Urgent intervention needed at Jonah G. Vaughn Centre amid neglect and mismanagement allegations
A damning oversight visit has revealed shocking conditions at the Jonah G. Vaughn Centre which falls under the Durban and Coastal Mental Health (DCMH), prompting urgent calls for intervention from the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature's Health Portfolio Committee chairperson.
Health Portfolio Committee chairperson Dr Imran Keeka conducted a visit to the centre.
Keeka said the facility, which provides care for individuals with mental health challenges, was found to be without electricity, leaving users to bathe in cold water despite the plummeting temperatures in KwaZulu-Natal.
There was reportedly no food available except for a donation received on the day of the visit, while staff told officials that nearly all residents have been losing weight and the level of care has 'rapidly deteriorated.'
Despite reported visits and interventions from the Departments of Health and Social Development, both of which fund the facility there appears to have been no lasting improvement, he said. Staff at the facility say they are receiving little to no support from their superiors.
Keeka has written an urgent letter to the MEC for Health, warning that failure to act could lead to a humanitarian disaster.
'Are they being slowly starved like those at Life Esidimeni, and are we waiting for such a situation to land on our doorstep?' he asked. 'Then we will all rush to express condolences when, instead, intervention is urgent?'
Keeka raised serious allegations in the letter, including claims of a 'don't care attitude' from the CEO and possible looting of up to R20 million from the facility. He stated that there are suspicions that both current and former board members may have used the facility's finances for personal gain.
'I write to call for your urgent interventions herein, both in terms of all powers vested in your offices as well as in those of your accounting officers,' Keeka stated. "Place an alert on the matters that I am raising herein, lest the matters spiral out of control.'
He has also called for the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate the allegations.
The provincial Departments of Health and Social Development has been approached for comment on the allegations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
Period poverty: The hidden cost of being a woman in South Africa
Seven million girls cannot afford or access sanitary pads. Image: Pexels A school girl raises her hand not to answer a question, but to ask for permission to go home early, again. It's not illness or laziness that keeps her away from class every month. It's her period. This girl has no name, and she doesn't have an age, because this is a reality that faces 7 million girls and women in the country. Across South Africa, period poverty —often overlooked but rarely discussed—is silently derailing futures. Period poverty is defined as the inability to afford and access menstrual products, as well as the necessary sanitation and hygiene facilities, alongside education and awareness to manage menstrual health effectively. According to statistics from UN Women, approximately 7 million girls in South Africa cannot afford basic menstrual products. Alarmingly, around 30% of schoolgirls regularly miss school due to their periods, resulting in a staggering loss of 50 days of education each year. To put this into perspective, that equates to ten weeks of school missed, which can significantly impact their learning and future opportunities. The Price of Being Female In 2019, South Africa eliminated the VAT on menstrual products. While this change means that these products are no longer taxed, they still remain unaffordable for many. Let's take a closer look at the numbers. The price of sanitary pads ranges from R20 to R50, while tampons are even more expensive, with prices reaching up to R70. These costs compete directly with a family's limited budget for essentials such as bread, electricity, and bus fare. For those living on R350 per month, affording menstrual products becomes increasingly difficult. While reusable solutions are available, they often remain out of reach or even misunderstood in under-resourced communities. As a result, many girls and women resort to using makeshift alternatives such as socks, newspaper, and mattress foam, which can increase the risk of infection. