He is just a blind pensioner who is powerless and poses no threat to anybody. However, ruthless and callous criminals did not think that way and attacked him for a meagre R30 which he was given earlier by a relative.

The horror occurred on Saturday night last week. The pensioner, Masindi Matamela Murudo (99) of Maniini Block M - West outside Thohoyandou, told Mirror he was fast asleep, when someone pretending to be his grandson, Azwimbavhi, knocked at the door.

Murudo said he refused to open the door, as he knew that his grandson had been jailed for theft last year. He said the thug then became aggressive after he refused to open the door.

He said the thug broke the door, wielding an axe and demanding money. He managed to take R30 that the old man had with him after chopping him on the head with an axe. “He chopped me on the head until he looted the only R30 cash that I was given by my nephew," he said. “My screams alerted the neighbour, Sarah Nemungadi, who also called people who were drinking beer at the nearby tavern. The thug disappeared in the dark, leaving me bleeding and helpless.”

A neighbour, Ms Sarah Nemungadi, told Mirror that she called an ambulance and the injured man was rushed to the Tshilidzini Hospital for treatment. “Murudo was attended by nurses, as doctors were on go-slow.” Nemungadi further said even the ambulance men were refusing to get out of the ambulance and fetch the groaning pensioner. “It was only when we threatened to phone their seniors that they entered Murudo´s room and fetched him to the ambulance.

Mr Murudo told Mirror that there “is no life in today´s generation. This generation has rotten minds and don´t have Ubuntu. I am just happy that I am still alive," said Murudo in a sorrowful voice.

Another neighbour, Ms Nyawedzeni Mathode, said they phoned the Thohoyandou police, but didn´t get a response. “It is painful to see an old blind pensioner chopped for nothing.”

Police Captain Mashudu Malelo said the police had visited the old man in hospital. "An attempted murder case has been opened and investigations are continuing," said Malelo.