Chronicle Editor
Midlands Bureau
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa and First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday honoured their pledge to donate a wheelchair and groceries to a man living with disability from Amaveni suburb in Kwekwe.
The First Family, touring Amaveni suburb on Sunday afternoon to assess compliance levels by citizens with Government’s directive for them to stay home and prevent the spread of coronavirus, came across Mr Dexter Masango (65) crawling along a dusty street.
Touched by that, the President’s entourage had to stop for the First Family to disembark so that they speak to Mr Masango, a former teacher. They took his details and went back to their farm where they immediately dispatched a wheelchair for him to use.
The wheelchair was then delivered to him yesterday by former Mbizo legislator Cde Vongaiishe Mupereri.
Amai Mnangagwa on Sunday also said Mr Masango would, through her Angel of Hope Foundation be receiving some food items and true to her word an assortment of groceries were delivered in the nick of time for his struggling family.
The atmosphere was electric as Mr Masango’s neighbours showing the spirit of ubuntu came together and joined in appreciating the good charity work done by the First Family.
Cde Mupereri said the First Family cared for the plight of Zimbabweans as a whole adding they are always there to assist the needy in society to better their lives.
“The President and Amai Mnangagwa sent me today with the pledges they made to Mr Masango yesterday (Sunday). This timely gesture comes after they saw Mr Masango crawling on the dusty streets of Amaveni during their tour of the suburb. They were touched, stopped to talk to him before they quickly made the arrangement that I bring the wheelchair since they discovered that he could not walk,” he said.
Besides the wheelchair, Cde Mupereri said the First Family also donated an assortment of goods ranging from rice, mealie-meal, blankets, cooking oil, bread and sugar among others.
“This is the pledge made on Sunday and has been delivered some hours later showing you how much they wanted to assist Mr Masango and his family,” he said.
Mr Masango’s mother, Ms Winnie Nyama was at a loss for words at the donation. She thanked the President and the First Lady for their timely assistance to her family.
“This is a timely intervention for my son and my family. I cannot thank the President and Amai enough.
“They are wonderful people who showed how much they care about their people. This is just wonderful,” she said.
Ms Nyama said they have been having huge challenges with her son after cancer forced doctors to amputate his both legs.
“After he lost his legs, we started having challenges with Dexter but now we have been given a test by the First Family to work together to overcome the challenges.
“Again, I don’t know how to thank them for their timely interventions because the wheelchair and groceries are coming just when we needed them most,” she said.
Mr Masango, according to his mother, is a former teacher who got both his legs amputated after being diagnosed of cancer.
“He is a qualified teacher who was amputated after he was diagnosed of cancer some three years ago.
“He used to lead a normal life but his life turned upside down after he was diagnosed of cancer,” said Ms Nyama.
She said her son could not accept that he had cancer and that changed his life.
“He started abusing drugs and that maybe also caused his mental illness. Many times, he has been admitted at Ingutsheni but the situation never changed,” said a visibly stressed Ms Nyama.
She pleaded with Government authorities to help her son get proper psychological assistance.
“Of course, we appreciate the wheelchair but I also plead with authorities to ensure that he gets psychological help. He gets wheelchairs from well-wishers but he burns them down,” she said.
Londile Moyo
Bongani Ndlovu