Legal help for Tongaat elderly and vulnerable

A new help desk to support the most vulnerable in society, will open its doors on September 19 in Tongaat.

The aim is to help those who have limited access to legal assistance and who repeatedly get hoodwinked due to ignorance of their rights.

“There is an increasingly large gap between legal advice and affordability and with the help desk, volunteer legal professionals will act as intermediaries on behalf of the defenseless,” said attorney and Tongaat Child Welfare board member, Vishnu Govender.

He said they would not be taking any matters to court but simply direct people on the right path to solving their problems.

They are particularly concerned for the elderly, who often have the wool pulled over their eyes by their own children who embezzle their homes and possessions from them.

“People are feeling the pinch of the economy. We see more and more grown-up children abusing their own parents’ finances everyday, sometimes leaving them out on the streets without a home.”

He said loss of income in the sugarcane industry as a result of the seemingly open-ended drought has also contributed to the growing problem.

The help desk will initially prioritise the plight of the elderly with estate planning, and financial abuse before phasing in issues like parents mismanaging child support grants and then not paying school fees, thus keeping children out of school.

Psychological abuse, civic matters, and various forms of financial abuse will also be rolled out in stages.

The help desk will not be duplicating services provided by the Tongaat Child Welfare centre or Legal Aid.

Volunteer legal professionals will not enter into an attorney-client relationship, but will merely act as intermediaries between clients and institutions or abusers. People who need help can call the help desk on 032-9441514 to make an appointment but all consultation must happen in person at the help desk. There will also be an email service for those who wish for more discretion with sensitive matters.

Tongaat Child Welfare social worker manager, Jo Moodley said the help desk is located in the heart of the most vulnerable community at the Turo Empowerment Centre in Plein Street, Tongaat, next to the pension quarters.

Moodley said September 19 will also be the help desk’s open day and advice will be given on wills and estate planning from 9am to 12pm.

She encouraged the community to take advantage of the free service.