Mother speaks out against alleged bullying and neglect at SAVF youth care centre

VOLKSRUST – Concerns surrounding the management of the SAVF Louis Hildebrandt Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) have emerged, with allegations from both former staff and concerned parents of children residing there.

One mother, Marietjie Jansen*, whose daughter (11) has been living at the centre since June 2023, has spoken out about the conditions her child has endured under Waldi Sieberhagen’s management.

Sieberhagen, who had previously managed SAVF Huis Ermelo until December, took on a new role at this CYCC in January.

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Her transition was accompanied by a history of controversy surrounding her management style and handling of previous incidents at the old age home.

Jansen said her daughter has been bullied at the centre, resulting in physical injuries that the staff allegedly ignored.

“I have photos of her injuries, but when my daughter reported the bullying, she was called a liar,” Jansen claimed. “She told me some kids tried to strangle her with wool.”

Jansen took pictures of the marks and reported it to her daughter’s social worker, who then reported it to a staff member at the centre.

“The staff member dismissed it, claiming my daughter was lying because she wanted to go home with me.”

The social worker told Jansen her daughter had been playing with the wool, pulling it from one side to the other at the back of her neck.

The social worker allegedly described the injury as self-inflicted, but Jansen maintains the marks on her daughter’s neck were on the side and front, not at the back, as suggested by the staff.

Despite this, the situation escalated when Jansen alleged a 20-year-old woman at the facility assaulted her daughter.

This resident, according to her, had been bullying her daughter and other children at the facility for months, without any action being taken.

Jansen had instructed her daughter to immediately inform her should anything happen or if the bullying persisted.

On February 10, Jansen’s daughter phoned her hysterical, claiming the young woman had hit her in the face.

“I immediately opened an assault case,” Jansen said.

However, according to her, despite the seriousness of the situation the J88 form, required to proceed with the case, was not completed on the same day.

The 20-year-old was placed in another home, but according to Jansen, she still had access to verbally threaten and intimidate her daughter.

On February 12, Jansen met with Sieberhagen, who allegedly defended the young woman accused of the assault.

“Waldi asked that I try to get the investigator not to process fingerprints. She said she was concerned the 20-year-old could end up with a criminal record, which would ruin her future.”

According to Jansen, Sieberhagen also told her in that meeting that the girl had been in programmes over the past four years for anger-related issues and that she would be able to get the girl to stop her negative behaviour in a few days.

“The girl wanted to apologise to me, but I told Waldi that I was not interested as she had threatened my child that same morning.”

Jansen claimed that after the alleged assault the centre attempted to prevent her from seeing her daughter.

When Jansen requested another weekend visit with her daughter, she was told that the centre’s policy prohibited weekend passes for visitation.

Upon asking for the document, the staff member directed her to Sieberhagen and provided an email address.

However, Sieberhagen referred her back to the staff member, who allegedly admitted to Jansen that she was unsure whether such a policy existed and had asked a colleague to assist in finding it, but Jansen was not provided with anything.

She said the staff member later said she had not meant to use the word ‘policy’ and instead claimed Sieberhagen had attributed the refusal to Jansen’s daughter exhibiting behavioural issues after her previous visit.

Jansen further claimed her daughter developed ringworm, which went untreated for three months despite multiple requests to staff for assistance.

Adding to the allegations, Jansen claims that following the December holidays, the children were living off of bread due to a food shortage at the centre.

“Waldi did not make sure the centre was stocked for their return. I even had to buy food for the house where my daughter stays,” she said.

Jansen further alleged her daughter was left alone at the facility with a staff member’s son, despite the fact that he was not employed there.

According to Jansen, her daughter told her shortly after arriving at the centre that she had been left alone in a room with him. When Jansen raised the concern with those in charge, she was told that her daughter was lying.

A few days later, snowfall in Volksrust prompted Jansen to request a picture or video of her daughter enjoying the rare weather.

The video she received showed only her daughter and an unidentified man can be heard speaking to her.

“When I confronted the facility about this, a staff member attempted to downplay the situation, claiming another staff member was around the corner, smoking, and had been watching them the entire time,” Jansen said.

She reviewed the video and found no sign of the staff member anywhere in the footage. When she challenged their explanation and refused to accept their response. She was allegedly told that it was ‘too bad’ and that nothing more could be done for her.

Jansen told Highvelder: “My daughter has been in that hellhole for almost two years for no reason.”

She has now decided to take legal action.

Highvelder reached out to the SAVF’s head of marketing, Maria Scholtz, for comment.

See the questions and responses: HERE

*The name and surname of the individual have been changed for privacy and legal reasons.

*The name and surname of the individual have been changed for privacy and legal reasons.

Read the complete article in Highvelder.