By Matshidiso Selebeleng
As heavy rains batter the country and the cold winter approaches, the Tromp family in Heidedaal’s Gatvol is pleading for urgent assistance, warning that their home is on the verge of collapse while their daily struggle for survival worsens.
Julia Tromp and her family have lived in Gatvol for nearly a decade, but life has become increasingly unbearable. She says the situation at home has deteriorated further as her two older children battle drug addiction, while her youngest is still in Grade 11.
The 52-year-old recalls how their hardship deepened after they were evicted from their rented home in Dr Block in the middle of the night. “We were only R100 short on rent, but the land lord refused to listen.
We were forced out, and my husband had to find us a place to stay that very same night,” she said. Now unemployed, Tromp relies on her disability grant and her husband’s weekly income of R1 800, which she says is not enough to sustain the family.
Their current shelter, a small shack given to them by a Good Samaritan, was later extended to accommodate the family. However, years of wear and exposure to harsh weather have left the structure dangerously unstable. With a six-month-old baby in the household, the conditions have become dire. “My family and I desperately need help.
This house could collapse at any time, and we simply cannot afford to fix it,” she said.
“It’s painful to be ridiculed in the community because of our situation. We just want to live like other people.” Tromp says the family often goes days without food. Recently, they survived three days without eating, despite her needing to take chronic medication.
“I once took my medication on an empty stomach because we had no food. I was too ashamed to ask neighbours again after they had helped the day before. I ended up having seizures,” she said.
She adds that most of their limited resources go toward ensuring the baby has formula. “We make sure the baby eats, and the rest of us just go to bed hungry.” The family’s challenges are compounded by her two older children, aged 28 and 25, whose drug addiction has worsened their already fragile situation. Tromp says they often take household items and sell them to fund their addiction. Even donated items have not been spared.
“I sometimes go to church for prayers and come back with clothes, but after a few days, they are gone. What hurts the most is that people buy these things from my sons, knowing our situation,” she said.
The emotional toll has been severe. Tromp admits that the overwhelming circumstances have, at times, driven her to dark thoughts.
“Sometimes I ask God why I was brought into this world to suffer like this. There are moments when I feel like maybe I would be better off dead,” she said, breaking down in tears.
With winter setting in, Tromp fears the worst. The shack is riddled with holes, offering little protection from the elements.
“We don’t know how we are going to survive the cold, especially with a baby. Living here is like living outside,” she said.
