Kwanele Khumalo
THE mother of Awakhiwe Ackim Ncube, the seven-year-old child who was abducted five years ago while playing with other kids in Nkayi’s area of Hompani, has revealed that she has been receiving calls from companies and non-governmental organisations that want to sponsor the upkeep of her child when he finally returns home from Kenya.
Authorities from Zimbabwe and Kenya are working on paperwork to repatriate Awakhiwe after B-Metro reported that Awakhiwe is yet to be reunited with his mother, Nobekezelo Maseko, five years after he was kidnapped and found at Happy Children’s Home in Nairobi.
Nobekezelo, who divorced Awakhiwe’s abusive father, said her son will not be repatriated to Nkayi to stay with his grandparents (from his father’s side), but will be joining her in Inyathi where she resides after a number of individuals and organisations reached out to her.
“I have been receiving calls from different organisations who are willing to assist me when my son is brought back home.
“Yesterday I was called by someone from Welfare offices, she was asking me why I left my previous husband in Nkayi with kids. She was asking because they also want to help.
“I told her he was abusing me so when he was arrested, I got a chance to leave and the kids remained with their grandfather.
“I was not allowed to take my children with me,” said the now married Nobekezelo.
Nobekezelo said she is containing her happiness for the day she will be reunited with her son.
“I won’t say I’m happy at the moment because I have not seen him yet. I will rejoice upon his arrival after seeing that its him for real,” she said.
Most mothers would be worried that their own child will initially reject them after going so long without seeing them, but Nobekezelo is not worried about that and thinks it will not happen.
“It won’t be a problem for Awakhiwe to stay with me, I’m his mother, a kid feels in their blood that this is my mother.
“I don’t want him to go and stay where he was staying when he was abducted,” said Nobekezelo.
