NWPL Speaker, Hon. Dantjie, and Staff Commemorated Mandela Day at Ntshalle le Bana Care Centre at Lekgalong in Bojanala

The Speaker of the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL), Hon. Basetsana R. Dantjie and Legislature staff commemorated Nelson Mandela Day at Ntshalle le Bana Care Centre at Lekgalong Rustenburg. The facility caters for 78 children, many of whom are bedridden and require 24 hour care, focussing on Child and Youth Care for children with disabilities.

In her address the Hon. Dantjie congratulated the founder of the centre, Ms. Emily Mofokeng for the good work she is doing, taking care of the 78 children with disabilities. “These children look very happy and the centre is also very clean, I want to thank Mme Emily Mofokeng, the centre manager for a job well done”. Our callings are different but we can see where yours is.

“We are here to give love to these children. I was orphaned at the age of 3 yers but here I am. All these children need is a chance to become something in life,” said Hon. Dantjie. Eunica Manamela from the Department of Social development also congratulated Ms Mofokeng for doing great work with the children.

“We take this centre as an extension of our services to the people. It is one of those we use as a model and we are proud of it. It is registered with us , it is not a fly by night kind of a centre. “We monitor, guide give support and ensure that children bare fed nutritious diets and operational costs are managed well”.

“I want to encourage parents to open a disability forum where parents are a voice otheir children locally,” said Ms Manamela. She also thanked the Legislature for always tackling and giving support by even hosting the People with Dissability Sectoral Parliament. The day was spent spreading love and feeding the children. Hon. Dantjie bathed Natalie Tafrinyika, a six year old girl from Mafikeng who was coincidentally brought to the centre the same day that the Legislature visited the Centre in 2018. She is suffering from Cerebral Palsy.

The Legislature came 2 weeks before to check on their needs and then requested donations from the staff and Members of Parliament. The centre needed diapers, a generator or inverter, bottled water, blankets and food parcels and the Legislature donated all those. Ms. Mofokeng who launched the centre in 2009 in an RDP house, said she realised the need to establish the facility because the community did not have anything to cater for disabled children. “Some parents were forced to hide such children because they did not have means to provide for them. At our centre, we are able to assist these children with activities specifically suited for their shortfalls,” said Ms. Mofokeng.

She further said the centre is very grateful and honoured by Hon. Basetsana Dantjie to commemorate the Mandela Day with them. “When she visited us, we were at Freedom Park and she said to us she does not want to come back there as the place was too small and not suitable to house the children.

“Today we are in a new place, so we want to believe that when she comes here she is bringing us blessings. We now need a car to transport the learners to school and those who need medical attention to hospitals,” said Ms Mofokeng.

Hon. Speaker thanked all employees of the Legislature for the role and contribution they made to ensure that the Mandela Day is commemorated at the Centre. “Everything that has been contributed here, came in the form of donations contributed with kindness by the staff of the Legislature, willingly and out of their own pockets. They did it out of love and ubuntu,” said Hon. Dantjie.