Twins forced to take ‘shifts’ going to school

AMANDA and Asanda Nxosa, are both grade 6 learners at Siphosethu Primary School situated in the heart of the luxurious suburb Mount Edgecombe.

The Northglen News first learnt about the dilapidated and impoverished school when a local resident who, when driving to work one day, was shocked when she saw the state of the school that has been listed by the Department of Education as quintile 4. Together with the company she works for, Gulf Drug Company, Shaneez Ishwar set about revamping the school.

Also read:Mount Edgecombe school due for a makeover

The twins caught their teacher’s attention when she realised that on most occasions, the pair alternated coming to school.
On our first visit to the school the Grade 6 teacher, Thobile Maphumulo told us about twins at the school who come in shifts.

The reason said the teacher: “They share one bus ticket and the family does not have money to send both girls to school everyday, so they share.”

Maphumulo added:”Our school mainly caters for children from informal settlements so cases like this are quite common. What made me notice the twins is because despite not attending everyday, they are doing quite well. They have the potential to do better.”

The Nxosa twins live in Waterloo in home with 13 people living under one roof. The girls said the lack of transport money led them to the idea of taking shifts in attending so that at least one of them can take notes.

“Sometimes our mom can’t afford to buy bus tickets for all of us so we use one. The one time I had to stay at home because I didn’t have shoes so Asanda got notes for both of us. Sometimes, we even share the ticket with our younger brother, Wandile who is nine years old,” said a talkative Amanda.

Their mother Phelisiwe Nxosa said their father’s death made things worse.

“We lost their father in 2016. Things got terribly worse after that. My only source of income is their grant which is never enough,” said the 38-year-old single mother of four. With social grant being the only source of income, Nxosa said she cannot find a job because she too is ill.

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One would think because of its location, and because its listed as a Quintile 4, Siphosethu is counted among the schools that are well resourced. However only Quintile 1, 2 and 3 schools are not allowed to charge fees. The school was built by a private company in 1983. Over the years it became a government school.

“I do get domestic jobs but I don’t last in them because of my health. In most times the grant is not enough so I resort to loan sharks which plunges me deeper into debt and my children suffer even more. I just want them to get a good education and make a better for themselves,” she said.

She has two other children, among them a son in Matric who she says doesn’t even have an Identity Document (ID).

“My oldest son, Mthobisi is 18 and is matric so I normally prioritise him. I’ve been struggling to raise enough funds just to issue him an ID as he needs it before his final exams,” said Nxasana.

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