Appeal to help ailing shack-dweller
Daily struggle for Nemato man living with HIV
An HIV-positive man, Lindile Bhamba, is currently living in appalling conditions in a backyard shack in Nemato, with no door or even a proper roof over his head.
During the recent heavy rains, holes in the roof of his shack saw water pour through, making the floor muddy as there is no carpet or floorboards.
Edward Nomfele, who lives in the main RDP house on the property, brought the plight of Bhamba to Talk of the Town’s attention in an effort to expose the terrible conditions under which he lives.
“Lindile was working in our garden and we noticed he was coughing severely,” said Nomfele.
“My wife and I sat down with Lindile and asked him to go see doctors at the hospital.”
According to Nomfele it was at this stage that Bhamba confessed to the couple he was HIV-positive and had stopped taking his medication due to the lack of food. Nomfele said that after that discussion he and his wife, Nobuntu, advised Bhamba to restart treatment and also committed themselves to providing him with breakfast and supper each day.
Although this has assisted him, Nomfele lamented that Bhamba was still in need of intervention.
“A sick person like him should not stay in a place like this,” he said.
Bhamba’s parents have both passed on and has no biological relatives to turn to.
He also had no identity document which made it difficult to get the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to provide food parcels for him.
Nomfele said they had applied for an identity document on his behalf but this still had to be processed.
“We would love him to stay with us, but we are living in a small RDP house. The man needs assistance to help build a shack with a good roof and clean floors, but that requires the assistance of someone with building knowledge which we do not have, and costs that we cannot afford,” he said.
To offer assistance, Nomfele can be contacted on 079-345-1138.