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Financial constraints and lack of accessibility are significant challenges, but stigma also plays a critical role in their daily struggle. Even in schools where pads are accessible, feelings of shame and stigma persist. Menstruation continues to be a taboo subject in many households and communities, particularly in rural and conservative areas. Girls face teasing for stains, are shunned for 'smelling,' and some are even told they are 'ready for marriage' as a result of their natural biological processes. For thousands living in informal settlements or experiencing displacement due to flooding, fire, or unrest, menstruation is an even greater burden. With no running water, no safe place to change, and no access to disposal bins, managing a period becomes near impossible. The average woman menstruates for over 3,000 days in her lifetime. That's more than 8 years. For too many in South Africa, those 8 years are filled with shame, discomfort, missed opportunity, and silence. And while companies and governments are looking at ways to tackle the issue, the question remains: How many more girls must bleed in shame before we treat periods as a public priority, not a private inconvenience? Call to Action: Donate: Support local orgs tackling period poverty Educate: Talk about periods. Break the stigma. Advocate: Push for pad distribution in all public schools and workplaces IOL NEWS
IOL News
11-06-2025
- IOL News
International Day of Yoga: Durban's commitment to wellness and cultural harmony
Durban's Amphitheatre will host thousands of yoga lovers on June 21 for the International Day of Yoga, an event focused on unity and wellness. Image: Supplied More than 3,000 yoga practitioners are expected to descend on Durban's Amphitheatre on the International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21. The event will be held under the theme 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health, and Oneness'. Sivananda World Peace Foundation President Ishwar Ramlutchman said, clad in white, yellow, and green shirts to symbolise peace, energy, and the environment, participants from schools, universities, temples, mosques, churches, community, and private studios will create a collective canvas of wellness and mindfulness. Participants will move to the same breath, symbolising unity amid diversity—an echo of South Africa's constitutional promise and rainbowism. Ramlutchman said KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, Health Portfolio Committee chairperson Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, local councillors, Hindu religious leaders, and Zulu cultural ambassadors will be among the participants. 'Beyond the physical postures and serene breathing, the day will reflect a deeper provincial strategy: embedding wellness in public health,' Ramlutchman said. He said this year's event promises to be more than a yoga exercise. Durban, with its unique blend of Zulu heritage and Indian diaspora history, has since become the permanent national host for IDY. Ramlutchman, a bridge-builder between Hindu and Zulu communities, said: 'Yoga is not Indian, Zulu, Christian or Hindu—it is universal. It is a spiritual and healthy gift to all humanity.' He said that at the precursor events at the Congo Ground on June 1 and Giant's Castle on June 5, the universality of yoga was reflected in the programme. The Durban beachfront is set to become a vibrant centre of wellness and unity as the city prepares to host the 11th International Day of Yoga on Saturday, 21 June 2025. Image: Supplied Ramlutchman said IDY also has implications for tourism and branding. 'With the Durban Amphitheatre now globally recognised as a symbolic yoga venue, the event strengthens the multicultural city's image as a destination not just for surfing and sun, but also for mindfulness and eco-conscious tourism,' Ramlutchman said. 'Hospitality sector leaders say there is growing interest in yoga wellness retreats along the North Coast and the Drakensberg, inspired in part by the annual Yoga Day momentum. Events like IDY offer spin-off economic benefits through hospitality, food vendors, local artisans, and fitness entrepreneurs. 'The Durban IDY is also a unique soft-power tool, forging India–South Africa ties through cultural exchange and public diplomacy.' Ramlutchman said that despite growing visibility, yoga in South Africa still battles perceptions of exclusivity, seen by some as urban, elite, or culturally foreign. 'Durban's organisers are consciously decolonising the space, translating instructions into isiZulu, supporting Black instructors, and tailoring content for working-class and rural populations,' Ramlutchman said. 'There's also the risk of commodification. As yoga becomes trendy, its deeper roots—spiritual, ethical, and philosophical—must not be lost to commercialism or superficial branding.'
The South African
04-06-2025
- The South African
Death penalty for ultra-violent crimes against our children?
