A 72-year-old man from Dzimauli village, who seems to be suffering from an unknown disease that has caused him to lose his fingers and toes, is pleading with the government and medical doctors to come to his rescue as he is living in terrible pain.
Mr George Munzhelele said his problems started one day, years ago, when he pricked his left thumb on a splinter from a plank. "Within a week, my thumb was so swollen that it started to rot until it eventually fell off. Suddenly, all my fingers started rotting and fell off. This mysterious sensation moved to my right hand, and I lost all my fingers [on that hand]. Then it began in my left foot, and before long, my toes fell off too. Now, it is starting to eat at my other foot. I feel as if there is something moving inside my body while it is eating my flesh," he said.
Munzhelele has only two toes left on his right foot. He says he has been to the Donald Fraser Hospital many times, but that the doctors do not seem to know what he is suffering from.
About eight years ago, Pastor Annah Ramabulana, who is also from Dzimauli village, heard about Munzhelele's plight and paid him a visit. She said she found him in a terrible state, living in a dilapidated room without a door and only a few sheets of zinc that barely covered the roof. "I had to build a house for him and bought him a bed and cooking utensils. But because he wet himself all the time, the bed did not last long," she said.
She recently organised a party to celebrate his 72nd birthday and said she was surprised when his two daughters appeared from nowhere to attend the party. "I did not even know he had children. I was very happy to see them, thinking that they would take him to their house to take care of him, but they refused as they are both married," she said.
Pastor Ramabulana has asked one of her congregants, Ms Azwihangwisi Lirumo, who is employed as a cleaner at the church, if she would help the old man. Now, every day on her way to work, Lirumo stops at Munzhelele's house, cleans his room, cooks for him, washes his clothes, and even changes his diaper and bathes him. All this she does without being compensated for it.
When asked how she did it, Lirumo said she did this out of her love of God. "It is not easy at all, but even though I am not being paid for helping him, I know God has chosen me to do it, and I will continue helping him," she said.
Those who would like to contribute to helping Munzhelele can contact Pastor Ramabulana at 072 208 5149.