SEBOKENG. – The Sebokeng SAPS’ Victim Friendly Facility (VFF) together with the Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordinator played a major role in uniting a pensioner with her family
The 72-year-old had been coming to the Sebokeng Police Station for food, for some time, and after eating she would go sleep at a friend’s place, ‘fearing’ to go to her home in Sebokeng’s Hostel 2 saying that there were people that were after her, who wanted her dead.
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, the pensioner, Tenjiwe Princess Nxasana, known as ‘Matshabalala’ in the hostel and originally from Matatiele, Eastern Cape, said that she arrived at the hostel in 1986 and has been living there since, while operating different businesses, the last one being as a chicken seller.
Nxasana mentioned that she has a daughter and a son that she has been separated from since the early 2000’s. The daughter is married and lives in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga while the son works in Durban.
After consultation between the community members in the hostel, a resident in the hostel who is also from Matatiele made means for her daughter to be traced. She was traced and found, last week she came to see her mother and promised to come back this week to fetch her so that she ca come and stay with her in Mpumalanga where she is indeed married, and lives.
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, Phumzile Makamba, a resident at the hostel who is from Matatile said, “We saw her situation and the police were also I contact with us, and as we are from the same place we decided to contact people back home so that they could find out how we can reach her children and indeed we found her daughter who came to see her. She has promised to come fetch her this week.”
Hostel Block Committee Member, Wiseman Tshezi also thanked the police and the media for their active involvement into the case.
“We are happy that the case has been solved, that Gog’ Ma’Tshabalala has finally been united with her family. She is an elderly person that needs the love and care of her family.”
Police spokesperson, Sergeant Nthabiseng Mokhachane who is also the Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordinator at the Sebokeng Police Station said.
“It pleases us to know that we have made a difference in the lives of a family, that we have also avoided a situation where we the Gogo would have been abused, killed or even raped. We are very happy.”
