10 May 2017

Elderly people in Jamataka, a village near Francistown have raised concern over some parents who often come home only to abandon their children with them.

The elderly said their children left on the pretext of going to look for jobs in towns in order to be able to take care of their young ones and burdened the elderly with looking after children.

Such tendency has seemingly become a norm to many of the young parents, who leave the elderly with no choice but to become babysitters and neglect their fields  to give these toddlers full attention.

In an investigation, BOPA learnt that there are multitudes of children who were left by their absent parents, subjecting them to harsh living conditions.

Yet, their parents are said to be living lavish lives in the cities and towns without fulfilling the promises they made back home of taking care of their young ones, consequently leaving parents wandering around the village with the children.

Some elders in the village cited that they have made efforts to communicate with the mothers and fathers of these children to establish what could be the leading factor for them not to be giving their children attention and fulfill their promises.

The elders said their efforts had failed as these absent parents constantly changed their contact numbers while some of their phones went unanswered.

“I have tried several times to talk to the mother of these children to send money home for food and clothes but she always tells me she will do that month end and when that time comes her phone goes off,” noted Ms Sekani Makamu, a 52-year-old grandmother.

She said it had been almost three months now for the absent 28-year-old mother, who did not check up on her children, leaving the old woman struggling to fend for them.

Another irate grandmother, 62-year-old Ms Gloria Keitshepe said she was really fed up with her 31-year-old son who had since left his four-year-old daughter with her after the biological mother’s death.

Ms Keitshepe said it was almost a year now since her son left to find work in Gaborone and was still to return home.

“I want to go and report him to the relevant authorities as I have had enough now. I always hear tales about his alcoholism from his friends yet he is not making any effort to take care of his child here, now I cannot even do anything as I am looking after the child my son gave me,” she said. ENDS