Horrors of big bro’s house

Operations at the talent identification academy of a young football super star and coach of a prominent provincial-based team have come under the spotlight after allegations of neglect of scores of young boys enrolled with the facility surfaced last week.
Alarm was raised about the living conditions of boys enrolled with the academy after the parents of four of the 59 children had removed them from a four-bedroom house in a Polokwane neighbourhood where they resided during school terms. Others couldn’t inform their parents of the dire living conditions in the house as they didn’t have cell phones with them, stressed a source. Claims of neglect were based on alleged lack of proper supervision and safety, insufficient transport arrangements, poor dietary control and children being left to their own devices generally and in cases of medical emergency.
According to sources the boys were from all regions of the province and were lured to the academy with the promise of being exposed to big leagues and matches in Gau­teng, which apparently had not happened. They said the children’s parents paid a fixed R1 750 monthly fee after an initial once-off R3 500 for registration upon enrolling with the academy.
The monthly fees were supposed to cover transport, food, medical expenses and accommodation, while the registration fees would have been spent on school uniforms and sport’s gear such as tracksuits, explained a source.
The only person keeping watch over the boys, who all live in one house and share beds or mattresses spread out in the four bedrooms, was a cook who also did cleaning and laundry, said a source. The boys had been moved to the house in MacDonald Street where they were currently staying from a residence in Marshall Street in the beginning of the term, after having been relocated there from a guest house in Dalmada after the first school term, sources mentioned.
After school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons the boys attended practice sessions at Pietersburg Cricket Club from 15:00 to 17:30, sources explained. According to the sources the boys had to travel on foot to the training sessions from the house and back, some running back late afternoon to still be able to secure warm water from the single geyser installed in the house before the others got back. Also the availability of soap and toilet paper – as was the case with ordinary cleaning materials – was limited, it was understood. There was apparently no fixed dinner or bed time in the house, a source stressed. Another issue was the matter of older boys among the group not being able to study without disturbance at the only space to do so being the small tables in the dining room, it was pointed out. Attending two secondary schools and one primary school respectively, they had to buy certain items of school clothing themselves as it had not been supplied and the winter clothes having been inadequate, Polokwane Observer was told.
Complaints were raised about food being an issue of concern as there were sporadic incidents in the past when the children would go hungry without proper food for three to four days at a time. Whenever the food situation was brought to his attention, he would rant at the boys and serve them a piece of takeaway chicken and pap without anything to drink in order to avoid further outbursts, one of the sources said. They seemingly did not get lunchbox food to school, were not served a balanced diet either and sometimes ate from chipped enamel plates. A source said on good days four slices of bread and strawberry jam with porridge and juice constituted every breakfast, four slices of bread with jam were usually served for lunch and that the dinner menu consisted of respective helpings of beans, samp, pap, cabbage, potato and little gravy with the odd tinned beef.
In two separate interviews sources raised the matter of lack of assistance in medical emergencies or provision of medication or doctor’s visits when boys fell ill, both using the example of the soccer coach allegedly failing to act during an incident in which a boy was stung by a scorpion in the past. He allegedly advised the boy to get into the pool or rub lemon juice into the wound. According to information the boy’s team mates phoned an ambulance when he showed signs of allergic reaction and was rushed to hospital.
Occasionally fights would break out due to boys accusing one another of theft of money, cell phones, clothes, school uniforms or food, it was emphasised. An incident was also listed of one of the boys allegedly being assaulted by the soccer star about two months back.
Similar allegations about living conditions to which boys enrolled with the academy were exposed to were brought to Polo­kwane Observer’s attention in the past, but insufficient evidence prevented the publication of a story at the time.
Attempts to approach the star drew to a blank as his number went over to voice message. A call to the club he is currently affiliated to confirmed that he was out of the country while the alternative number provided could not be reached.

Story: YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com