THOHOYANDOU - Street kids shared a loaf of bread they got from a dustbin in Thohoyandou. "We were born free, but find ourselves chained by poverty and hunger. Our parents dumped us, but God saved us that is why we share everything," said one of the street kids.

One of them, who cannot be identified to protect his identity, narrated a sad story of her stepfather who abused her sexually. She then decided to join others who were eating from dustbins around the Thohoyandou CBD and the Maniini dumping area.

She told Mirror that her stepfather sexually abused her and she finds it impossible to report the case to the police.

Her friends are now practising prostitution with truck drivers around Thohoyandou.

During our investigation in the area, we found another group of street kids and prostitutes, who were found selling their bodies at Musina. The prostitutes revealed that their services cost a minimum of R50 and that they sell their services to six customers per day.

The group of six street kids we met in Thohoyandou found a loaf of bread and assembled to share it. They said that a hungry man does not mind about the condition of the bread, but those with full stomachs could reject it. They also told our reporter that they would go back to school if they could be accommodated by the orphanage home and charity organisations.

The government and the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Trust have slammed the abuse of women and children. According to their statistics, an average of 40 rapes are reported per month.

A Maintenance Officer, Mr David Ramanenzhe told Mirror that the biggest problem leading to the existence of street kids is broken marriages. Michael Sumbana of Denzhe Community Development said his NGO has bought a sowing machine, which would assist in the training of ill-treated people, especially children. This NGO is part of the Dorcas Aid, a charity organisation that has already helped starving people in African countries like Rwanda and other countries.