Phumzile Vilakazi lives with the constant shame of having to chain her autistic son to a chair and lock him up inside a shack because she fears he might get hurt or endanger people around him.
"The moment I mention that my son has autism, they turn me down. It breaks my heart to chain my son up like this but I don't know what else to do," she said."People think my son is a monster. They lock their gates when they see him," she said.
A local school had agreed to admit him about two weeks ago but he was kicked out within three days, Vilakazi said.Vilakazi said the irony of her situation was that she works for an NGO as an advocate for people living with disabilities but she was struggling to help her own child. "I feel like the system is failing us. Today we speak about human rights but our children have no rights. They are excluded," she said."People think we are abusing him by locking him up but there is nothing else we can do," Zondo said.
Autism South Africa director Sandy Usswald said it was common for families to resort to such measures because facilities were not willing to take in children with extreme behavioural problems. "I understand their frustration. They are left with no other choice. If there's any kind of strange behaviour, especially with an autistic child, places of safety refuse to take them. This is why families resort to such measures," Usswald said.The spokesperson for the provincial department of social development Thebe Mohatle said it was disturbing that the family had to chain their child up.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hormone drug shortage forces desperate solutionsGermaine De Larch’s deepening voice largely a result of his monthly injection of Depo-Testosterone. But the hormonal drug has been out of stock since December last year.
Read more »
WATCH: Sindiso Magaqa's mother demands justice for her sonA top-ranking KZN ANC official is expected to appear in court in connection with Sindiso Magaqa’s murder.
Read more »
Desperate measure: Ebumnandini resident to vote for whoever gives her a toiletResidents of Ebumnandini informal settlement on the West Rand say they feel dehumanised by the conditions they live in and government’s failure to address this for years.
Read more »
Sasbo urges retrenched banking sector staff to consider funding start-ups
Read more »
#FordKuga: Reshall Jimmy's family 'desperate for justice on his 37th birthday' | Cape TimesThe family of Reshall Jimmy, who burnt to death after his Ford Kuga caught alight near George over three years ago, had to ...
Read more »
Young mother arrested for concealing birth at work and dumping foetusA 22-year-old woman who gave birth at work after telling her employer that she was washing clothes - and then discarded the foetus - will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Read more »
Young mother arrested for concealing birth at work and dumping foetus'The employer became suspicious after the suspect was in the bathroom more than two hours with the tap running. She told her boss that she was washing her clothes but the washing powder was in the kitchen.'
Read more »
Mother charged with murder after foetus found in bucketThe suspect is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate Court.
Read more »
Lexi on becoming a mother & being cyberbulliedFormer reality TV star Lexi Van who is pregnant with her first child has come out guns blazing after she was body-shamed by cyberbullies.
Read more »