Egregious failings𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟯 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯.
It was once a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the care of children with disabilities and a beacon of hope in the Eastern Cape. For decades, Ikwezi Lokusa was operated by missionary sisters. But in 2001, government took over and soon afterwards its troubles began. In 2018, Carte Blanche investigated the boarding school and uncovered how the infrastructure had deteriorated, leaving children to sleep on brick beds with only a thin mattress for comfort. A critical shortage of caregivers often left vulnerable special needs children with no one to feed them or change their nappies for hours on end. Back then, the Department of Education made big promises to help the children; but as we return to the school five years later, very little has changed. More caregivers have been employed, but they frequently abandon the children, who continue to suffer hardship and neglect. Carte Blanche investigates.
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