Family faces a life on the streets
"I cannot live on the streets with my wife and children."
“I’m trying my best to take care of my family and keep them safe, but I do not know what to do anymore, I’m desperate,” said a dejected Ryno de Lange (36).
He and his wife, Annemarie (35) live in a two-bedroom apartment in Maraisburg – together with their eight children, aged 14, 12, eight, five, four (twins) and five month-old-twins (one of whom is the family’s only daughter).
The neat apartment has only two rooms and a bathroom. The kitchen, which is in a corner, is part of the main bedroom. The room is divided into two – one part serves as a bedroom for Ryno, Annemarie, the babies and two of the older boys, while the other part contains a fridge and a two-plate gas stove. The second room is shared by the rest of the boys, where they sleep in pairs on the beds.
“We moved in a month-and-a-half ago after we stayed in a single room for two years,” he said. The NG Church Weltevreden Park helped them with the deposit, as well as enough money for the first week’s rent.
But, just as they thought they’d found their feet again, tragedy struck again. “We are now under threat from the owner of the building who has told us that we have to leave by Saturday, 19 August. All the other residents have time until the end of the month, but we were told we have to leave as soon as possible, and he has even resorted to threatening our children,” a scared Annemarie said.
She added that she had contacted the owner, as well as the rental agency, asking them to give them time until the end of September, in order for them to seek other shelter, but her appeal fell on deaf ears. “Our youngest son, one of the twins, was born with a hare lip and cleft palate and has to go for his first operation on Monday. I have to go for surgery a week later. We cannot be without a roof over our heads,” she said. .
Ryno is the only breadwinner and is currently working as a long-haul truck driver. “I earn R1 500 a week, and work seven days a week, from early morning to late. We pay R1 000 a week for rent and the R500 that is left over has to take care of food, but usually it only lasts until the end of the weekend,” he said.
The family is currently being assisted by the NG Church Weltevreden Park on a monthly basis with vouchers to buy groceries, as well as with milk and diapers for the twins. “We are very grateful for this help, because without it we would have even less,” said Annemarie.
She said that they are just an ordinary family, which has has been scuppered by circumstances. “We weren’t always in this situation – five-and-a-half years ago, we had everything. Ryno worked at my grandfather’s family business and things went well, but then my grandfather fell ill and died, and my Dad passed away just a short while after that. This resulted in my grandmother having to sell the business. I also lost my mother, and our family house was sold. We do not have relatives who can help us and my grandmother can not support us financially, “she said.
Ryno says he is desperate to get another place to stay, and is even willing to live in a garage. “I’ll be happy with any place, but I do not want it for free, I’m willing to pay,” he said.
“I cannot sit on the street with my wife and children. If I look at my children and our situation, I feel like a failure as a parent. I just want to give them the best,” he said sadly.
The Record, with the help of the community, which has contributed generously to the Food Drive initiative, was able to take some toiletries, clothes and food to the family – enough to satisfy their immediate needs.
Read more: Food Drive received a boost
Anyone who can help the family with long-term accommodation, non-perishable food, toiletries and possibly baby supplies is asked to call the Record’s editor, Roelien Vorster, on 011 955 1130.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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