A young man whose eye was recently gorged out during an attack will never see again with that eye.

However, even though he has lost sight in one of the eyes, he wishes to see one thing happening - he would like to see justice done and the perpetrator pay for his sins.

Rotshidzwa Mandiwana (25) of Matangari lost the sight in one of his eyes during an attack which he believes was motivated by xenophobia. He alleges that he was on his way home after a hard day’s work when he met seven men close to some parked cars.

He alleges that the men were busy assaulting a Zimbabwean man whom they suspected had been responsible for the theft of their farm produce. The young man cannot remember much of what happened thereafter, when he was also taken by the men to be a Zimbabwean. They allegedly assaulted him as well. He lost consciousness and only woke up at the local hospital.

That was where he realized that his eye had been gouged out and he would never see from it again.

It was the beginning of a hard and uneven road for this man.

He can no longer see properly, his dreams have been shattered, and if that was not enough, the man who caused all the harm is still roaming the street, allegedly boasting about the inci-dent.

Mandiwana said he understands that he can no longer see and he is left with unfulfilled dreams. “I know that my chances of making it in life are slim, but I would be happy to see justice done and the man arrested,” he said.

He has another wish in life. He is appealing to anybody who might assist him by buying him an artificial eyeball. “I have lost shape in my face but would love to have an artificial eyeball inserted. However, I have no funds, so please help me,” he said.

The local traditional leader, Khosi Vho Tovhowani Mathoho, confirmed that he knew about the incident.

“I can confirm that the matter has been brought to my attention and I acted on the instructions from the two parties that the matter be solved internally. That the two are no longer on good terms is something new to me. I thought the matter had been laid to rest once and for all, but all in all I am equally embarrassed,” he said.

He said he would wait for the two to communicate the latest developments to him.

At the time of going to press, no charges had been laid.