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Flora Fadzai Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
WITH her three-year-old younger brother strapped on her back, 10-year-old Sipho (not her real name) of Nketa suburb in Bulawayo appeared restless as she opened a pot lid to check on its contents.
Her younger sister (7) suddenly pops in and immediately hides behind her with an inquisitive face upon seeing strangers in their home.
At such a tender age, Sipho is both a mother and father to her two siblings, a typical case of a child-headed family in Bulawayo.
Their mother, a single parent, abandoned them in June and she is reported to have relocated to Southwold suburb in the city where she has moved in with a boyfriend.
The three minors are living in a family house, which their mother deserted. Clearly, Sipho has not yet come to full terms with the fact that she is the mother, father and sister to her siblings at the age of 10.
She is doing Grade 3 at Barham Green Primary School while her siblings have not yet started school.
Sipho said her mother left them six months ago on the pretext that she was visiting a doctor at a local the hospital. She, however, did not return and since then she just sends groceries.
With very little or no support from her extended family, Sipho is very determined to look after her siblings and hopes to give them a better future.
“I don’t remember the exact date when my mother left us, but it was in June. When she left us, she told me that she was going to the hospital and that was the last time we saw her until today,” said Sipho.
“She only sends us groceries and occasionally talks to us through ‘umalume’s phone,” she said.
Neighbours said the person that Sipho refers to as “uncle” is someone who occasionally comes to check on the children including delivering their groceries.
Sipho said whenever her siblings fall sick, she takes care of them.
“Today my three-year-old younger brother is not feeling well. He has a terrible cough that is why I am carrying him on my back,” she said.
“I have been boiling lemon leaves for him so that the cough can get better. My mother used to do this for me when I was still young.
Recently, my younger sister had a running stomach and we had to seek assistance from a woman who stays next door.”
Sipho said she sometimes misses school to attend to her siblings whenever they fall sick. The sadness in her eyes speaks volumes as she narrates her experience. Regardless of the challenges, Sipho believes that nothing will stop her from taking care of her siblings.
“We do not want to live with any other person, except our mother. We wish she could either return home or come back and take us to where she lives, particularly now that we are heading towards the Christmas holiday when most people will be spending their time with their families,” said Sipho.
A neighbour who preferred to remain anonymous said life is evidently not very easy for the young head of the household.
“Girl children are very sensitive and if you look at this young girl’s predicament, it is clearly evident that she is having a tough moment in her life worse with her age. For someone her age, this girl needs to be properly taken care of and protected especially now that cases of child abuse are on the rise with some being impregnated,” said the neighbour.
“As is it, one of the tenants living in their house stays with three boys who have the potential to abuse these young girls. I hope someone helps these children and the mother should also be taken to task for abandoning her children.”
Another neighbour only identified as Mr Dube said there are rumours circulating in the neighbourhood that Sipho is spending a lot of time with young boys.
“As neighbours we can only help here and there, but these children need a guardian to look after them. There is a man who occasionally comes to check on them, but you can never trust any man around them without a female relative closely monitoring the interaction,” he said.
When contacted Sipho’s mother, Yeukai refused to state the reasons why she abandoned her children.
“Those who reported that I abandoned my children are simply trying to soil my name. I left my children with their uncle who lives with them and I am taking care of them. However, I will not disclose the reasons why I am not staying with them because it is none of your business,” she said.
A social worker, Mrs Babongile Gora said under such cases, it is prudent for neighbours and relatives to report the matter to any nearest department of social welfare office.
“Such cases are best handled by the Department of Social Welfare who should interview the children and engage their mother,” she said.
Mrs Linda Musiwegota of Justice for Children Trust said such cases need to be handled with utmost care.
“These are tricky cases and it is always advisable for the nearest Social Welfare officers to be engaged because they know how to handle them. In this particular case, if investigations are conducted and it is discovered that the mother is struggling to fend for her children, they will be taken to a safer environment,” she said.
Online Reporter