“IT’S like I am stuck in a cycle of generational poverty. I want it all to end!”
These were the words of Phelisa Sajini (48), a mother of four who rents a room for R850 per month at a house in Alexandra extension 18, east of Joburg.
Sadly, she shares the room with her two sons, Tshepang (19) and Thulani (18) and her blind daughter Cebisa (29), who has a four-month-old baby. The room is cramped and is barely big enough for her double bed and kitchen.
Phelisa’s other son lives in the Easten Cape, where he’s doing grade 9. Her other two sons, who are meant to be in grades 10 and 11, struggled to secure placement at a school.
Cebisa dropped out of school in grade 1 because her mother did not have the financial means to place her in a special needs school.
With no family member employed, Phelisa said they rely on a disability grant of R2 000 to cover rent, food, life policies and the baby’s necessities, an amount that doesn’t come close to meeting their needs.
Phelisa turned to alcohol to escape her harsh reality. “Every night I think to myself if only God can take their lives and take my life because of the way I suffer. Sometimes I go to bed hungry, other times I beg from my neighbours for the little things like flour or onion,” she said.
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Tshepang dreams of a life outside Alexandra.
“I wish life in Alexandra was better. I wish to go back to school and do well so I can also be something in life and support my family,” he said.
Meanwhile, despite her challenges, Cebisa holds onto to her childhood dream of becoming a doctor.
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