THE mum apparently felt she should choose between her three kids and the new man in her life.
So she dumped her children aged 11, seven and five – to look after themselves!
For the past two months, the three kids from Siyabuswa A in Mpumalanga, who cannot be named to protect their rights, have been living on their own, sleeping in each others’ arms in the bitter cold.
Their 41-year-old mum allegedly immediately moved in with her new man and hasn’t returned since.
Neighbour gogo Ellie Skosana (62) said she realised the kids were living on their own when they kept coming to ask for food.
They had no warm clothes or shoes, and had to find warmth in each other’s arms at night.
“Each time I asked why their mum had not cooked for them, they simply said she was away.”
“I assumed she was out looking for work, but later I realised I had not seen her in her yard for about two months.
“So I questioned the kids further.”
The 11-year-old child said his mum came with her new lover and took most of her things a long time ago and hadn’t returned since.
He said his mum already had a newborn baby with her lover and believed that was why she abandoned them.
Gogo Ellie told Daily Sun: “These kids have not attended school since last June. They don’t even have clinic cards or birth certificates. I am not related to them, but I could not sit back and watch them suffer like this.
“So I took them in.”
Daily Sun tracked down the mum at her new lover’s home.
She claimed she loved her kids, but had to abandon them because she didn’t have much to offer them. “I can’t even look for a job because my ID vanished last year,” she said.
Social development spokesman Ronnie Masilela said kids should have shelter, and food and attend school. “A social worker will visit the kids and do an assessment to determine what steps should be taken,” he promised.
