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Groceries, slippers for Lamula family

FINE PRESENTS: Mama Angel paid a visit to Lehae village to present goodies to the Lamula family. Pictured here are, standing, Phumzile Lamula and her son Sibusiso, and Sowetan's Lindi Obose with little Themba. © Sowetan.
FINE PRESENTS: Mama Angel paid a visit to Lehae village to present goodies to the Lamula family. Pictured here are, standing, Phumzile Lamula and her son Sibusiso, and Sowetan's Lindi Obose with little Themba. © Sowetan.

Nthabisang Moreosele

Nthabisang Moreosele

Phumzile Lamula was overcome with joy when Sowetan paid a visit to her tiny home in Lehae on the Golden Highway.

Lamula lives with her two sons and three of her late sister's children in a oneroomed RDP house.

The house is neat and filled with her eldest son Sifiso's wooden sculptures.

Neat vegetable beds border the house on three sides and are the family's main source of food.

Sifiso has dropped out of school and is looking for a job to help his mother support the family. Lamula has to pay transport costs for three of the children to attend school at the Jackson squatter camp.

Lamula is fighting to access R1,2 million that her younger son, Sibusiso, was given as compensation by the Road Accident Fund after an accident.

The child has had no chance of attending a remedial school or receive top-class medical care.

The lawyers in charge of the claim, Raphael and David Smith, allegedly invested the money without her consent.

The family lives from hand to mouth despite the hefty payout two years ago.

Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe has promised to monitor Lamula's claim against the law firm.

"As master of the Supreme Court and guardian of all children, I want to help," he said.

Ngoepe assured Lamula that his office would look into her son's case.

Aarthi Thumberan of Raphael and David Smith said Lamula had instructed them to invest the money, but they are willing to alter her instructions if she so wishes.

But Lamula says she never asked them to invest the money.

Mama Angel visited the family with groceries and slippers from John Craig.

"I thank Mama Angel for coming to my home," Lamula says. "I also thank Thuli Zungu for helping unravel my case. I am so happy."

All Sibusiso wants is a car, and the family needs a bigger house.

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