Experieces of Grandmothers in raising their Grandchildren in Thohoyandou, Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The phenomenon of grandparents raising their grandchildren is not new in different parts of the world. It has been noted that taking up a parental role has become the norm for grandparents, especially the grandmothers. This study aimed to explore the experiences of grandmothers in raising their grandchildren in Thohoyandou. Specifically, it aimed to establish the reasons why grandmothers in Thohoyandou are involved in raising their grandchildren, to identify and describe the challenges experienced by grandmothers in raising their grandchildren in Thohoyandou and finally, to establish the coping mechanism being used by these grandmothers to address the challenges being experienced by them. The study was conducted in Thohoyandou Block J which is situated in Thulamela municipality in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A qualitative method using an interpretative phenomenological approach was used. Ten grandmothers who were raising their grandchildren were selected through snowball sampling method. The researcher sought the help of a home-base care worker at Muledane clinic to have access to the first grandmother after which the remaining grandmothers were referred by the known participant. Individual in-depth interviews were used to get information from them, using an interview guide. Each grandmother signed a consent form and then gave permission for the interview to be audio-recorded. Pseudo name were used in order to protect the participants. Data were transcribed verbatim, coded into themes and sub-themes using inductive thematic analysis. Themes that emerged include, changes in grandmothers’ role, feeling towards the role change, socio-economic factors that affect care-giving grandmothers, health of grandmothers, strategies for better living. Findings revealed that different reasons exist which made grandmothers to take up the responsibility of raising their grandchildren, grandmothers are affected negatively in their caregiving role and their main source of income are the child-support and pension grant (for those that are eligible).