The boy’s troubles were minimized this week when a philanthropist gave him a wheelchair
By Jonk wa Mashamba
news@alexreporter.co.za
An unemployed mother of two from Praktiseer, near Burgersfort, Limpopo, can now sigh with relief.
The destitute woman got a wheelchair donation for her handicapped son.
The wheelchair known as a ‘buggy’, with a value of R60 000.00 (sixty thousand rands), was given to a 30-year-old woman, Tiisetso Mashile whose son McMillan became paralyzed after birth in 2008.
The boy also suffered serious head injuries due to suspected medical neglect at the hospital 13 years ago.
The boy was also left paralyzed with cerebral paralysis; he cannot walk and talk.
Philanthropist Thomo Nkgadima said he was deeply concerned about the situation of the family.
The donation was made successful by Nkgadima, in partnership with the Tshepo Foundation (the center for handicapped children).
“It was about alleviating their pain and suffering and restoring the mobility and dignity of a handicapped child,” Nkgadima said.
Nkgadima told the Alex Reporter that he had visited the disadvantaged family after a friend, their neighbor, Nature Manoge, a prominent social justice advocate, warned him of the situation.
“He urged me to step in, and I realized it was high time for me to go back to my own community and help the family without expecting any payment in return.
“I have a revolutionary duty to protect the interests and the rights of the most vulnerable,” he said.
In 2019, a woman from Limpopo, Dineo Thwala (28) started to express deep sympathy for her sister’s child.
And her love for small children flourished rapidly, leading to the formation of the Tshepo Foundation, a center for disabled children, she founded, located in the village of Bothashoek near Burgersfort.
“I encourage and educate other parents about caring for children with disabilities through an app,”said Thwala.
Ms. Mashile, who wept with joy, expressed her pleasure at receiving the wheelchair gift.
The emotional mother said she was unaware that there were people who cared about people with disabilities.
Now the mother of two will find time to find work to support her children.
She can also push her son to the hospital to get health care.
“I can take him to school (a special school for disabled children),” Mashile said.
The family survives through a social disability benefit.
A further challenge is that the family spends more money on the boy’s diapers as he uses them on a regular basis.
Ester Chauke (12) is one of the disabled children who has been given a buggy.
Her unemployed mother, Busisiwe Chauke (32), said she appreciated the gesture she received for her child.
“Seeing other kids playing together and some trying to talk was a joy for me. Because for many years, my child watched with envy as other children were playing,” Chauke said.
Nkgadima, an investigative journalist and professional photographer, said that he and his partners were working on an amazing legal team.
“We want to take the Limpopo Health MEC to court for medical malpractice (which would have caused McMillan’s disability).”
