Phumelele cares for the forgotten
Elina and her group take care of the disabled and mentally ill people of Wesselton.
Elinah Kaleni and the Phumelele Home-Based Care workers are doing the good work of taking care of the destitute disabled people of Wesselton.
This comes as more people in the area are affected by unemployment, have chronic diseases and are living in abject poverty.
33-year-old Bongani Zwane is one example of such cases in Wesselton.
A diabetic, he has had both his feet amputated and is is living in a dilapidated shack that is on the verge of collapse.
He is destitute with no source of income, no ID documentation, meaning he gets no government funding whatsoever.
With both his legs not working and suffering from mental health issues, he is unable to work or care for himself.
Elinah and her group took over and took control.
Bongani is attended to every week by Phumelele members when they give him a bath and his chronic medicine.
However, they can only do so much.
“We have managed to get him some maize meal to last him this month and we are working closely with the Department of Home Affairs, Social Development and Sassa so he can get his ID documents and receive government funding,” says Elinah.
She added it would be ideal for Bongani to be taken into a home that cares for the disabled, as he is in need of 24-hour care.
Bongani is just one of many cases in Wesselton were people with chronic illnesses are living in places not conducive for their physical and mental health.
People with disabilities and mental illness are often ostracised and shunned, leading to them being hidden in back rooms and shacks where they will not be seen or heard.
Many go days without food or bathing, meaning the disease worsens leading to amputation in Bongani’s case or even death in other cases.
“We want to help some, if not all. We appeal to the masses to assist with taking care of our disabled members in society. They are human too,” says Elinah.
Meanwhile, she and her group of good Samaritans will travel all over Wesselton, helping the forgotten ones.
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