Help from a local activist and the Lesotho Government has ensured that a boy lying in Carletonville Hospital since being injured during the recent Wedela massacre gets the medical help he needs.

According to a resident of Wedela, Onka Malefale, her cousin, an 18-year-old learner of Wedela Technical High School, was standing outside his family’s house in Ext 3 on September 26 when a bullet fired by one of the attackers at Dora’s Tavern hit him in his left upper leg. He was rushed to Carletonville Hospital, and from there taken to Leratong Hospital for surgery. He was returned without further medical help because he is not a registered South African citizen.

“They said we must pay more than R28 000 before they will operate my cousin,” says Onka. Some of the boy’s relatives, including Onka, do have South African IDs.

The boy, who was now supposed to be back at school, has been lying in Carletonville Hospital since September 26 with a badly broken leg while his family struggled to try to get the money for his surgery.

Staff at Carletonville Hospital did take care of his bullet wounds and pain.

The family’s only option was to negotiate with staff at Leratong Hospital to pay a deposit of R15 000 to allow the surgery to proceed on October 14, with a written agreement to settle the outstanding balance in instalments over the following year.
The family did not have the money for the deposit and had to get a loan.

Although the family tried to get help in various places, it was a Merafong resident who came to their rescue. Mr. Lillo Shale, a senior teacher at Letsatsing Combined School and a multiple award-winning mathematics educator, advocates for the rights of Basotho residents through his organisation, the People’s Forum. Shale not only organised for Onka to get a slot on a national radio programme in Lesotho, but also lobbied politicians from our neighbouring country to get help for the boy.

Thanks to his lobbying, leaders from the Basotho National Party (BNP) and All Basotho Convention (ABC) tabled the boy’s treatment in Lesotho’s Parliament. The issue was discussed on October 12, and the Lesotho Government made a commitment to pay for the boy’s treatment.

“I am really glad that it worked out this way. This was so unfair that the South African government would not even help a child innocently injured during a tragedy,” says Shale. The boy’s family thanked Shale for his help.