"Our organization was touched by the media reports concerning the Thinandavha and Baloyi orphans and we decided to come down to Limpopo and see for ourselves. Unfortunately we have seen more people who are really starving here," said the chairperson of the Johannesburg-based Children and Family Support Development Project, Nomalizwe Tshabalala.

This was during the handing over of blankets and food parcels to the Badzhi family at Tshiseluselu village, near Thohoyandou, last week. The beneficiary, Gumani Shonisani said she had four children and her husband is not working.

When asked if her children are not getting the government’s child support grant, she said they are getting, but it is too little. "These children are always in hospital because of ill-health. Now I have to buy school uniforms so that they can go to school, but the problem will be food when thy come back from school" she said.

From the Badzhi family, Tshabalala traveled to Zwigodini, in the Mutale area, where she handed over blankets to the Singo orphans. It was also a sorry sight.

Tshabalala also visited the Thinandavha orphans, whose mother, Shonisani, was allegedly murdered for muti purposes. It is alleged that the late Shonisani Thinandavha (38) disappeared while collecting fire-wood at Mulodi Mountains last year. "I will tell others about what I have seen in this part of the country and take it from there," said Tshabalala.

Tshabalala also donated blankets to the Baloyi orphans at Tshilavulu, whose single parent Maria, was allegedly raped by three illegal Zimbabweans before strangling her to death.