The Northern Cape Department of Social Development conducted an oversight visit at two daycares based at the Helen Joseph Women’s Development Centre in Galeshewe following health and safety concerns.
THE NORTHERN Cape Department of Social Development conducted an oversight visit at two daycares based at the Helen Joseph Women’s Development Centre in Galeshewe following health and safety concerns.
The well-being and safety of the children at Tlhabologo Disability Day Care Centre came under the spotlight earlier this month after they were locked out of the premises.
Several concerns were raised that the centre premises are too small and that the staff and children are “cramped” inside the small crèche.
Staff members and children with disabilities were locked out of the daycare centre on February 2.
The principal of the centre, Maureen Tsiu, said that they had been issued with an eviction notice, to vacate the premises by January 31, as the building was needed for office space.
The centre management has, however, refused to go and insisted that they “belong” at the Helen Joseph Women’s Development Centre, just like the neighbouring daycare for able-bodied children, Arethusaneng Day Care.
The eviction dispute is believed to have been triggered by operational disagreements at the centre and how the Helen Joseph Women’s Development Centre premises were being managed.
The two parties reportedly had a short-term verbal agreement that Tlhabologo daycare would move to a “proper place to operate from” within six months.
Ward 17 councillor Nomazizi Maputle, who is also the Speaker of Sol Plaatje Municipality, was one of the people who raised the alarm with the Department of Social Development regarding the situation.
Maputle said that she had been contacted after the daycare centre’s gates were locked, and was “shocked” to find how the centre was operating.
“After contacting the department to do an oversight visit so that a solution can be sought, the matter was politicised,” said Maputle this week. “What I wanted was to help find a solution that is in the best interest of the children.
“I was trying to find a solution as the ward councillor and as the Speaker at Sol Plaatje municipality, but instead I received intimidating calls from opposition parties.”
The department said this week that both daycare centres were not registered and that engagements would follow to complete the registration process of the children at Arethusaneng Day Care, which was already under way.
Department spokesperson Gamiem Abrahams said that Tlhabologo daycare centre is expected to move to a “suitable” premises soon and will be “assisted where possible”.
The premises caretaker, Kelebogile Abrahams, admitted that they had locked out the tenants because of “discrepancies” that they discovered regarding Tlhabologo daycare centre.
She said her actions were a “cry for help” to the Department of Social Development.
She complained that the disability daycare centre has started to register able-bodied children in the “already cramped space”.
“The situation was also becoming too traumatic for the abled children that I look after. They would pass the other daycare centre and see the other children standing at the door, screaming,” said Abrahams.
“It is unhygienic to lock children up like that in such a cramped space.”
Tlhabologo Disability Day Care Centre principal Maureen Tsiu said they currently cater for 18 disabled children.
She said the children attend the daycare centre on a rotational basis.
“There is no day where you will find more than 12 children present,” said Tsiu.
“This centre is for women. Why will we be kicked out while I am also a woman and working with disabled children?” she asked.
Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Sello Matsie could not comment on whether the centre had been allocated a plot of land in Galeshewe.
“We can’t really comment on the transaction without the consent of other parties. However, as a municipality, we indeed support the initiative of the selflessness of the caregivers/educators of vulnerable communities. We can’t really say much about the situation between Helen Joseph and the NGO. We will assist wherever possible,” said Matsie.
