Scrooby was found guilty and sentenced by the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in September 2023 for fraud. Picture: The Hawks
A frail care home for seniors and social grant recipients in Hibberdene on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal has become known as the “house of horrors” as residents are allegedly being abused.
The home is run by Kathy Scrooby, a convicted fraudster who has faced repeated allegations of cruelty, neglect and financial misconduct.
Despite Scrooby’s denials, allegations by former residents and disgruntled employees paint a damning picture of exploitation.
In fact, a home was established a few kilometres away by a former staffer for residents who “escaped” from Scrooby’s clutches. In some instances, those people lost what little they had while under Scrooby’s roof.
Scrooby allegedly recruited residents for the frail care home using social media. Posts promising a refuge for the frail, the old and tired caught the attention of many victims.
It also seemed to families a convenient way to place their parents or family members in care.
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Many residents remain alone with no family ties.
Applicants just had to have a source of income – either assets or a Sassa card.
The latter had to be allegedly handed to Scrooby who, in turn, drew the government stipend every month to fund the individual’s board and lodging. She allegedly deployed her children to queue for the payouts.
The death of resident Sarah van Wyk is perhaps the most harrowing example of what allegedly transpired under Scrooby’s care.
Witnesses who now live in the alternative home allege the elderly resident succumbed to injuries inflicted during a violent altercation with Scrooby.
“She said Sarah had it coming,” a former resident claimed.
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And while Scrooby claimed that Van Wyk had tripped and fallen, a cellphone video taken by a resident just before her death, seen by The Citizen, shows that Van Wyk herself blamed Scrooby for her eventually fatal injuries.
Another resident with emphysema allegedly nearly died gasping for air after being denied access to an oxygen machine.
“She said it was too expensive to help her,” the former staffer said, adding that at Scrooby’s home, there was a “complete absence of humanity”.
The woman is reportedly still in Scrooby’s care, living in a messy room that is hot and stuffy.
When The Citizen visited the premises, the woman seemed nervous to speak to the journalist while under Scrooby’s supervision and simply posed for a picture before turning away.
She did not get out of her bed.
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There have also been allegations that Scrooby, reportedly not a qualified health care professional yet wearing nursing epaulets and uniform, administered controlled substances like morphine and insulin to residents.
She also allegedly hired underor unqualified staff to do the same and, in addition, used underage family members as caregivers. Scrooby denied all the allegations against her.
Chad Thomas, from IRS Forensic Investigations, has investigated Scrooby for the past seven years. The cases he initially investigated were financial crime related and he was appointed by the victims of these frauds.
Thomas said he used social media to get victims to come forward.
“Scrooby also allegedly used fabricated documents to lure people into selling homes to her which she would allegedly occupy, but never pay for,” Thomas said.
“It was extremely distressing to hear that she had reinvented herself as a ‘guardian’ for some of the most vulnerable people in society – people who are reliant solely on their Sassa pensions. Based on this, I decided to investigate the allegations on a pro bono basis.”
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Those who lived under her care described an atmosphere of control and fear.
“It was a house of horrors,” another former resident who wanted to remain anonymous, said.
“She’d withhold food, isolate you and threaten you constantly.”
Another, recovering from surgery, recounted feeling “less than human” and treated with cold indifference rather than care.
One former resident told how Scrooby allegedly left a deceased resident’s body in the morgue for over 36 hours, refusing to take responsibility for the arrangements.
“She said, ‘It’s not my problem any more,’ and walked away,” a former resident testified.
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Another allegation was that Scrooby waited for the dead person’s pension to be deposited, which she withdrew, prior to arranging the release of the body.
Allegations of financial irregularities have been made for many years, with funds meant for residents’ care taken from their Sassa grants and allegedly diverted to finance her personal lifestyle.
Holidays, luxuries and extravagant purchases were paid for, it is claimed, with money intended for those in her care.
“She presented herself as a charitable figure, but it was all a façade,” said the former employee. “She’d lie without blinking, even when the evidence was undeniable.
”Scrooby would buy her family fried chicken dinners, enjoy it in front of residents, but feed them rice.”
The former employee also accused Scrooby of forcing another senior to sign over her car to Scrooby.
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In turn, Scrooby said that she paid R5 000 for the vehicle and used it to take residents to health care appointments and bring in groceries.
When The Citizen visited Scrooby’s centre, she dismissed the allegations and called it all a witch-hunt led by disgruntled former staff.
“I always tried to do my best, but you can’t make everyone happy,” she said.
Scrooby also denied overcrowding the five bedroomed premises with up to 35 people at times.
In addition, she denied that she was stealing electricity from the municipality via a bypassed wiring system.
The department of social development in KZN did not respond to questions by the time of going to press.
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