SOUTH AFRICA: Claims about Sonop old age home refuted

HARTBEESPOORT, South Africa (Komorant), March 27, 2008: Renewed cries of outrage about the situation at the care centre and in Sonop as a whole was this week met by assurances that everything at the centre is under control. The North West Department of Social Development did however admit that there was no bread at the centre, but only for a week, and not for the three months as claimed. The current situation at the centre has been described as unacceptable and according to information there is no proper management and the management is not reachable in order for problems to be discussed. Kormorant received information that staff members at the care centre, which started out as a home for the physically and mentally disabled and is now referred to as the Sonop Old Age Home, went on a team building exercise recently leaving the residents basically to their own devices. A concerned resident involved with the Sonop community said that there are still disabled people living at the centre and with most of the staff not there something dreadful could have happened. “Some staff members were left behind and I understand they only went in to work to serve the meals, leaving the centre for the last time at 16:00 in the afternoon. The centre has not had bread or margarine deliveries for at least three months. Although there was other food to eat this is not acceptable. Contributions from members of the public ensured that there was bread for the residents to eat for the past two weeks and after a payment margarine was also delivered this morning (Monday 24 March). If it was not for farmers in the surrounding area who deliver fresh vegetables to the centre I don’t know whether the residents would ever have fresh vegetables to eat,” the resident said. According to a resident another organisation recently bought clothes and underwear for the residents of the centre. “The management takes the residents’ state pension in order to look after them but some of them do not have anything for their needs and if it was not for donations from elsewhere they would not have anything,” the resident said. Mr. Eddie Barlow, Democratic Alliance councillor, told Kormorant that it is difficult to reach the management of the care centre in order to speak to them about the problems the residents are experiencing. He said that the situation at the care centre is not the only serious issue in Sonop that needs to be addressed. He said that the sewage works in Sonop has not worked for a long time and that the solid waste is shoveled into a trench while the sewage water is left to run into the nearby veld. According to Barlow promises of improvement are made to the residents at meetings if they agree to do certain things but that service delivery should not depend on what residents do for politicians. “One can only hope that an investigation into the situation at the centre and in Sonop as a whole will follow and hope that the result would be improvement to lives of the people who live there,” Barlow said. The Sonop Old Age Home is a state home run by the North West Department of Social Development. The departmental spokesperson, Mr. Simon Mmope, reacted strongly to the allegations about the centre by saying that everything at the centre is running smoothly. He said that the staff went on a team building outing last week Wednesday and Thursday and that there was skeleton staff in the kitchen and hospital who stayed behind to look after residents. According to Mmope the department admits that there was a bread shortage at the home but that it was only for one week. He ascribed the lack of bread to the fact that the department was at it financial year end and that monies could not be paid out. “The problem has been solved now. I have no knowledge about the claims that there was no margarine at the centre and cannot answer to that,” Mmope said. He said although there was no bread for the residents’ breakfast there was porridge and cornflakes to eat during that week and that they were not left without food. Mmope denied that residents would not have what they need if it was not for donations from good samaritans. He said that as a state institution the centre cannot count on donations to look after the residents. Mmope said that the social workers at the centre identify residents who do have family members who can see to their needs for clothes and other necessities and those residents are provided with what they need as they need it. According to him the residents’ state pension for old age or disability is used for their board and food but that the pensions are not enough to run the centre and the department subsidises the pension to ensure that there is enough money available. Mmope gave the assurance that everything at the centre is running well but he says that the Department of Social Development does take such claims seriously and that an investigation will be done into the situation to ensure that the pensioners and disabled people at the centre receive the care they deserve. The maintenance of buildings and infrastructure in Sonop is the responsibility of the North West Department of Public Works. Kormorant did not receive any comment on enquiries about the sewage situation by the time of going to press. Kormorant did receive information that officials from the Technical Division of the Local Municipality of Madibeng resolved the problem on Tuesday. Source: Kormorant