Helping the sick with a smile

Th e Cato Manor based team of Community Health workers are working selflessly to
ensure that primary health care is accessible to all.

These women are community workers, a.k.a Onompilo. They are volunteers who visit sick people in their homes and administer medicines. Their main duty is to identify very ill people and liaise with professional social workers on their behalf.
Since Onompilo started functioning back in 1993 they have become a force to be reckoned with. Agencies like the Durban Child Welfare, the Department of Health and St Johns Ambulance have lent a helping hand to Onompilo’s struggle to help the sick.
Some churches like the Anglicans and the Baptist Churches have also put their hands on deck by contributing food parcels to sick people who have no source of income in their families.
It has not always been smooth sailing for Onompilo. They have met barriers from the very communities they seek to help. Most people hide their sick.
“We have encountered a lot of problems. Sometimes we have uncovered a lot of abused children. There was once an old lady whose child was badly burnt. The old lady refused to take the child to the clinic and preferred to use a traditional mixture which was not helpful. When the child was taken to the clinic the results were instantaneous,” said Agnes Gumede.
Onompilo do not have a permanent base, but are using the councillor’s office at the Housing Support Centre. People seeking advice should visit the office.

KwaMasixhawulane residents to sign soon
The KZNPA’s Housing Department has relented and will allow KwaMasixhawulane residents to choose the rent-to-buy option should they wish to purchase the houses they have been occupying since 1993.
This option is known as option 4\87. It is an option that was available in 1987 when the houses were built. It was originally intended for the benefit of the poorest of the poor among the Indian community.
The approval of this option means that even the unemployed and the pensioners will now have the opportunity to purchase their KwaMasixhawulane houses. Members of the Wiggins Housing Committee are at present assisting community members to enlist for this option. When this process is concluded residents will begin signing sales agreements.
An important fact to note is that the subsidy system will be applied differently for this option. The subsidy will be used to subsidise your monthly repayment.
Residents who choose option 4\87 have a 30-year period to pay for their houses. The interest is set at 13,5% per annum.
People who choose to take out a bond to pay for their house will be granted their full subsidy up front (as long as they qualify for a subsidy).
Residents who choose the rent-to-buy option will not be required to travel to KZNPA offices as committee members will be visiting each area to help residents fill out the forms.

Had a road accident lately?
Many people who are involved in road accidents are left destitute due to injuries sustained. More often than not people do not know that they can claim from the Road Accident Fund. Road accident victims are entitled to compensation irrespective of whether they were driving or just a passenger.

The opening of the Bellair Centre has come as a blessing to road accident victims. One of the tenants in the centre is a company called MVA Logistics. This company aims to assist people in applying for compensation from the Road Accident Fund. The service to their clients is free of charge. The catch however is that the claim must be legitimate, i.e the claimant must have medical records and a case number from the police. “People have suffered because of their ignorance. Most of them fall prey to unscrupulous individuals who take a large share of the claims,” said Clement Morugan, the branch manager of MVA Logistics. Claim forms are filled out and are handed over to one of five attorneys that are working hand in hand with MVA Logistics. When the claim is successful the attorneys will charge a percentage of the total money paid out.

Big demand for stalls at Bellair informal market
Applications for stalls at the new Bellair Road market closed on 17th June, and 631 applications were received. Due to the large numbers of applications to be considered, the Department of Informal Trade has requested the assistance of CMDA in establishing a data base with the application details, which will simplify the selection process. A short-list will be drawn up and interviews with those candidates will be held by the Dept of Informal Trade, who will then finalise the selection. The process has taken longer than originally anticipated and the Department has indicated that the market will not be able to open for business until October 2000. Wim Eising, CMDA Manager, Economic Development, says that the choice of traders has to be very carefully considered, in order to create the right balance between retail and manufacturing so that job creation is promoted, and the market has a mix of tenants who will attract shoppers.