Aug-Sept 2014 K.indd

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AUG/SEPT 2014 • www.cosatu.org.za

Champion of Fatherhood

By Czerina Patel and Wessel van den Berg

L ast month, Hendri Terblanche gave birth to an important petition, just eight months after his twin children were born prematurely. His petition, which seeks to provide new fathers with 10 days paternity leave, was submitted to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and of fi cially received and acknowledged by NCOP Chair, Thandi Modise. campaign when his twin children were born three months prematurely, and he saw for himself how only having three days family responsibility leave (and no paternity leave) severely restricts Terblanche initiated the #10dayspaternityleave

fathers couldn’t come anymore. That was a result of their only having three days family responsibility leave,” says Terblanche. Kevin Jacobs from Manenberg who is expecting his third child says, “I feel that the three days allocated to us isn’t enough time to assist our spouses or for us to even bond with our kids at that tender age … It’s so unfair that our spouses have to sit with the babies [alone] after that long procedure of carrying them for nine months and then still the painful ordeal of labour.” Terblanche was fortunate to have a sympathetic employer that granted him fl exible work time to care for his children, but he realized that most

fathers from spending time with their children in their fi rst days of life, from forming a bond with their newborns, from supporting their partners and assisting with childcare duties, and from being able to be there for their families at this important moment in all of their lives. This lack of paternity leave is even more challenging in cases where there are medical complications, premature births, and also Caesarean births, which are very common in South Africa as the mother and child are often in the hospital for up to a week, and sometimes longer. Terblanche’s twins Danté & Juandré were hospitalised for 139 days and 79 days respectively. “During my visits to the ICU, I noted that after the fourth day, other

Pic source: cysfresno.org

Gender Agenda