Samaritan House children moved to a place of safety as court battle continues
A protected source, known to BONUS, who works closely with the centre said despite the centre receiving a hefty list of donations from corporate companies, individuals and well-doers on a regular basis, children do not receive the basic necessities.
POLOKWANE – The children at Samaritan House were moved to a place of safety, known to BONUS, after the Department of Social Development found the allegations of the children being neglected at the home true.
Last week BONUS reported on the poor living conditions and neglect as well as the lack of food, furniture and proper transport to and from school, some of the allegations levelled against Samaritan House, a place of safety for vulnerable children in Polokwane.
Read more: Neglect and poor condition allegations surround Samaritan House
A protected source, known to BONUS, who works closely with the centre said despite the centre receiving a hefty list of donations from corporate companies, individuals and well-doers on a regular basis, children do not receive the basic necessities.
Department of Social Development Spokesperson, Joel Seabi, confirmed after BONUS alerted the department about the situation, they investigated the matter as a matter of urgency.
“When we arrived at the home, we found the situation was indeed not in a good state. We decided to remove the children from the home, but the management of the Samaritan House contested the decision and applied to the court for an interdict to prevent us from removing the children.
Seabi confirmed last week that the department has stopped paying grants to the home because the management of the home no longer complied with the rules and policies stipulated in Section 197 of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 as a prerequisite for funding.
Seabi added the department has been working around the clock to ensure the conditions are improved during the last quarter of 2017.
“The requirements for a Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) are both stringent and critical to adhere to, and as the department we normally assist such institutions to be able to comply. Similarly, we have been trying to assist the facility in question to adhere to the norms and standards as required.
“Despite court action by the institution, we have worked tirelessly to get the children to be moved to a facility where they will be well cared for and have their basic needs and rights upheld. We have been in and out of court in a bid to represent our case on the basis of the actions we have taken in the interest of the children, and ultimately managed to get a court order that permitted us to move the children to our welfare complex where they are receiving care and support.
“The matter will only be finalised in court on 22 May to determine a way forward,” Seabi said.
Sarah Galane, the house mother at Samaritan House, declined to give comment on the matter as it had been referred to court and was sub judice.
