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MUM PIMPS ME FOR FOOD - PUPIL

23/11/2020 02:11:00 BY VUYILE DLAMINI

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MANZINI – A teenage girl has alleged how her mother ‘sold’ her to various men in exchange for food parcels.

This is the unfortunate tale of 16-year-old *Seni of Dvudvusini in Mankayane.

The minor is currently writing her final Grade VII examinations.

It was alleged the Grade VII pupil was offered to older men by her own mother since she was 12 years old.

This supposedly started after her mother lost her job as a domestic worker.

With the family losing a father when Seni was only two years old, the mother and daughter depended heavily on handouts from neighbours and good Samaritans for years, before Seni’s mother gained employment in Malkerns as a domestic worker.

The first incident allegedly occurred a few months after Seni’s mother lost her job, while the pupil prepared to head to school for the day, according to the local health motivator, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter.

It is alleged that her mother’s boyfriend forced her into a house that she shared with her younger cousins.

Her mother had already left to gather firewood to cook the day’s meal, and was away for a while.

As he allegedly raped her, other members of the family are said to have been in another house about 50 metres away. After allegedly raping her, he gave her E50 and allegedly threatened to kill her if she reported him.

Survive

This was alleged to have happened when Seni was only 12 years old, and when she eventually, confided in her mother, her (mother) allegedly reassured her that if they were to survive, she would have to continue sleeping with her boyfriend.

After her mother had broken up with her lover, she allegedly started taking her daughter to the nearest watering hole with her.

This was where she allegedly offered her daughter to several men a day, to sleep with her in exchange for food or money. At times, she would allegedly offer her daughter to older men and offered her own house for the sexual escapades.

Seni’s mother would collect about E100 per day from these men, allegedly charging at least E20 for each session with her daughter. This was money used to purchase food and toiletries for the home, and also went towards purchasing school uniforms and stationery for Seni.

It was only when the matter was discovered by the community health motivator (umgcugcuteli) while doing her rounds that action was taken.

As part of her rounds, the community health motivator was approached by Seni, who informed her that she had developed painful warts on her private parts.

Noticing that Seni looked younger, yet more mature than her age, the community health motivator asked Seni how and where she had contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STIs) at her age.

Seni was said to have broken in tears and confided in her about her painful life, inflicted by her own mother. The community health motivator, upon hearing Seni’s story, followed up on her matter and went to her home where she found that the minor lived with her mother, cousins and an older man.

Gardener

This older man was discovered to have been working at the home, as a gardener. It was also discovered that the man, in exchange for food and money, allegedly slept in the same room as Seni on some days, and on other days, slept in Seni’s mother’s room.

When the relatives were questioned how the minor contracted the STI, sources stated that at first, she was told that no one in the family knew how she contracted it, only that they were aware that she had several boyfriends who visited her from time to-time.

However, when further probed by the community health motivator, Seni’s cousins revealed that after her mother lost her job, several men started visiting Seni’s bedroom, and would be seen leaving her room in the early hours of the morning.

Some of these men appeared to be in a questionable state of sobriety.

One cousin stated that it was only recently that the man started living with them, as he was brought by Seni’s mother, under the guise that he was to work at the home.

“We were informed that he would be working at the home, but he spends some of his nights in Seni’s room, while some nights he spends with her mother. Somehow, they are able to buy food and Seni always has money for her lunch box at school,” the cousin said.

When this publication interviewed Seni’s mother, she blatantly refused to comment, save to say that anything that concerned her daughter, was only her business.

However, Seni expressed that she wished that she did not engage in the activities she was forced to by her mother as she had missed a lot of schoolwork, claiming that she had to skip lessons to entertain the men.

“Some of them would pick me up from school, and would also offer me alcohol. This would mean that I would blackout as soon as they were done with me, and I would miss important sections of the syllabus,” she said.

motivator

She expressed that with the help of the community health motivator, she was able to learn how to protect herself from contracting STIs, and also to prevent pregnancy.

But what Seni truly wanted more than anything, was to pass her Grade VII examinations with flying colours, so that she could continue to high school and further to a tertiary institution of her choice. “I would like to become a lawyer, so that I can fight for the rights of children all over the country. I would also like to ensure that young girls do not have to go through everything that I have,” she said.

The community health motivator reported the matter to the community police, who then reported it at the Mankayane Police Station.

Community police member Mtfolwaphi Nkabindze said the matter was with the police, as he had handed the general labourer over to the police already.

“This is not the first man we have heard of, however, we were able to apprehend and hand him over to the Mankayane police. The man assaulted the minor and that was when the matter was brought to our attention. This mother has handed her daughter over to men for a long time,” Nkabindze alleged.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that a man was arrested by Mankayane police in connection with the offence. “Investigations into the matter are still ongoing, but there is a man who has been apprehended in connection with this offence,” she said.

*Not real name to protect minor.