adminThe incident, which has exposed the inefficiency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, occurred last Wednesday at about 1.30 pm.
Some well-wishers dragged the epileptic patient, Mrs Moreen Mpofu, to safety after she collapsed and was attacked by fits in the middle of the road along Lobengula Street.
Members of the public became furious after they discovered Mrs Mpofu had failed to get any form of assistance save for a “begging letter” from the Department of Social Welfare where she had gone to seek urgent assistance.
“It’s so saddening that the Ministry of Social Welfare, which is the responsible ministry, failed to render any meaningful help to this woman. They only managed to assist by
printing this letter which they wanted her to use to beg for assistance? It’s so worrying to know that some ministries are so useless,” fumed one of the passers-by who was part of
a group of women rendering Mrs Mpofu some form of first aid.
This reporter is in possession of the letter which Mrs Mpofu got from the Gweru District Social Welfare officer, Mr Lazarus Mlauzi, after she visited the offices to seek assistance to get her medication.
“The bearer of this letter is a woman who is a victim of circumstances. The woman is a known epileptic patient who was divorced by her husband after succumbing to epilepsy.
Yesterday she slept at Gweru Central Police Station as there is no single relative in Gweru. I am kindly appealing for assistance regarding her transport back.
“Our office is currently out of bus warrants henceforth we failed to assist her in anyway,” read part of the letter.
In an interview after she gained consciousness, Mrs Mpofu, who gave her residential address as number 6676 Nkulumane 11, said she had visited the Gweru Social Welfare office to seek assistance so that she could buy some pills for her medication.
Mrs Mpofu, who said she was coming from her rural home to seek her other relatives, said she also wanted money for transport back to Bulawayo.
“At the social welfare offices, the officials, however, indicated to me that they did not have any money to assist and they gave me a letter which they said I should use to beg in the streets. This was when I was attacked by this epileptic problem which I have been suffering from for the past 24 years,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu, who walks with the aid of clutches after part of her leg was burnt in a fire during an attack by fits, said her husband has since divorced her owing to the condition.
“I did not have this problem until I had my third born, Gelina Mpofu, who is now in Form Three. This was when my husband divorced me. He only left me alone at our matrimonial house in Nkulumane 11 and took with him all the children except Gelina who was still very young by then,” said Mrs Mpofu, who said she has five children with her ex-husband.
Mrs Mpofu said she has not been in contact with any members of her family and that she was not even aware of their whereabouts.
“I have only heard through rumours that my first born, George, and his other two sisters, Grace and Gamuchirai, are in South Africa but they have never communicated with me since they left with their father,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu said her Nkulumane house is now saddled with huge water and electricity bills.
“The electricity has since been cut while water has been cut and reconnected several times,” she said.
Efforts to get contact with Mrs Mpofu’s other relatives whom she said were in Gokwe were fruitless.
Mr Mlauzi from the Gweru District social welfare department confirmed the visit by Mrs Mpofu to their offices when he was contacted.
“She came to our offices and we managed to assist her with a letter. At the moment our coffers are empty and we are still waiting to receive our funding allocations which we will use to assist the needy,” he said.
Online Reporter