Penwell Dlamini and Thuli Zungu

Penwell Dlamini and Thuli Zungu

Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe has stepped in to help Phumzile Lamula, whose son's compensation money has allegedly been invested without her consent.

After reading about Lamula's plight in Sowetan Ngoepe, pictured left, invited her to his office in Pretoria yesterday and assured her he would look into her son's case.

"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.

Raphael and David Smith Incorporated helped her to lodge a claim with the Road Accident Fund after an accident in 1997 left her son Sibusiso, now 18, paralysed.

Lamula, 42, and Sibusiso live in abject poverty despite him being awarded R1,2 million in damages two years ago.

Aarthi Thumberan of Raphael and David Smith said Lamula had instructed them to invest the money, but are willing to alter her instructions if she so wishes. Lamula says she never asked them to invest the money.

Ngoepe said yesterday he was impressed with the groundwork done by the Law Society in helping Lamula so far. He undertook to monitor the court proceedings they intend initiating.