Relief for struggling gogo
The destitute pensioner and her seven-year-old grandchild are struggling to survive, living in poor conditions which cannot even keep out the weather elements.
DESPITE the breathtaking view overlooking the Mzingazi Lake in Mandlazini, Gogo Martha Gabela’s one-room shack is a sight for sore eyes – a dilapidated, makeshift structure patched together with wood, planks and rusty corrugated iron.
In her old age, the destitute pensioner and her seven-year-old grandchild are struggling to survive, living in poor conditions which cannot even keep out the weather elements.
The newly established Mandlazini Community Policing Forum (CPF) Youth Desk identified the plight of Gogo Gwala and approached the Zululand Observer’s charity arm, DICE (Do I Care Enough?) for assistance.
Recently appointed DICE coordinator Sharon Mdletshe visited the family on Wednesday afternoon with members of SAPS and the Community Policing Forum to offer the family some relief with a donation of groceries and blankets.
‘It is heartbreaking to see our elderly citizens battling to survive in such dire circumstances. Last week the country celebrated Child Protection Week, but this is the harsh reality of the living circumstances of some of our children,’ said Mdletshe.
‘We are grateful to the CPF Youth Desk for working with the police and local charity organisations to address issues of crime, but also to help our senior citizens and children.’
The CPF Youth Desk have appealed to the community to assist in providing a suitable structure for Gogo Gabela.