It's Child Protection Week. Let's talk about the death penalty. Or at least talk about holding an emergency referendum on whether South Africa should reinstate capital punishment for – if nothing else – hardcore violent and violating crimes against our children, including kidnapping and trafficking. Child Protection Week is happening at a time when the world's spotlight is once again upon us (as if we hadn't had enough by now) for all the wrong reasons – including the growing rampant scourge of violence and abuse against children (and women) in this country. In just the past month South Africa has been snowed by a spate of unspeakable violent crimes against women and children, reigniting that ancient, divisive, incendiary argument and public debate on capital punishment. And many by now are asking the big overdue question: Is it time to bring back the death penalty? Here are just a few headlines and cases of violent crimes against children in SA that have surfaced, shocked and enraged the nation – and the world – over the past few weeks alone. Last Thursday, 29 May, the Western Cape High Court sentenced Racquel 'Kelly' Smith and her two co-accused, boyfriend Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn to life imprisonment and ten additional years for kidnapping and trafficking Smith's 6-year-old daughter, Joslin. The sentencing comes after, on 2 May this year, the court found Smith guilty of selling Joslin to a sangoma (traditional healer) for R20,000 who was interested in the child's striking green eyes and fair complexion. (Ponder on that…) Joslin Smith is still missing. Of course, if by now Joslin has been (insert worst-case scenario here) Kelly Smith and her co-accused are complicit and culpable in that too. The country was still reeling from the disappearance and hunt for Joslyn when the case of Cwecwe emerged and enraged the nation. On 14 October 2024, seven-year-old 'Cwecwe' was (initially) reportedly raped at her school, Bergview College, in Matatiele, Eastern Cape, while she was waiting for her transport. Thousands of citizens and dozens of celebrities came out in support of the child. 'Justice for Cwecwe' was trending. Unfortunately, the investigation was bungled when the police authorities falsely accused the principal of the school of the crime – which led to the school being deregistered by the Eastern Cape Department of Education before an investigation was completed. AfriForum advocate Gerrie Nel, who is representing the principal of Bergview College, believed the child was raped at a party, not at the school. What's further enraged the country is the fact that the investigation into Cwecwe's case has been dropped by the National Prosecuting Authority, due to 'lack of evidence'. The NPA's announcement on 17 May that no one will be prosecuted for Cwecwe's case has been met with sharp criticism and protests from activists and the public. On the 13 May, eleven-year-old Jayden-Lee Meek went missing after he failed to return home from school. The child's scholar driver assured the family that Jayden was dropped off at the gates of his complex in Fleurhof, Johannesburg while his mother was working from home. Yet, he never made it inside. The following morning, a resident discovered his lifeless, bruised and partially undressed body on a staircase in the complex, just metres from his home. On Saturday 17 May, a large group of angry residents and community members marched to the Florida police station and handed over a memorandum of demands to officials, calling for justice and greater accountability. SAPS Gauteng has said that its investigation into Jayden-Lee's murder is at an advanced stage, though no arrests have been made. Jayden-Lee Meek was laid to rest at Westpark Cemetery on Saturday 24 May 2025. Last Saturday, 31 May, 14-year-old grade 8 pupil Likhona Fose went missing from her home in Braamfischerville, Johannesburg where she lived with her grandmother. The next day, her mutilated body was discovered by a passerby in the veld at Durban Deep, Roodepoort. Gauteng MEC Matome Chiloane dispatched trauma counsellors to Ikusasalethu, the secondary school Likhona attended. The MEC said police are 'still investigating the circumstances surrounding this brutal incident' and extended sincerest condolences to the family and the school community. On Monday, 2 June, a 50-year-old sangoma and 32-year-old mother appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court facing charges of premeditated murder and human trafficking of the mother's two-year-old baby, Kutlwano Shalaba. 'It is alleged that on 10 November 2024, the mother of the child (Kuneuwe Shalaba) took the child to the sangoma (Sebokoana Khounyana) and requested him to kill her child because she was not happy with the gender of the baby and was tired of hiding it from her family,' according to police. Shalaba reportedly poisoned her child to death, the two then buried her body in a shallow grave in Waterpan. The case against a 29-year-old man accused of raping and impregnating an 11-year-old girl resumed last month on 22 May in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court, drawing renewed attention to a harrowing ordeal that allegedly spanned several years. The young victim, now four months pregnant, was reportedly assaulted by the accused in December of last year. However, court proceedings revealed that the abuse may have started when the girl was just five years old, meaning the alleged crimes persisted for nearly six years before being reported. The accused is known to the victim's family, with the assaults allegedly taking place during visits to his home. DNA tests are yet to determine whether the suspect is indeed the perpetrator. A shocking incident rocked Cape Town last month where a parolee, who served time for rape, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and raping a nine-year-old girl in Hanover Park. On 20 May 2025, the child was found in the suspect's house, during a frantic search by the community, where she is believed to have spent at least five hours. The accused is alleged to have lured the girl as she walked to her Madrasa (Islamic school) by offering her R20 