High court grants Samaritan House a 2nd chance

POLOKWANE – In turn, following the investigations and developments in the matter, Samaritan House accused the department of not meeting them halfway in terms of finances to ensure they are able to care for the children as they mostly rely on donations to keep the home running.

https://www.citizen.co.za/review-online/259472/samaritan-house-horrors-confirmed/

The home took the department to court on the above mentioned allegations and after months of postponement for the court hearing, the case was heard on Thursday, 28 June at the Polokwane High Court where the home was granted another chance to care for the children on the basis that they will follow and adhere to rules and policies set out for them as a Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC).

“We stopped paying grants to the home because the management of the home no longer complied with the rules and policies stipulated in Section 197 of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 as a prerequisite for funding. The requirements for a CYCC are both stringent and critical to adhere to, and as the department we normally assist such institutions to be able to comply. Similarly, we have been trying to assist the facility in question to adhere to the norms and standards as required. We will be monitoring the home closely going forward to ensure they comply to and follow the rules to ensure the safety and well-being of the children,” said Joel Seabi, Spokesperson of the Department of Social Development.

https://www.citizen.co.za/review-online/258902/r29samaritanhard/

The court had declared the children may be moved back to the house but the date is yet to be confirmed by the department.

BONUS contacted Sarah Galane, who is the Director of the house for comment regarding the final verdict of the case but she said they are unable to give comment at the moment.

reporter29@nmgroup.co.za