By Abigail Visagie

Despite policies mandating inclusive education, the future of many students with special needs grows increasingly uncertain.

Like 15-year-old Thapelo Mbalula, who hails from the small, impoverished town of Dealesville in the Free State, they are being systematically overlooked, denied the resources and support necessary to thrive academically and socially.

Thapelo had to drop out of school at the age of 13 after completing Grade 5, as he could not be promoted further to the next grade.

His unemployed mother Angelina Mbalula (42), who has two other children, said she had hoped her one and only son would someday become a manager or a teacher by profession, as means of elevating their living standards.

According to Mbalula, her son has even had to succumb to the stigma of being called a slow learner.

“The teachers discovered that he takes quite a long time to write from the board, and he shows no comprehension when he is given instructions, so they referred to him as a slow learner.”

She added that although formal examinations were conducted, her son was never placed in a special needs school.

“The doctors conducted formal examinations and even discovered that he has eyesight problems, yet nothing came from this. We were referred to social workers and submitted all the relevant documentation, yet no one reached out to us until this very day.”

Mbalula told Journal News that her desperation to have Thapelo placed in a classroom led her to approach the South African Police Service (SAPS) for intervention but was referred back to social workers.

She accused the Department of Education of having turned a blind eye to her son’s case after it was reported on numerous occasions.

“Dreams are being killed and stolen from these innocent minds. Our children resort to disrespecting us because there is nothing to keep them stimulated. That is why I want my son to go back to school so that his mentality will change and he will be more focused on his future.”

Efforts to get comment from the Department of Education spokesperson Howard Ndaba drew a blank.

However, the department announced last month that the construction of the new special needs school in Trompsburg in the Xhariep district was underway.

During the delivery of her department’s budget vote, MEC for Public Works Dibolelo Mance, revealed that the special needs school, which will accommodate around 1 000 pupils, was 35 percent complete.