Ward 108 councillor Deborah Francisco has sought help from social workers to help her place three children in school.
Francisco said she received a call from a concerned neighbour informing her about the children who were kept in a small two-roomed house on 9th Avenue all day.
“When I went to the house, I found two boys, aged 11 and three, and a five-year-old girl sleeping at a time they were supposed to be in school. My heart sank,” Francisco said.
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She said this was depriving the little ones of their right to basic education and it was against the law.
“What made me more worried is the fact that the mother of the two youngest children’s mother did not look like she was worried at all. She kept making excuses for why the children do not attend school.
“It is not the first time I have been to the house. The same thing happened last year, and I thought that the problem was resolved. I was surprised to get another call from the same neighbour.”
Upon Alex News’s arrival at the home, three children and a 23-year-old woman, who introduced herself as Mbali, had just woken up.
Mbali said she tried to get her brother and her two children into school, but her attempts were unsuccessful. She said she wanted them to attend school.
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“My brother [11-year-old] attended school in Kwa-Zulu Natal in 2016, but failed Grade 5 and had to come here. We could not find space for him at any school since then,” she said.
When asked why the children were not in school, Mbali said her father had promised to find them space, but he was also unsuccessful.
Francisco has since sought professional help to get the children space at one of the nearby schools.
“Children should not sit at home and not go to school. It is wrong. Something needs to be done,” she said.
Ward committee member, Lerato Moloi, said Mbali was convincing when she said she wanted help to get her brother and children in school.
“The most important thing is that she says she wants help, I do not doubt that we will find help.”
Watch councillor Francisco explaining how she feels about this issue. (Photoshop Images- Videos- Francisco)
