By Lesego Masemola and Graeme Hosken
'I give the assurance before God that the (Tumelong) Mission is not closing, that no one has been dismissed and that there is no threat to any of those we assist."
This was Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Pretoria Dr Joe Seoka's categorical assurance at the weekend when he rubbished reports that the Tumelong Mission's hospice and children's haven in Winterveld were no longer in operation.
But an on-site visit on Tuesday by the Pretoria News revealed the contrary - the two institutions have indeed been closed and abandoned.
The children's haven was empty, as was the 32-bed hospice that catered for HIV/Aids patients.
Continues Below ↓
The Tumelong Mission helped 1 000 destitute people every month.
On Tuesday, three staff members were on standby at the hospice, ready to turn patients away. The sick and dying were still streaming to the facility, unaware that its doors had been shut in February.
Among those affected by the closure is Alida Jafta, 68.
Partially blind, she has been forced to take care of her ill daughter, Anna Mathebula, who was previously cared for at the hospice.
"I now have to spend R40 for transport to get my daughter to hospital for check-ups, and I don't always have the money," said Jafta.
Efforts to get comment from Seoka on Tuesday were fruitless.
His secretary said he was in a conference and would only be available next Monday. She said Seoka was the only person authorised to speak on behalf of the church.
Seoka, Tumelong Mission's governing body chairperson, recently insisted both the hospice and haven were still open.
But according to documents in the Pretoria News' possession, all 70 employees have been retrenched.
Part of the retrenchment letter written to each employee reads: "Tumelong Mission relies on donation and grants, especially from the government, Lotto and major companies, to carry out its work.
"The salaries of staff have to come from such donations and grants.
"Tumelong no longer has sufficient funds to continue operating projects that involve expenditure of money, including salaries.
"Tumelong is therefore obliged to close all its projects that involve the expenditure of money, with the result that its paid employees will have to be retrenched."
Former employees say they are angry that neither the bishop nor any of the members of the mission's governing body have visited the hospice or haven.
Former employee Dorian Nkosi last month approached the mission's governing body to ask permission to continue running the hospice.
Permission was granted and a promise made to assist her, but some of the former employees have questioned her ability to run the project.
The Potega Action Group, established by Pretoria's Anglican Church members to deal with the crisis, has expressed interest in getting both projects up and running again.
A concerned citizens' group has also pledged to help. But the members are withholding donations of food and money until they know exactly what the state of affairs is at the mission.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Pretoria News on April 09, 2008
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
