Johannesburg - An Alexandra mother is desperately seeking assistance for Nthushe, her 18-year-old mentally and physically disabled daughter.
Nthushe was born with a badly deformed spine and limbs.
She is unable to move without help and her mother, Peggy Rabekane, needs to be with her all the time.
Rabekane has been unable to get medical help for her daughter who can't even sit upright to watch TV, one of her only pleasures in life.
Since birth, Nthushe has visited numerous doctors who told her they were unable to do anything to help her.
Rabekane cannot work as she has to turn Nthushe over every hour and put lotion on her skin to prevent bed sores. She also has to feed and change her.
In addition, she looks after three other children and is surviving on welfare and disability grants.
“All I want is for her to be able to sit upright when watching TV. That’s all she is able to do each day - it is her only pleasure. She is so passionate about TV that when her siblings change a channel, she is watching, she gets upset and starts crying,” she said.
To add to her troubles, the RDP house she was living in in Marlboro was flooded because it was badly built. Most of her furniture was damaged by the water.
Community leader Linda Twala is now helping.
He is trying to get a sponsor for an artificial spine which would make both Rabekane and Nthushe’s lives easier.
“This mother has suffered a lot in her life. We are doing all we can for her. An artificial spine would help a lot and make Nthushe’s difficult life a little easier. We sent Peggy for home-care training on how to look after her daughter. If it was easier to take care of Nthushe, she may be able to get part-time work caring for other disabled people,” he said.
Twala has managed to find a temporary room in Alexandra for Rabekane and her children and has found a donor for the house to be rebuilt.
He has also assisted her with other things. In March, Rabekane wanted to throw a birthday party for Nthushe but could not afford to pay for it.
Twala funded the party.
He said he had a child with a similar condition, so he knew what the mother was going through.
Twala has been active with humanitarian work in Alex for the past 46 years.
He built the Phuthaditjhaba Centre by raising donations.
He feeds 200 children and 150 aged people a day from there. A clinic, crèche and after-school centre are also run from the centre.
Every Christmas he holds parties for the aged and orphaned children, handing out some 3 500 parcels to see them through the festive season.
The Star