Recently, a distressing report appeared in
The Sunday Times: 32-year-old Russel Makhubela allegedly poisoned his two-year old daughter and then tried to kill himself, because he believed that they should “die together as a family rather than suffer through poverty”. In his desperation, Russel asked his wife: “What’s the use of collecting firewood? We will have nothing to eat tomorrow.”
Access to sufficient food and relief from economic hardships are fundamental rights entrenched in the Constitution, but enjoyment of these rights remains elusive for millions of people who continue to be marginalised both by the economy and by the government’s economic measures. This outcome – of gross economic inequality and minimal redistribution by the state – goes hand in hand with marginalised people’s exclusion from governance processes, including the budget process.
Jobless dad ‘poisoned toddler rather than let her starve’ Made destitute by lockdown, his partner says he is on the run after trying to ‘save’ his family from desperate poverty 06 April 2021 - 20:12
There is still no sign of a father who is being sought by police after allegedly poisoning his toddler last month in an apparent desperate bid to escape poverty.
Dad Russel Makhubela, 32, partner Thanduzile Ndlovu, 26, and their two-year-old daughter Phiwokuhle Ndlovu moved from Mbombela to the newer L section of Lawley township in Gauteng in August last year to look for work.
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This weekend the
Sunday Times reported on a horrific human tragedy. In case you skipped over page 5, here’s what happened.
In the middle of last week, 32-year-old Russel Makhubela poisoned his two-year-old daughter Phiwokuhle and tried to kill himself at the same time. That morning, as he went out to collect wood to heat their small shack, he had told his wife, Thanduzile, that he was “tired of struggling”. The couple live in the sprawling informal settlement of Lawley, south of Johannesburg, and on the day Thanduzile reported:
“My husband came back and said, ‘What’s the use of collecting firewood, because at the end of the day we will have nothing to eat tomorrow’.” Russel had complained of “the burden” (read indignity) of being the breadwinner but always having to ask his sister for money. He had previously been a security officer, but his registration had lapsed as he couldn’t afford the fees.
Police Searching For Father Who Allegedly Poisoned Daughter iafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.