Tsakane family struggles
Life is a daily struggle for the Nhlapho family from Tsakane Extension 12b.
Things became hard when Enoch Nhlapho’s wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2011.
Stena Nhlapho (86), Enoch’s mother suffers from high blood pressure and is slowly losing her site.
The family, who survive on gogo Nhlapho’s pension grant, lives in an RDP house.
All the house chores are done by Enoch while at the same time he had to take care of his wife and mother.
He is forced to take turns to get each of them to the clinic or hospital to receive treatment.
Enoch said he was informed by the doctors last year that his wife’s cancer is at stage four.
“I do not know what will happen, but I still believe that my wife will one day get better,” said Nhlapho.
He said because of his mother’s age, he wishes that a home caregiver could visit his mother to deliver treatment to her.
One of the neighbors, Phindi Ndala confirmed the daily struggle experienced by the family.
She said sometimes, she has to help Enoch cope with the situation.
“Sometimes, I look after his wife or mother when he had to take one of them to the doctor,” said Ndala.
Adding that the family’s situation becomes more sad when she is also not available to look after Enoch’s mother when he took his wife to the doctor.
