Father desperate to send daughter to special-needs school

Nkosinothando Mpofu (20) from Malvern suffers from mental disability and her father, Norman Mpofu, is desperate to find his daughter help.

The 20-year-old has been described by doctors as an adorable child who is not disruptive.

She struggles with communicating, learning, problem-solving and adaptive behaviour.

Growing up in Greytown KwaZulu-Natal was challenging for her family to adapt and take care of her.

Her mother died in 2016, leaving behind Norman and Nkosinothando’s twin sister.

Norman is unemployed and said due to financial challenges, he cannot afford to take Nkosinothandozo to a special-needs school.

“While I was working in Johannesburg, my daughter was cared for by her twin sister at home. I would visit as much as possible.

“A few years later, I got married again.”

Norman was retrenched and due to his daughter’s condition, he decided to bring his daughter to Johannesburg where he could care for her while seeking employment.

“All I wanted was to find her a school, a school where she will learn and have people who will know how to interact with her.”

Even though Norman has been unemployed for two years, he is eager to secure his daughter’s future.

“My wife, Nkosi’s stepmother, is the only one working. She does not earn enough for a special-needs school,” he said.

Norman’s attempts to enroll her in a school have not been successful.

Social worker Salamina Mmaseipone reached out to help the family find a school for Nkosinothando.

“The child has intellectual problems. She struggles with memory and does not have a sense of belonging. She needs to interact with other children. I believe it will help when she has people around her and doing activities.”

The social worker said she has been in contact with the department of education and was then referred to the department of social development.

“Social development department was unable to assist me because Nkosithando is over age. They can only help with negotiating with the school to reduce fees for her to be able to study. They did that, but the fees were still too high for her father as he is unemployed,” she said.

The social worker tried getting sponsorship to no avail.

“The father only gets a grant for his daughter and that is not enough. We are trying our best to get the funds together for her to attend school.”

“She has never been in any school before and her only wish is to be like any other child. Norman is a former driver who is still looking for any job to be able to take his daughter to school.”

To assist, email maseiponemokne@gmail.com