MAKONDE – The gift of life is now a heavy burden for sickly Mmbofheni Mbedzi (58) of Makonde-Purasini. Since his two mud huts were swept away during the 2000 floods, Mmbofheni has been staying alone in a tiny makeshift structure made of discarded wood, grass and old plastics.

He has lost all hope for life and he now stays alone at the foot of the local mountain. When one enters Mmbofheni’s house, one is greeted by the dusty floor and holes both in the roof and around the small structure which one can easily mistake for a pigsty. His valuable possessions are a few tattered clothes hung on a wooden rod, empty pots, wooden spoons, a few empty containers and one old blanket. It is a usual thing for him to go to bed with an empty stomach because he does not have any means for survival.

“I do not even know where I will get my next meal. Life is tough and I only depend on the grace of God for survival. Sometimes I pick wild fruits, just to put something on my stomach. I cannot understand why life is so harsh to me, because I have done nothing wrong…”

When Mirror visited him, he was lying helplessly next to his small ‘house’, complaining of hunger and chest pains. He said he has highlighted his plight to the local community structures but without success.

He explains with tears flowing down his face: “My parents died many years ago and I went to work in Gauteng for 18 years and I came back in 1984. I stayed with my son-in-law in his two mud huts before he died. I continued to stay in his huts until they fell in 2000. Nobody has bothered to assist me and I stayed under a tree for some time until I decided to make this little structure my home.”

He says he cannot sleep well because the structures do not fully protect him from bad weather. “It is like sleeping outside because, when it rains, I am forced to sleep in a pool of water, due to the leaks. When strong winds come, I just pray to God that my little home is not carried away. I sometimes think of committing suicide, because life is now meaningless to me. What I need is an ordinary house, food and clothing because I am unable to work. I want top government officials, including the premier, to come and see my place so that they can have a picture that there are people who are still living like animals in the new South Africa. I have requested for an RDP house from the local community leaders, but my plea just fell on deaf ears.”

Mmbofheni showed Mirror huge scars resulting from burns he suffered when he fell into the fire due to his epileptic condition. “I have fallen into the fire several times because there is no one to look after me. I am lucky that I sometimes do not sustain serious injuries.”

The chairperson of the Makonde Civic Association, Mr Fhatuwani Manyatshe, said he was not aware of Mmbofheni’s struggle against life because he has not received any report from the concerned block committee - but he promised to pay a visit and asses the situation. The chief social worker at Makwarela, Khathutshelo Matamela, also promised to visit Mmbofheni to find out how best to assist him.

Community members who would like to assist Mmbofheni with food, clothing or any other donation can call 072 351 0164 or visit him at Makonde – Purasini, near Haluvhimbi, taking the junction to Mahunguwi, at the foot of Makonde mountain.