Blind Klaradyn girl walk into non-existent lift

27/07/2009
MARIÉ ROSSOUW AND RYNO ELLIS

On Monday afternoon, July 13, Mashooda
Sedibeng unknowingly walked into an empty
elevator shaft on the second fl oor of House
Klaradyn.

Mashooda (19) was on her way to her room
on the seventh fl oor, when she opened the
door and fell two meters. The door closed
when she fell in and thus muffl ed her cries
for help. Fortunately, a girl heard her and
instantly found the house parents, who rushed
to the scene.

House mother, Mrs Schoeman, comforted
and explained to Mashooda exactly what had
happened and the actions of the paramedics. “I
was angry and traumatized,” said Mashooda
who spend the following three days at the
Little Company of Mary where she then had a
knee operation.
“The lifts at Tuks are very bad,” says
Mashooda.

Roelf Visser, Director of
Accommodation, supports this statement by
saying that the lifts are a problem not only
in the residences, but campus wide. “This is
unacceptable and could’ve ended far worse,”
according to Mr. Schoeman. Visser added that
some of the residences are currently under
construction to upgrade the lifts, but some
may only be fi nished in 2011.

Gerbie van Heerden from Corporate
Communications and Marketing of Tuks
expressed that there are two mechanics that
need to kick in when a lift is broken. First the
lift cannot move up or down, and secondly,
the door has to lock immediately. “UP is not
responsible for this incident as the lifts have to
be checked by Schindler on a monthly, threemonthly
and yearly basis.”

A Klaradyn student claimed that during
this year she similarly opened the door on the
fourth floor to discover that the lift wasn’t
there. Fortunately, she noticed this, despite no
warning signs.

According to Beeld reports Mr Aboo
Chouglay, Mashooda’s guardian and
stepfather, plans to sue the university, but
Mashooda says that, “I would fi rst like to get
better and back on my feet.”

Masooda requested to independently
live in Klaradyn, despite her disability. Her
dependency on lifts after her knee operation
will prevent her from staying in Klaradyn for
the next four weeks. The university provided
Mashooda with all her lectures in brail and
will fund all her medical expenses.
For everyone involved this is a tragedy, but
the House parents, Mr and Mrs Schoeman,
and the university’s safety services,
immediately and selfl essly relieved the
situation in any way possible.