to buy him milk and return the item to his house. The suspect was sentenced to 25 years in jail for rape and indecent assault in 2008 but was placed on parole in November 2024. The appalling incident has sparked fury among locals, who are demanding answers from authorities as to why a known predator was allowed back on their streets. Heard enough…? Because, plenty more where that came from. That's just tip of the insidious iceberg, folks. And that's just the kids. In an article in IOL yesterday, 2 June, responding to the murders of Likhona Fose and adult victim Olerato Mongale, Jonisayi Maromo wrote; 'South Africa is a dangerous place for women and girls'. Duh, ya think! He quoted the secretary-general of civil rights group #NotInMyName, Themba Masango, who said: 'The murders of Olerato and Likhona are yet another painful reminder that South Africa remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman (or child). How many more must die before we collectively say: Enough is enough?' Responding to the conviction of Kelly Smith in an interview with SABC News , Refilwe Mokoena (child safety and protection manager) from the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund said: 'From our perspective, justice has been served, the perpetrators have been held accountable. But children are still so vulnerable in our society and we need further preventative efforts to protect them.' The interviewer then asked: 'Can we really say that justice has been served in this regard when it comes to child safety?' 'A strong message has been sent that crimes against children will not go unpunished. But there are so many incidents similar to Joslin's that don't receive this level of national visibility. For every Joslin, there are millions of others we don't even get to know about,' Mokoena answered. (Did you catch that? She said…'millions'. If she's right, if she's not grossly exaggerating…then we have a BIG fu****? problem, don'tcha think?) 'Children basically are not safe in our country,' Mokoena added. Security analyst Neil de Beer takes a slightly more radical position on how the Smith trial should've ended. In an interview with BizNews TV , former MK agent and security advisor to Nelson Mandela, De Beer (who was also peripherally involved in the police manhunt for Joslin) told journo, Chris Steyn: 'What those people did to that child…if I was a judge I would unequivocally sentence them to hang.' Visibly quivering with rage, De Beer's eyes reddened as he teared and choked up when he said: 'A child. A beautiful little girl…was sold. You took that little girl's life, you should pay for it with your life.' 'But in this country, you don't serve life,' he said. 'In this country, if you murder, you are out in 12. You are out in eight.' 'I'm telling you, if you had a referendum on Monday, to bring back the death penalty, you're going to get an 80% majority.' De Beer's not the only public figure calling for a return to capital punishment. Over the years, leader of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), Gayton McKenzie, has repeatedly called for the return of the death penalty to deal with the high level of violent crime in the country. Back in June 2023, during an interview on The Black Pen podcast, McKenzie said: 'The state must have the right to kill. People argue that the death penalty is not a deterrent. I was a criminal, and I am telling you the death penalty is a deterrent.' He said that having been a gangster, he had learnt that taking out the leader of the gang was enough to stop gang wars. On 17 May this year, McKenzie, who also serves as minister of Sport, Arts and Culture in the Government of National Unity (GNU), reiterated his position on the death penalty during the launch of the PA's municipal election campaign at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Addressing a crowd of thousands of supporters with a fiery, impassioned speech, McKenzie emphasised the need for harsher punishments to combat the rising crime rates in South Africa. 'Let us bring back the death penalty. If you kill, we must kill you,' he said. In an interview with CNN's Larry King in September 2009, Judge Judy Sheindlin was asked about her thoughts on the application of the death penalty. 'In a clear-cut case, where there is no issue as to whether or not, this was the perpetrator of this atrocity…I believe in my soul that it should be an option,' Sheindlin said. Then King asked the judge: 'Could you sentence someone to death?' She paused, before replying: 'Yes, I could. If…there was no question in my mind that this was the perpetrator…' King interjected: 'You could send him to his death?' Sheindlin nodded confidently and said: 'I could say…'Arrivederci' [Italian for 'Goodbye'].' 'There are certain people who – despite our best efforts and all of God's good work – are wired wrong. You gotta either kill 'em or put 'em away…so that they can't ever hurt anyone else,' she added. Must say, when it comes to hardcore violent crimes against our kids? I'm kinda leaning towards De Beer, McKenzie and Judge Judy on this one. Maybe it is time for a long-overdue, urgent, national referendum on capital punishment for violent crimes against minors? Never mind the special task force investigating 'offensive' social media posts and misgendering online, let's get our priorities straight… In my perfect world, the kids would be a sacred and untouchable red line. A world where our women and children could walk down the street, in the middle of the night – bu**-naked if they so choose – and no one will harm them. Because no one would dare. If we can unite the whole nation so easily behind a football or rugby tournament, why can't we unite the country behind this one simple idea: protect the children, at all costs. Whatever threatens the kids…must be eliminated. And maybe reinstating capital punishment is the only way to end the scourge of violence against minors in this country and restore some sense of safety, security and normalcy in our society, where, as Roger Waters once dreamed… 'Everyone has recourse to the law… and no one kills the children anymore.' Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
