People’s lives hang in the balance

The people currently live in Lingelethu Home of the Aged and Disabled, which is situated in the old SA National Tuberculosis Association Hospital, Kingsway.

All of Lingelethu’s residents are from Ekurhuleni and some don’t have families to take care of them.

Since 2010, when the home was founded, Zelda Maseko, a registered nurse and the founder, has been battling with various government departments.

At the last meeting held with Department of Social Development, on November 18, Maseko was told that Lingelethu’s residents will be removed from the home.

“The meeting did not go well and the residents will be taken away,” said Maseko.

She and her staff members are worried about where the residents will be taken to, because 80 per cent of them do not have anywhere to go.

“The department said they will be moved, but they haven’t given us a date – it could be any day,” she said.

“I don’t feel well because these people need this place.”

She said the department should have tried to assist her in registering the home properly.

Maseko’s care for the needy started when she and other nurses conducted regular visits to elderly and disabled people’s homes.

“As care-givers we saw people who stayed alone and couldn’t look after themselves,” said Maseko.

“Some suffered from abuse or were neglected, and we bathed them and fed them, but there was not enough time.”

It was that need that drove her to find a house, in Petit, in which to take care of them.

The number of people housed at the home grew over the years, which meant she had to move to better suited premises.

Maseko said there were a number of visits from the Department of Health and Department of Social Development officials – who inspected the home.

Some of the issues that officials pointed out at the current location, included the legality of the certificate registering the home, that Maseko was running a fly-infested kitchen and that some cleaning mops did not have different colours.

However, Maseko has attempted to get the Department of Social Development to assist her in getting proper documentation.

What worries her now, is that many of Lingelethu’s residents have formed relationships which will be ruined by the move.

Yvonne Bruyn (68) has been living at Lingelethu for a month – after being moved from the Salvation Army.

“I love it here, I get everything I need,” said Bruyn.

She said if Lingelethu closed, she will have to return to living on the streets.

Mary Webb, from Trefoil Guild, and her guild members have formed the Lingelethu Steering Committee.

They have been trying to help Maseko by sitting in on meetings with officials.

“We feel Zelda is doing a good job,” said Webb.

“All the staff members are very unhappy about the removal.”

Webb admits that Maseko does need help with paper work – but believes the decision taken by the Department of Social Development was too rash.

The Department of Social Development and the Department of Health failed to respond to questions.

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