The Gauteng department of social development has recommended the closure of an old-age home in Doornkop, Soweto, after complaints of non-compliance triggered an investigation.
Motse o Moholo Home of the Elderly and Vulnerable Children currently houses about 11 elderly people and adults living with conditions that include dementia, stroke and disabilities.
However, the social development department wants it shut after complaints that:
- it lacks trained caregivers;
- residents are being given expired food;
- elderly people are denied medical care;
- there is no qualified nurse to administer medication; and
- the infrastructure is below required standards.
A monitoring and compliance visit conducted by the department on June 5 found the allegations to be substantiated.
Social development spokesperson Motsamai Motlhaolwa said the organisation provides residential care to older persons and people with disabilities but is not registered as a residential facility under the Older Persons Act.
“The organisation provides full-time residential care services to older persons in need of care and support, as well as persons with disabilities,” said Motlhaolwa.
He added that vulnerable children had also been accommodated at the facility under exceptional circumstances.
“The organisation is currently non-compliant with the prescribed legislative and regulatory requirements and, as a result, does not receive any funding or subsidies from [the] department of social development.”
Following the inspection, the department said it informed the home’s founder and manager that social workers would recommend the home’s closure and the relocation of residents to compliant facilities or their reunification with their families.
One Soweto resident, Christopher Manzini*, said he removed his 73-year-old relative from the home in May after concerns about the standard of care. He said he initially admitted the elderly family member, who has dementia, because his family could no longer manage her care at home.
“We were desperate for professional help. I thought taking her to a home would assist,” he said.
Manzini admitted he did not verify whether the facility was registered before admitting his relative. He said he handed over his relative’s Sassa bank card, identity document and paid a R500 admission fee, adding that he never knew how much of the monthly grant was used for her care.
In February, after being informed that his relative had been taken to a clinic, Manzini said he found her looking pale and undernourished. He later decided to remove her after staff allegedly warned him about conditions inside the home.
“I did a walkabout beyond the room where she stayed. The bathroom is not in a good state, and part of the ceiling looks like it could collapse,” he said.
Manzini further claimed he was asked to pay for June, even though he had removed his relative at the end of May.
A staff member, who requested anonymity, alleged residents were sometimes served expired or nearly expired food.
“The home manager often takes fresh food home and only brings it back when it is about to go bad,” the employee alleged.
Sowetan reached out to the home owner Nkele Manka and put the allegations to her. Manka, however, denied the allegations. She also said she would not be commenting telephonically, insisting that Sowetan should go to her.
The employee also claimed that only two caregivers at the facility were formally qualified, while residents who became ill were sometimes given over-the-counter medication instead of receiving medical treatment.
The employee said staff members work two weeks a month and are paid R1,000.
Another family member, Lapie Mbekwa, said her 66-year-old uncle, who suffered a stroke in 2021, remains at the home. She said she is aware of allegations relating to expired food and poor infrastructure but has been unable to remove him because of family disputes.
“I am not even allowed to see him, even though I live closest to the home,” she said.
The home is not allowing her with instruction from a relative, she said.
Like Manzini, Mbekwa said the family handed over her uncle’s Sassa card and ID and does not know how much is deducted monthly for his care.
Sowetan also visited the home but was unable to gain access inside.
* Names changed to protect identities.
Sowetan
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