Elize Devenish is known for having a penchant for yogurt, but her family never imagined that her fondness for the milk-based product would ever result in her getting physically assaulted by a kitchen lady and being left on the floor for more than five minutes after falling at the old age home where she had been living. The entire incident is captured on CCTV footage.

Elize’s son Charl says he first received a call from his frantic mother on May 22, who informed him that she had gotten injured in what initially sounded like a scuffle. Upon further investigation, including a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon it would be determined the 79-year old had sustained numerous injuries in the alleged incident, including minor injuries on her hip and leg as well as a broken arm that required surgery.

Elize can be seen on the CCTV footage finishing off her breakfast in the company of fellow residents just after 08:00 am. She is seen taking an extra yogurt to the displeasure of the kitchen lady who is cleaning up the cafeteria at the time. The situation appears to escalate verbally with the old age employee in question grabbing the yogurt back angrily. 

After a short while, Elize is again seen reaching out for some extra yogurt on another table when the kitchen lady grabs her by the arm, shoving her and she falls on the ground. 

What follows is more than five minutes during which staff members do not help the elderly woman up from the floor. They can be seen walking around Elize, not assisting till a while later.

After she is helped up, she is left standing by herself for several minutes after which she struggles to walk off.

It is this disregard for his mother that breaks Charl’s heart, “yeah it’s bad, it’s not nice to see your mother on the floor like that”. His wife Elzarie chips in “we were all crying the first time we saw the video”.

The family lauds the home for reacting quickly to the situation. Two employees, namely the kitchen lady and one nurse have allegedly been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the matter. The Bloemfontein-located facility is yet to comment but is expected to do soon.

The family has on the other hand officially opened a case of assault with Park Road Police Station, something which police spokesperson, Thabo Covane, confirms.

Elize remains in a wheelchair, for now, unable to walk properly due to what is believed to be muscle injuries. Her son and daughter-in-law are optimistic she will recover soon enough.

In March 2019, the Free State branch of the South African Human Rights Commission stressed the importance of protecting the rights of the elderly who, along with children, are considered the most vulnerable members of society. Human Rights Officer, Naleli Morojele, said a part of their mandate is to continue to let the public know what their rights are.

OFM News