Every step that Thato Molosankwe takes is intended to raise awareness around social ills such as violence against women and children.

In July this year, the Mahikeng social activist will embark on a 10-year journey from Cape Town to Cairo. He calls this journey “Rounding Africa” because he plans to walk through each and every African state, not merely cutting across the continent as many have done before.

“In this historical journey, I will be walking and praying for victims of child marriages, ethnic wars, corruption and xenophobia. I will also be addressing parliaments, churches and various organisations on issues that affect their specific country. Some of the challenges I will be confronted with on my journey are rebels and wild animals, but I will organise various groups who will be assisting me to cross these dangerous territories,” Molosankwe told Semphete this week at his home village of Lomanyaneng.

He will start his long walk on 18 July this year, the day Madiba would have turned 100 if he were still alive.

“As I honour Madiba, I will be honouring other struggle stalwarts such a Thomas Sankara and Muammar Gaddaffi who fought to ensure that their people lead dignified lives,” said Molosankwe.

He called out abusers, saying that they are not only hurting the victim, but a whole social structure.

“As an abusive person, you live with the pain of knowing that somebody is suffering as a result of your actions so you can never lead a happy and normal life. I am pleading with all abusers to change and encourage all the men who are treating women well to advise other men how to lead positive lives”.

Molosankwe said the walk from Cape to Cairo started with a dream.

“In 2015 I had a dream of walking from Cape Town to Cairo so I started with the Johannesburg to Mahikeng walk. I took 12 days, which means 6 days to Johannesburg and 6 days back to Mahikeng. It is now an annual walk during Women’s Month called Maftown-Jozi Walk. Only women are currently taking part in this walk and men are only there to support them,” he said.

Molosankwe has also walked from Mahikeng to Cape Town on a Father-Son Mentorship Walk. He said he feels that this was not enough and this is why he then rounded up all the country’s nine provinces on a Moral Regeneration Walk, which h used to conduct various talks in schools on topics such as substance abuse. This, he says, was in preparation of his dream walk, the Cape to Cairo.

Molosankwe grew up as an activist and took part in the Bophelong Youth Club from the age of 16. He is also the founder of the Thato Molosankwe Charity Foundation, a non-governmental organsiation with a primary focus on moral regeneration.

He started his awareness campaigns by cycling from Mahikeng to Johannesburg in 2013 to mourn the passing of “Thandi”, a victim of multiple rapes. “Thandi” later passed away at the age of 19 due to HIV/Aids related illnesses. Molosankwe said he felt that through cycling this long distance, he was returning a sense of pride to “Thandi.”

He has also done some outstanding work in denouncing the violence and xenophobic attacks that happened in Mahikeng in April.

“Steve Biko taught us that we should do things without expecting anything in return. This is why I am working towards building the nation,” said Molosankwe.

Source: http://www.semphete.co.za 

After Semphete published a story on his plight in last week’s edition, a final year BCom Management student at the North West University’s (NWU) Mahikeng Campus has finally found a safe place to stay.

Gakenatshepo Motshwaedi from Tlhakgameng had braved the winter cold to stand on Ngaka Modiri Molema Road, begging for a place to sleep with a board that communicated his need.

But now the NWU has managed to find a vacant room for him at their Dr James Moroka Residence on the Mahikeng Campus.

Mahikeng community members read about his plight on social media where they shared the post, some even called to offer him accommodation. This is when the university managed to hear about the student and the problems he faced.

“I am very happy to have found accommodation and a place where I can study. The university residence is an ideal place for me to stay because I have access to libraries and the internet. This is a huge relief for me because I can now concentrate on my studies and complete my degree. I would like to thank North West FM and Semphete newspaper for sharing my story with the public,” Motshwaedi said in an interview this week.

NWU Spokesperson, Christopher Motabogi told Semphete that there is a huge demand for student accommodation and the university tries to assist where it can.

“The university is pleased that we were in a position to assist the learner. We are working with the homeowners and various service providers to provide accommodation that can meet the needs of tertiary students. We are currently refurbishing the old Mmabatho Tusk Hotel and by 2019 we will be able to accommodate about 900 learners,” Motabogi said.

Motshwaedi was squatting with a friend in Motlhabeng Village from the beginning of the year until the landlord decided that he has leave the premises because no prior arrangement had been made. He said being homeless had affected his studies.

“I used to stay with a friend who attends school at Mmabatho High but then the landlord said I should leave his place because he does not know me. The situation affected my studies because the time I spent on the streets could have been used study purposes.

“My mother is a single parent and I have three other siblings at home. My family is dependent on social grants that are provided by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) which made my situation complicated,” he said.

Motshwaedi said he went to the bursary office of the NWU Mahikeng Campus to seek an alternative solution to his problem where he was finally assisted a week later.

Source: http://www.semphetenews.co.za 

Picture: (XP patient, Paballo Mabetwa)

The future of a six-year-old boy from Letlhakaneng village near Brits is hanging in the balance after he was diagnosed with a rare skin disorder known as Xeroderma Pigmentosum.

Xeroderma pigmentosum, which is commonly known as XP, is an inherited condition characterized by an extreme sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight. This condition mostly affects the eyes and areas of skin exposed to the sun.

Paballo Mabetwa now needs a sophisticated area to play in order to protect him from any further skin disorders. Because of his XD, his skin cells’ ability to repair damage caused by ultraviolet light is deficient.

Paballo’s mother, Sarah Mabetwa, told Semphete that the family does not know where to seek help because they stay in a three-roomed shack that is not ideal for her son’s condition. The skin condition is already spreading to other parts of Paballo’s body.

“My son was diagnosed with skin cancer while he was nine months old. He is not allowed to play in the sun because the sunlight affects his skin. We need help as the situation is terrible. If there is any good Samaritan out there, please help us with transportation and to build a refined area for Paballo to play during the day.

“He was admitted to Dr George Mokhari Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa near Pretoria. Now he is getting treatment from the hospital, but doctors said there is nothing they could do to stop the cancer from spreading to other parts of his body. Paballo underwent an operation two weeks ago in which doctors removed his left eye,” the mother said.

Unemployed Sarah said they are faced with financial constraints as Paballo’s father is a taxi driver and does not earn much. Her wish is to take Paballo to specialists at private hospitals, but that would be too expensive.

“It is so difficult to see you child suffering on a daily basis, but you feel helpless. I could see that my son is staring at his death and it’s just a matter of time. But I still have hope and believe that he can beat cancer. My son cannot even attend school because of his condition and this affects me emotionally,” Sarah said.

A dermatologist at Tshepong/Klerksporp Hospital, Olehile Kgabale, said Xeroderma Pigmentosum is a skin disorder caused by the defect in the DNA excision repair mechanism, leading to marked sensitivity to ultraviolet and multiple skin cancers.

“All these disorders present with varying degree of photosensitivity in infancy or childhood. In each instance, the differential diagnostic considerations include most of the disorders, depending on the associated findings such as premature aging or mental retardation. In photosensitivity in infants, erythropietic porphyria and other forms should be excluded at birth, neonatal lupus erythematous must also be considered,”
Kgabale said.

He added that even though the disease is incurable, those who are affected must avoid being exposed to the sun.

“Those children who are born with the Xeroderma Pigmentosum cancer are called Moon children. They can only be able to play under the mild environment, but if they get into conduct with the sun, their skin cells will be damaged by the sunlight. The lifespan for them is between 20 and 25 years,” he said.

Source: http://www.semphetenews.co.za