Mother and son reunited after 24 years
2009-12-17
Lise Beyers
A MOTHER and son have been reunited after having last seen each other 24 years ago, thanks to the dedication and perseverance of members of the Groot Drakenstein police. Jane Lourens knocked on the door of the police station a few years ago to do volunteer cleaning work. She had been living on her own in impoverished circumstances at an informal settlement next to the railway track nearby. Lourens soon crept into the hearts of members of the police station, and an administrative official, Florence Witi, became concerned about this elderly woman living in such dire circumstances. Lourens could only tell her that she left her home and family in Beaufort West in 1983 to work in the Boland. In the meantime her family moved away from Beaufort West and she was unable to locate them again. She returned to the Boland, as work was very scarce in Beaufort West. Lourens does not have an identity document and thus has been unable to claim social grants. Ever since she became unable to work, she has been living off scraps from neighbours. She is also not sure of her age, but it is estimated that she is almost 65. Witi took Lourens to the Department of Home Affairs branch in Paarl. Here the ball has begun to roll to have her registered as a South African Citizen. But Witi did not leave it here. She was desperate to have Lourens reunited with her family. At the Home Affairs Witi met somebody who knew people in Beaufort West. So the trail began, and one telephone phone call led to the next. “But,” says Witi, “it was no easy task.” Eventually Witi’s perseverance bore fruit, when one of her many enquiries led her to Butterworth in the Eastern Cape, and eventually to Witi’s son, Stanley Nkanyezi. Witi and const Wasseem Baartman made arrangements for Stanley to travel to Paarl by bus. And here mother and son were joyously reunited this week. “It is a dream come true,” said Stanley. “This is the best Christmas gift for all of us.” Lourens will now accompany Stanley to his home in Butterworth where she will for the first time see her grandchildren.
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