'SOWETO ANGEL' SHOCKS MADIBA

Well we all know how that has turned out! 'Mama Jackie' has been found guilty and it is my understanding that she is off to jail! A fitting end for a charleton don't you think?

I am just saddened by the fact that people like this prey on the defenceless, children and old people - that is just absolutely reprehensible and disgusting - and very, very sad.

I trust that she will be punished to the fullest extent of the law!

'Soweto Angel' shocks Madiba
November 25 2006 at 12:47PM
By Kashiefa Ajam, Noor-Jehan Yoro Badat, Christina Gallagher and Lumka Oliphant

So astonished was Nelson Mandela at allegations levelled on television against the "Angel of Soweto", Jackey Maarohanye, that he asked for a copy of the programme. Zelda la Grange, personal assistant and spokesperson for Mandela's office, said this week: "Madiba and Mrs Machel were astonished by the reports in the papers on this issue… I obtained a copy of the programme from Carte Blanche because they want to have a look at it. One assumes that those involved with the Ithuteng Trust will investigate the allegations as a matter of urgency."


Maarohanye has been dubbed the "Angel of Soweto" by President Thabo Mbeki, and children around Soweto called her "Mama Jackey" because they felt she was the mother they never had.

'Please don't talk to me. You don't know how she operates'

Last Sunday, however, M-Net's Carte Blanche aired interviews with several children who had been expelled from Ithuteng Trust. They alleged Maarohanye gave them harrowing - but untrue - personal stories to memorise for the benefit of the media and sponsors. They also claimed Maarohanye had lied to the world, saying the pupils' pass rate had been 100 percent when it was not. It was also revealed that some tertiary institutions never received bursaries, with one suing Ithuteng for unpaid fees.

It was Maarohanye herself who had called Carte Blanche and said she was in hiding because she feared alleged threats by the police. She claimed the police were upset because she was raising queries about their investigation of a fire on the Ithuteng premises earlier this year. But the SAPS this week confirmed several charges in two cases against her, including public violence, housebreaking, theft, kidnapping and assault. She is currently out on bail.

This week, pupils and staff at the Ithuteng school in Klipspruit, Soweto, refused to speak about the allegations, saying they were terrified of "Mama". "Please don't talk to me. You don't know how she operates. I don't want to die," begged one boy, from Orlando. Another former pupil also refused to speak, saying she feared for her life. "I have seen things there but it is not for me to tell you because I don't want to be beaten up. That woman will do things to you if you cross her path," she said. Even those whom the Saturday Star contacted by phone refused to speak.

Another shocked reaction this week came from Nedbank, one of Ithuteng's donors. Lot Ndlovu, chairperson of the Nedbank Foundation, said they were shocked by the Carte Blanche programme but would await "full facts on the matter". He said that in 2001 the Nedcor Foundation (now the Nedbank Foundation) had donated R19 998 towards an Ithuteng Trust graduation ceremony and R232 627 towards airfare for a student trip to New York. "These donations were made in good faith. We had no reason to believe there was anything irregular about Ithuteng or its management," said Ndlovu.

A Sun International spokesperson confirmed yesterday the bursary money it had paid in 2001 to the trust had not been paid to the tertiary institutions. "From then on we dealt directly with the universities and technikons. We paid the rest of the fees in order for those students to graduate. But we've had no dealings with Ithuteng since then," he said.

Meanwhile, Carte Blanche producer Odette Schwegler said Maarohanye's response has been a curious one. "At no point has she or anyone else said this was not true. She is asking why this is coming out now when it could have come out earlier," said Schwegler.

The Saturday Star was unable to contact Maarohanye this week for comment.