Abandoned children evicted
Five minor children from West Turffontein have moved to Hillbrow after being evicted as their overseas mother stopped sending rent money.
FIVE minor children are left homeless and need to fend for themselves after being evicted by their landlord.
The family of five, headed by a 15-year-old girl taking care of her siblings aged 11, nine, eight and seven, could no longer pay their rent. According to Julson Mkandla from Touch of Care, the children were evicted on Friday, August 12, by a foreign national landlord who did not even want to listen to Julson as he tried to beg for an extension.
The children used to receive money from their mother, who is believed to be somewhere in the UK, doing odd jobs. But she stopped sending the children money. The mother, a women in her late 30s, was the first to leave the family five years ago when fights between the parents started. The father fell ill and left for his homeland in 2015, leaving the children to their own devices.
The children have left the South of Johannesburg for Hillbrow since being evicted. Social auxiliary workers from the Touch of Care charity organisation are trying to bring them back to the South.
“This is where they go to school and Hillbrow is not a good place for children to try and survive,” said Julson.
“We need help to find shelter for the children. We can feed and clothe them because we also get help from organisations such as Meals on Wheels. We can also provide them with other essentials but what we do not have is shelter and it pains us at Touch of Care because the children are forced to miss school because of this. We ask people and organisations to help us to give these children what their parents cannot give them,” Julson said
Julson added, “We do not even know how the children got to Hillbrow. I went there and found them staying with a woman who is said to be their aunt, but she also has children of her own and she is unemployed so these children have to find a way to survive on their own. All we want is shelter somewhere in the South so they can go back to school and then we will work on a long-term plan.”
Any person, company or organisation wishing to help is encouraged to contact Julson Mkandla on 072 700 6221 or Martha Mkandla on 074 808 2701 or send an email to julson2008@yahoo.com.
Information that can be used to identify the children was not used in the article and the COURIER encourages people not to use any information that can identify the children on any social media even though their intentions are good.
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