A blind farmer from Vondwe village narrowly escaped with his life after falling into a deep, uncovered manhole next to the First National Bank building at the Metropolitan Centre in Thohoyandou on Thursday, 1 September.
Mr Maanda Michael Mafhege told the media that he went to the bank that day to withdraw his disability grant when he fell into the manhole. He said he was very fortunate that a passer-by came to his rescue, otherwise he might still have been trapped inside that hole. "The Good Samaritan took me to a nearby clinic, as I sustained injuries to my right leg. The next day (Friday) I was transferred to hospital, as I was in a lot of pain. I was discharged on Saturday (3 September)," he said. "Farming is my means of making a living for myself and my family. Now I can do nothing but sit at home."
Mafhege (45) farms butternut, maize, tomatoes, sugar beans, and cabbage, to name but a few, on his four-hectare orchard in Dzingahe. He was recently honoured by the Dzingahe community with a certificate of recognition for sharing his crops with organisations for the disabled and the community at large.
He started farming from the backyard of his house in Vondwe when he was a young man. "I was not born blind. It came when I was in the 11th grade, in 1997. I went to the doctor and was told that I suffered from an eye condition, called Glaucoma, and that I would never see again. Still, I thank God that I never let my disability influence or worsen my circumstances," said Mafhege.
The spokesperson for the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), Mr Matodzi Ralushai, admitted that the district knew about uncovered manholes around the Thohoyandou Central Business District (CBD). The lids of these manholes apparently get stolen by thugs who sell them to scrap-metal dealers. Ralushai urged communities to report the matter to the nearest police station, should they see people steeling the lids of manholes.