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Leonard Ncube, [email protected] 

RICKETS is a condition that causes the bones of children to become soft and weak, usually due to a lack of Vitamin D and calcium. It can lead to symptoms such as delayed growth, bowed legs, weakness and pain in the spine, pelvis and legs.

In Victoria Falls, a family of four is living with this condition, which they inherited from their late grandfather. Sakhile Mpunzi, a 39-year-old mother of three, was born with rickets in BH34, a village in Chidobe, outside Victoria Falls. Her mother, who lives in the same village, is healthy and does not have the condition.

Mpunzi has three children a daughter and two sons – all of them have rickets and struggle to walk long distances. The daughter, who is the eldest has a son, born on September 14, 2021, who is also suspected to have the condition, as he can hardly stand on his own.

Mpunzi’s first husband, the father of her first born is late, while the father of her two sons separated from her in 2017 and married another woman. Mpunzi said he abandoned her and the children and refused to help them when some well-wishers wanted to assist them to get birth certificates and passports so that they could go for surgery in Malawi.

She eventually managed to get the birth certificates for her children without their father’s consent, with the help of the Civil Registry authorities, but the boys had missed the chance to go for surgery. They finally had surgery in Bulawayo last year, but they have not been able to resume their education, as they can barely walk. 

USD: Image taken from Shutterstock

Mpunzi said she and her three sisters, who live in Victoria Falls, Bulawayo and Harare, have similar conditions. They inherited rickets from their father, who also got it from his father. 

“I was born with rickets, but all my children developed the condition about four to five years after birth. My father who had this condition is late and mother is still alive. We inherited the condition from our father who also took it from his father,” she said.

She said doctors told her that her blood is stronger than that of her children’s fathers, which explains why they all inherited her condition. 

Mpunzi’s children have dreams of becoming successful people, but their condition is holding them back. They need support and compassion from the society.

“I have no one to help me, I am mother and father to my children but I wish I could get help especially with my children’s education so that they can go back to school. My plea is to get a decent place to stay with my children and a permanent job especially nearby where I would not walk long distance because my legs get weak when I walk for a long time.

“One of my sons is very bright and good at chess, playing marimba and singing Imbube. I survive on piece jobs doing laundry and cleaning for people while my daughter is a hairdresser and wants to be assisted to start a business. Where we are staying now is not safe because there is no toilet and we use the bush to relieve ourselves,” said Mpunzi.

She and her children stay in a makeshift house in Mfelandawonye.

Some churches used to periodically donate food to them while TM Pick n Pay once donated groceries to the family. Obert Dube, a local praise poet also recently donated to the family.

Mpunzi and her children’s plight is not only due to their condition, but also due to the exploitation of some people who use their name to solicit for money from well-wishers, claiming to want to help the family, but end up using the money for themselves. Mpunzi gave the names of some of these individuals to Saturday Chronicle.

“A local man came and took our pictures which he said he wanted to send to some donors. He later phoned saying the donors are coming and wanted to meet us but they didn’t come. When I followed up later he became emotional and I stopped phoning him.

“We once rented at a house not knowing the owner was soliciting for money from donors claiming he was taking care of us as destitutes. From what I later gathered, he was sent money by donors to build us a house but we never got anything instead he evicted us from his house,” said Mpunzi. 

Some well-wishers identified as Lynn and Louis from Australia pledged to help the children until they finish school, Mpunzi said. She has been communicating with them through a third party who only gave her US$270 last year.