Marianne Merten An 11-year-old Boland girl who lost half a leg in a farming accident eight months ago is getting an artificial leg fitted free of charge after a Pretoria orthopaedist and prostheticist became aware of her plight. “I’m doing this for free because of two reasons: I feel sorry for her and not everyone can afford a prosthesis,” said Marco du Plooy. “It’s a lot of work, but it is worth it.” A below-the-leg prosthesis costs about R60 000.
In March the Mail & Guardian featured the story of the bright primary school pupil and athlete who lost her right leg below the knee while helping with the peach harvest on an orchard near Ceres just before Christmas. Waronice van Wyk had worked on the farm – where she lives with her mother, grandparents and three siblings on a combined income of R450 a month – for three years in a row. She was paid R27 for two- and-a-half days’ work in the week before the accident.
After the tractor mangled her leg, she was rushed to Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, more than 100km away, where doctors decided to amputate. Although the farmer paid for the transport for a family visit over Christmas, they had to raise R150 for another trip on New Year’s Eve. If all the fittings go well, Waronice will be able to return to the Cape without her crutches next week. The months of hopping around the house without them has paid off as it has helped her regain balance – an important step in fitting an artificial leg. “Waronice’s balance is very good at this stage,” Du Plooy said. She arrived in Pretoria last weekend with her mother Sarah and an aunt. They are staying with relatives in Eersterus outside Pretoria. The train fare was paid by the owner of Daytona Stud Farm, who intended establishing a trust fund for the girl. The Women’s Legal Centre in Cape Town has taken up Waronice’s case and negotiations with the farm’s lawyers to secure the girl’s future are continuing.