household as "inhumane.' Letsoalo rhetorically asked "How is this possible if you have politicians who went to that house canvassing for special votes during the elections? How possible is it that the municipality is taking water meter readings but they were never touched by the plight of these residents? We call upon state institutions to intervene in this matter urgently.' Spokesperson for the provincial Department of Social Development, Joshua Kwapa said they have being alerted of the situation and deployed a team of social workers to the family to assess the situation.
