Richard Ndlovu appeals to well wishers
AILING former Zimbabwe Saints hitman Richard “Gwesela” Ndlovu (51) has sent an SOS to well wishers to help him meet his day-to-day needs, which include food and medical bills, after being diagnosed with bone tuberculosis (TB) and abandoned by his wife in South Africa.
Ndlovu has been living in squalid conditions with his younger brother’s family in Bulawayo’s Nkulumane 12 suburb since returning from South Africa due to illness.
He was part of the 1988 championship winning squad with a then trailblazing Chikwata, with the likes of Ephraim Chawanda, Henry “Bully” McKop, Agent Sawu, Stanley Mutasa, George Ayibu and Mayor Eric, among a host of other greats.
“A lot of people think I am dead because they have not heard about me for a long time, but I am alive and not well though. I am not well, not well at all; doctors tell me its TB of the bones, but I am picking up a little bit. A number of people probably are not aware of my predicament because it was just a sudden ailment and I was gone, literally. My biggest challenge is medical costs and food. As I speak to you, I have been given four sets of tablets and I don’t even know how I will be able to purchase those tablets due to the challenges I have,” said Ndlovu.
“Financially I am not okay and even when it comes to food, I struggle to make ends meet. Doctors say I must eat a lot so that I don’t react to medication, but the sad reality is that food here is in serious short supply. The person who has been helping me here and there is Agent Sawu and even Otrick Siziba, but it’s really hard,” said Ndlovu when Chronicle Sport visited him last Friday.
He goes to a local clinic on a daily basis to pick up his medication, but with swollen legs, Ndlovu says he sometimes thinks of not going due to the pain.
“My life is hell, I am in pain even though one can say I am picking up a little bit. My wife abandoned me in South Africa when I fell ill and I had to retrace my footsteps back home. I hope my plight will reach well wishers, including some of the guys that I played alongside or even against. I would certainly appreciate any form of help,” said Ndlovu. — @ skhumoyo2000