In one of the most bizarre happenings of the past year, the Tshitandani Child Care Centre in Tshikota, just outside Louis Trichardt, has closed down. The Department of Social Development (DSD) still has not issued a permit allowing the child-care centre to continue with its activities, and two weeks ago, the 20 boys in its care were moved to an overcrowded shelter in Musina.

The Tshitandani Centre is well known in the Vhembe District and has enjoyed the support of the local community for several years. At one stage it provided a home to more than 40 boys who, for a variety of reasons, had ended up on the streets of Louis Trichardt or surrounding areas. The centre was also a showcase for what can be achieved with limited resources but with passionate staff members and volunteers. Last year, the six matriculants the centre cared for all passed their matric exams, five of them with university exemption.

The centre was informed by DSD during April, however, that it was operating illegally as the permit granting it permission to continue with its activities had still not been issued. The child-care centre had applied for the re-issuing of its permit in December last year, but DSD replied that it took three months or longer to issue such permits. Tshitandani’s directors stated that they had no other option than to cease activities, as they could not operate outside the legal framework, especially where minors were involved.

History of Tshitandani

The idea to establish a shelter or a care centre for street children started in the late 1990s. It did, however, take several years before a suitable building could be erected on a site that was acquired adjacent to the Uniting Reformed Church in Tshikota.

The Tshitandani Children’s Home was officially opened in 2009 and initially took care of 10 boys. The home provided a safe haven for street children, mostly from Zimbabwe and other neighbouring countries. The children, also described as economic refugees, crossed the border in large numbers during that period. Most of them were on their own and in search of better job prospects and higher living standards.

In the early years, only one caretaker was appointed, but this gradually grew to a staff of seven, which included a manager, three caretakers, a cook, a cleaner and a security guard. The number of children at the home also increased from the initial 10 to 43 in 2017.

In an interview with the Limpopo Mirror in January this year, the manager of the centre, Ms Nadine Smal, was very proud of what they had achieved. One of last year’s matriculants, Emmanuel Tambire, obtained two distinctions in the final exams. Of the six boys who had passed their matric exams, they were able to find employment for three. The 22 boys in their care were also progressing well and were all in school.

“In the past year, the children’s home worked hard at maintaining good relationships with the local community, especially the Tshikota residents,” said Nadine. This was necessary because some xenophobic elements were still present, and people did not always understand what the children’s home tried to achieve. The children took part in cleaning campaigns and even helped other children in Tshikota with school work.

The children at Tshitandani were encouraged to take part in activities such as working in the community garden. They produced their own vegetables, such as spinach, and also planted mealies.

Nadine was also very optimistic about the future prospects of the centre and mentioned that, during a meeting with representatives of DSD on 18 January this year, it was mentioned that there was no reason why Tshitandani would not receive a five-year accreditation.

Waiting for a permit

The struggle to obtain a permit to care for the children has been an ongoing one. The first permit was issued by DSD on 26 March 2013 and was valid for 12 months. According to the Tshitandani Board, the DSD, in spite of being asked for clarity, never gave detailed answers on how long a permit was valid for and when exactly applications must be filed. In some cases, three-month permits were issued and in others seven-month permits.

The centre applied for the re-issuing of its permit at the end of December 2017. An inspection meeting was scheduled for 11 December, but representatives of DSD never pitched up. The centre had meetings with the DSD district representatives in March, during which they were again assured that the permit would be issued. Much to everyone’s surprise, Tshitandani was informed early in April that the centre was operating illegally.

The full Tshitandani Board had a meeting with DSD representatives on 13 April during which the crisis was discussed. The DSD representatives stated that there was not much that they could do, as the permits were issued at provincial level. DSD only received the application early in January and the red-tape period can last longer than three months.

According to the chairperson of the Tshitandani Board, Mr Jacob Kobe, they had no other option in the matter. Once notified by DSD that the centre was acting without a permit, the directors had to make a decision. Legally, the centre was no longer allowed to care for the children. The DSD was informed on 16 April of their decision to cease activities.

The child-care centre was notified that the children would be moved to another facility on 20 April, but two days before the date, DSD representatives arrived at Tshitandani and loaded the boys into minibuses. This was quite a traumatic experience, as the child-care centre’s staff had had no opportunity to prepare the children for the move.

Andries Smal, one of the directors of Tshitandani, is especially upset about the events that unfolded on that day. “We were still desperately trying to find a solution to minimize the impact on the children,” he explained. According to him, the children were described as “state-owned property” when they were removed and the tears that flowed all around seemingly had little impact.

The 20 boys were transported to Musina, where they were put in the care of Christian Women’s Ministry (CWM). Smal said that, from the bit of information that they could gather, most of the boys had since disappeared from the Musina centre. Four of the boys were spotted in Tshikota the following weekend. What also upset Smal is that, when he asked a staff member at the CWM shelter whether they had a permit to care for the additional children, she admitted that this centre did not have the necessary permit either.

An insult to a community?

The Tshitandani Child Care Centre is quite unique, in that it enjoyed the support of almost all church and cultural groups in the area. Bergcare, an umbrella body that endeavours to co-ordinate welfare activities in Louis Trichardt, has acted as godfather to the centre since its inception. Bergcare assisted the centre with food and clothes. It also co-ordinated many of the voluntary activities at the centre, such as the additional classes and training programmes conducted by members of the local community.

“The community supported us in many ways,” explained Nadine. Some members of the community assisted with tutoring, while others conducted practical lessons, which included anything from baking cakes to art lessons. The organisations that assisted include the SANDF, the SACM and the United Reformed Church in Tshikota.

No comment

Several efforts to get comment from the DSD representatives were unsuccessful. The fact that most of the events unfolded over a period that included several long weekends and holidays, did not help either.

Ms Jennifer Thabethe, the provincial director of the DSD, acknowledged receipt of a list of questions and promised to send it through to the departmental spokesperson.

When the provincial spokesperson, Mr Joel Seabi, was reached on Wednesday morning, he acknowledged receipt of the questions but said that it would take time to get comments from the staff members involved. He promised to respond as soon as he had obtained the necessary information.