Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - December 22, 2002
Subashni Naidoo
Maropeng, 4, will join her adoptive parents, Anna and Heinrich Makkink of Hillary, Durban, at the dinner table on Christmas Day.
Her adoption papers were signed by the Makkinks on Anna's 63rd birthday on November 11.
The child, who was abandoned shortly after birth, was kept at Addington Hospital for six months.
She was later sent to the Durban Children's Society after a relative who admitted the baby had given a false resi-dential address.
Makkink, a mother of nine, was assigned as Maropeng's "crisis parent" when she was two years old.
She said it took her very little time to fall in love with the little bundle.
"The first time I saw her, the poor child was in a terrible state. She suffered from malnutrition, pneumonia and was severely dehydrated. She also had a lung infection and had to take a year's preventive course of TB medication," said Makkink.
"I was sympathetic to her at first, but that sympathy quickly changed to love. To me, she's just like my own, and I'll do anything for her."
Maropeng, who later showed all the symptoms of HIV, tested positive in October 2000. The tests were repeated in November, but before the results were revealed, the Makkinks decided they wanted to adopt her.
"We had constant problems with social workers saying to us that our biggest obstacle was our age. They felt we would not be able to take care of her once she had full-blown Aids. But we never gave up. We were really serious about it and constantly pressured them.
"We applied to adopt her again in August 2002. My husband and I had an interview with the clerk of the children's court, who also had a problem with our age.
"We then visited the commissioner of the children's court, who was awaiting the final report from the social worker."
Anna said that everyone in her family supported their decision.
The child is already fluent in Afrikaans and will start pre-primary school when she turns six.
Makkink said that Maropeng needed "overwhelming love" to help her fight the virus.
"She takes stacks of medication and has gained a lot of strength. But she needs more than that - she needs unconditional love."
An Aids care leader at the Durban Children's Society, Jeevie Pillay, said: "They have offered the child permanency in terms of adoption. In my experience, I have found that it is hard to recruit foster parents to foster infected children, let alone adopt them. What the couple have done is remarkable, especially knowing the future consequences. We hope all communities follow suit."
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