Cape Town - A Philippi grandmother is appealing for assistance to help expand her two-room shack where she lives with her 13 children and grandchildren.
Nomaphike Jali, 70, cares for her children and grandchildren as well as her dead brother’s children.
Her two daughters, 31, and 35, are disabled and cannot walk unassisted.
The entire family shares an outside toilet, enclosed with corrugated metal.
In one room, three beds are shared among two or three members of the family.
Jali also suffers from diabetes and hypertension.
A tearful Jali shared that the conditions at home were not suitable for anyone, let alone her daughters with special needs.
“My wish is to have this house built up and suitable transport for the kids to attend hospital. They are struggling,” she said.
The family’s lifeline remains social grants.
Nyanga community police forum secretary Dumisani Qwebe said that no support from the government had been given in the 18 years that the family has resided there.
“If she (Jali) wants anyone to assist, she must make sure it is a relevant person because what is happening at the moment, if they want to go to the loo, without any assistance, they might fall on the way.
"The biggest challenge is this, having them seated in this small shack with 14.
“One of Jali’s disabled daughters has been raped three times by three different men. One has been convicted, the other has been arrested and another continues to roam free,” said Qwebe.
Jali worked as a cleaner at a local school but had to quit in 2015, following her daughter’s rape.
The suspect had pretended to want to assist her to the toilet, where he then raped her.
Qwebe criticised the ward councillor for not having visited the family despite knowing their circumstances.
Wheelchairs lie folded and discarded as they are too large for the shack or have broken due to the uneven and harsh ground.
A walking aid is shared among the two daughters, a difficult task when both are in need of it for mobility.
Philippi ward councillor Nkululeko Mgolombane initially said he was not aware of the case and expressed shock at the news, but later said he knew of it and had visited the family.
To assist the family, contact 068 294 8678/065 097 5074 or 067 895 3956.
Cape Argus