FOUR TOES GONE! Bulawayo woman’s foot rots as she begs for help

Robin Muchetu

A DIABETIC woman from Entumbane is pleading for help after her foot began to rot, leaving her with just one toe and a desperate need for US$400 to avoid full amputation.

Tsungirirayi Sibanda (43) says what started as a tiny pimple on her foot has now turned into a gaping wound that’s eating away her flesh. She has already lost four toes.

“It began five months ago. I thought it was a normal sore, but it just kept getting worse. I have tried faith healers, more than ten of them. Nothing worked,” said a distressed Sibanda.

Sibanda, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 2017, is now out of work, living with her unemployed sister and relying on the kindness of strangers. Her husband vanished when the situation got worse, leaving her and their two children to fend for themselves.

“He just left. Walked out and never came back. Our property is still in the Famona flat we used to rent, but now we can’t even afford the rent,” she said.

Doctors at UBH told her that the only medical solution left was to amputate the leg.

Desperate to avoid losing it completely, Sibanda turned to naturopathy, an alternative medicine system using herbs, diet and massage. A local naturopathic doctor has quoted US$340 for the herbs needed to try and save what’s left of her foot.

“I’m kindly asking for help. I need the herbs to stop this from getting worse. Even buying insulin and food is now a daily struggle,” she said.

Well-wishers can contact Ms Sibanda on +263 773 872 627.
Graphic pictures of her rotting foot are available but may be disturbing to some readers.