By Mpheni Tshivhase
- Monica Simka, from Moria Park Informal Settlement in Lenasia South, is raising twins Hlelo and Thando, alongside her teenage son.
- Hlelo was diagnosed with autism and ADHD as a baby. Her mother still waits for the assessment to move her.
Every day begins at 5am for Monica Simka, a devoted mother from Moria Park Informal Settlement in Lenasia South, who is raising seven-year-old twins, Hlelo and Thando, alongside her teenage son.
Monica knew something was different about Hlelo when she was just five months old.
“She didn’t like loud noises, preferred being alone and was fascinated by colours,” she recalls.
Hlelo was later diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Determined to understand her daughter, Monica spent countless hours researching autism and joining support groups.
“Knowledge is power. The more I learned, the better I could support my child.”
Both girls attend Zakariyya Park Combined School, but while Thando has progressed to Grade 2, Hlelo is repeating Grade 1.
“She’s very bright,” says Monica. “She just needs teachers who are trained to understand children with autism.”
Monica says the school has yet to secure an assessment that would allow Hlelo to be placed at a special school better suited to her needs, leaving her frustrated.
“I feel like I’m failing my child.”
Public schools for children with special needs in Gauteng are known to carry long waiting lists, in some cases stretching to two years, largely because of a backlog in the assessments needed to place children like Hlelo. Monica is far from alone in this wait, but for her, it’s her own daughter’s future sitting inside it.
Living in an informal settlement presents additional challenges. Hlelo needs constant supervision because of her curiosity, struggles with loud noises and crowded places, and relies heavily on routine. Even her school transport had to be changed because the loud music overwhelmed her.
Monica says autism is still widely misunderstood in many communities.
“People say she’s naughty, needs discipline or even that it’s witchcraft. Autism is not a disability to me—it’s being differently abled. These children are intelligent; they simply experience the world differently.”
Despite living with a heart condition, Monica continues to advocate for her daughter. Hlelo’s father, who works as a petrol attendant, remains actively involved in his daughter’s life and accompanies her to appointments at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. Monica also draws strength from her Grade 10 son, who has taught himself about autism to help care for his younger sister.
Through it all, Monica remains hopeful.
What Hlelo needs now is clear: an assessment from the Gauteng Department of Education that would allow her to move to a school built for how she learns. Anyone able to help fast-track that process can contact Scrolla.Africa.
“Hlelo loves doing people’s hair and dreams of owning her own purple salon one day.”
For the Simka family, that dream is a reminder that with understanding, support and acceptance, every child can thrive.
Pictured above: Monica Simka and her now seven-year-old twins, Hlelo and Thando.
Image source: Supplied
