Unregistered NW old age home shuts doors
The North West Social Development Department has confirmed an old aged home where a murder took place has been officially closed down.
The Ipeleng Bagodi old age home, in Jericho near Brits, made headlines when two men, aged 75 and 92, were arrested for allegedly bludgeoning 80-year-old Godfrey Motsepe Thema to death in the early hours of 30 May.
Two weeks later, both accused died just days apart while in custody at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Tshwane.
Further reporting by Jacaranda FM News revealed that a male staffer was arrested and charged for allegedly raping a resident at the home.
An inquiry by officials from the Social Development Department confirmed the home did not have a license to operate.
READ MORE: Old age home of horror: Claims of rape, assaults at NW centre
An inspection that was conducted by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in the North West uncovered several structural and operational concerns at the facility.
The SAHRC said its initial assessment of the old age home found that there were challenges with ablution facilities, and training of staff, among others.
“We found that the sanitation facilities that are currently in use are inadequate. For example, we found that 16 male occupants shared one toilet, and 26 female occupants shared two toilets. We found that the toilet only had one bath, and as a result, they have to use basins for their hygiene,” said SAHRC provincial manager Shirley Mlombo.
She said they also found that there was a lack of privacy in some of the rooms, with as many as six residents sharing a space with beds crammed next to each other.
OCCUPANTS RELOCATED, OTHERS REUNITED WITH FAMILY
Social Development spokesperson Petrus Siko confirmed the home was closed to allow its management to work towards obtaining a valid operating license.
At the time of closure there were 41 beneficiaries in this facility.
“Twenty-four beneficiaries were placed at a state-run Sonop Old Age Home and Letlhabile Old Age Home respectively. The remaining 29 beneficiaries comprised of Older Persons and people with Disabilities were reunified with their family members,” Siko reported.
As part of the 100 days in office, MEC Sussana Dantjie undertook a roadshow across the district to encourage all non-profit organisations comply with the law or face possible closure.
“The process to audit old age homes in the four districts is ongoing. We are engaging various stakeholders including the traditional leadership, the same way we did with Ipeleng Bagodi. We are taking time to engage with the relevant stakeholders to avoid secondary abuse of the elderly,” Siko added.
He said the outcome o would be publicised once it's completed.
Meanwhile, the SAHRC said it had received progress reports detailing steps taken by the department to close the facility. However, it said, there was still outstanding information regarding other aspects of their investigation.
“Specifically, we are examining whether the department had previously received complaints about the old age jome and, if so, whether it took any measures to address these complaints. This investigation aims to determine whether such actions could have averted the disaster that impacted the residents of the home,” Mlombo said.
ALSO READ:
