"Our house was leaking and an ice-cold wind was coming in."

Busiswa sleeps on a three-quarter bed with her five babies while her mother and sisters have to squeeze together on the tiny floor.

"I wish we could have a house because our place is so crowded, there is little space to walk around," Busiswa said.

One of the triplets is being cared for at Tygerberg Hospital while the other two are recovering at Karl Bremmer.

And if Busiswa doesn't have enough trouble, she is currently running around trying to register her babies' births.

The 18-year-old has never had an ID book which means none of her children can get birth certificates.

On Tuesday she was frantically trying to register all the kids and get an ID at the same time.

After she has registered them, she said she would apply for a State grant to help raise her brood.

Aunt Phumza Ntantiso, 25, helps care for Busiswa's twin girls Siphenathi and Siphenkosi and said everyone has to pitch in to help the young mom.

"Her (Busiswa's) mother can't believe her daughter is mother to so many children," she said.
"The children haven't even got clothing."

Neighbour Nora Tafafeni, 65, said Busiswa was a silly girl who should have thought before having her kids.

"We are living in hard times and everything is going up, kids need to be taken care of and young mothers are unable to do that," she said.

"At 16, when she had the first children, she should have been in class and studying.

"Children are a gift from God but not to children of her age."

Nora said Busiswa's story should be a lesson to all young girls and their parents.

"I advise parents to be closer with their children," she said.

"There is a lot of sexual abuse of young kids by adults.

"That little girl is supposed to be in class and shape her future, not be a mother at her age.

"Something has to be done about men sleeping with young girls."

Another concerned resident Nwabisa Mgoqi, 45, said authorities needed to step in and investigate who the fathers of Busiswa's kids are.

"Imagine a young girl of 18 who already has five children - it's unbelievable," she said.

"A man who destroys the future of our children should face a heavy punishment."








Busiswa Zenzile is only 18 years old but has two-year-old twins and newborn triplets. Photo: Daily Voice

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