Hyndburn asylum seekers who fled Botswana now 'living like animals'

Thuso Raditsebe, 39, and his young family of four – originally from Botswana and now housed by the Home Office and outsourcing company Serco in Oswaldtwistle – fled Africa due to welfare concerns in 2019 and have been seeking asylum in the UK since.

Despite the relief in fleeing such a punishing regime, fresh issues have arisen for the family since their move to the North West.

Mr Raditsebe maintains that he is grateful to be living in the UK and clinging on to hope about the future – his daughter, La Toya, 19, is studying nursing and midwifery and excelling in her course.

However, current living conditions – the result of a burst sewage drain – are having an intolerable impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of all in the household, including his youngest, a five-year-old boy Tyler.

POO: Human waste outside the Raditsebe home as a result of the burst drain

The family have been living among waste water for weeks after a drain burst at the back of their home and flooded the back garden, which has now seeped into the kitchen.

He explained: “We escaped a brutal regime in Botswana. We were tortured and persecuted in our country. Not just me and my wife, you understand, our children too.

“The schools in Botswana administer corporal punishment and my kids have been treated in such a degrading way. They never want to have to go back to that cruel educational set-up.

“Now, in England, we are again being treated in an inhumane and disgraceful way. Serco refuse to take our situation into consideration. When they do decide to help, we have already been living like animals for a long time.”

Mr Raditsebe says that the sewage “spewed into the back yard” and when they raised the complaint to Serco, “nothing was done”. Now, he says, they are “forced to live with human poo in the kitchen”.

Serco say the complaints must be raised through the correct channels in order to be resolved. In this instance, that channel is Migrant Help.

“I have a wife who is pregnant and we have three other children,” said Mr Raditsebe. “My wife is a depressed patient now because of our living situation. I have never before slept with human poo on the floors of my home.

“My five-year-old boy wants and needs to exercise. He has a trampoline in the back garden that we cannot access because of the poo. The children are at risk of disease.

“We have tried to remove it, but because of the drain it is back very quickly. We have spent good money on mops and disinfectant, but this doesn’t help. It needs a professional to fix the problem at its source.

“The smell is horrific, it smells like a zoo. We should not have to live in these conditions. I know that the British government would never allow their people to be treated in such a degrading, inhumane manner.”

SEWAGE: The back yard and kitchen are filled with human waste

Mr Raditsebe said he believes in a positive outlook and takes great pride in the educational successes of his daughter under extremely difficult circumstances – but is becoming increasingly distressed by the deterioration of his loved ones’ mental health.

He said: “They are doing well here. My daughter got a distinction in her course last year, she is studying hard.

“We have been in limbo for a while now and my son and wife are so depressed. My wife has tried to commit suicide in the past and now, my eldest son is having suicidal thoughts.

“We just need help, please, that is all I ask. I am so desperate.”

Serco are investigating the Raditsebes' complaints and have said that they will work with them to prioritise having their problems fixed.

They did, however, distance themselves from being held directly responsible for their plight and Mr Raditsebe now claims they are being “threatened” with a relocation to Liverpool.

This would mean significant upheaval, the father said.

A Serco spokesperson said: “We appreciate that as a result of this defect the occupant has had to endure a difficult situation, but the problem faced by the family was caused by the local utilities and, prior to the problem occurring, Serco had no knowledge of the manhole issue.

HAPPY: Thuso and his wife Chamada during happier times in native Botswana

“Our team reacted rapidly and did everything they could to address the issues and subsequently, we have visited and checked on the occupants to ensure that everything is OK.

“No further reports of overspill into the property have been made and further works are ongoing through United Utilities to repair the issue.

“Upon receiving this complaint, a local member of our team has been to the property to review the situation.

“We have spoken to the occupants and no further complaints or issues were raised.”

The Raditsebe family remain extremely distressed and fear that any further upheaval to their lives could have “catastrophic consequences”.

Mr Raditsebe slammed Serco’s response, saying: “We were going to be moved to Liverpool, despite my wife being close to giving birth and all my kids attending schools in the region.

“As we speak, my wife is very unhappy. I hope she doesn't lose the baby.

“We deserve to be happy. I hope the Home Office gives us some form of legal stay here but in the meantime, my kids are traumatised, stressed, confused and I am extremely worried about my wife.”