admin
Conrad Mupesa–Mashonaland West Bureau
A 78-year-old man from Zvimba has become the toast of his area after taking it upon himself to assist people with various sicknesses and the elderly.
Some of his patients suffer from cancer, with the effects of the disease, especially the wounds, scaring away relatives.
His name is Mr Ingram Mutandabute.
One of the sick people he is assisting is a 79-year-old Raffingora man, Mr Abba Kim, who is nursing cancer wounds.
Mr Kim says he is living a neglected life after his children who are based in South Africa abandoned him.
He is battling skull cancerous wounds that are eating away his scalp and he says his children are not even meeting his medical bills.
“I am experiencing hell on earth,” said Mr Kim. “My children have all neglected me and I have nobody to look after me or to buy me medicine.”
Another patient under Mr Mutandabute’s care is a 105-year-old man, Mr Zamwendo Sithole, who has a cancerous wound on his foot.
Mr Mutandabute, who doesn’t possess any medical qualifications, cleans and bathes Mr Sithole on a daily basis.
Mr Sithole stays with his widowed daughter-in-law.
The other patient under Mr Mutandabute’s care is Mr Regis Chirapashura, who is bedridden with a cancerous wound on his genital area.
Mr Mutandabute says his motivation is to “assist those in pain”.
“As a Christian, I just thought I have to do something for those in hard times,” he said. “Using God’s compassion, I have been doing this for some time now.
“It was after a church service when all this begun. It just came to my mind how I could plough back into the community in order to be an effective instrument of God.
“That’s how I begun to take care of the sick and elderly who are sometimes neglected. My biggest challenge is to get cotton wool and gloves to use. I have been requesting these from our local hospital, but sometimes they don’t have the stock and I am forced to use my bare hands.”
Recently, Zvimba North Constituency legislator and Local Government and Public Works Deputy Minister, Marian Chombo, visited the three ailing senior citizens after a plea from Mr Mutandabute for assistance.
“I am grateful to have such people who have a soft heart for those in need,” said Deputy Minister Chombo. “I didn’t expect that I was visiting people with such severe cases.
“I will engage the Social Welfare Department so that they work closely with this amazing volunteer.”
A local businessman, Mr Kuda Machiri, donated groceries and a pair of crutches to various families during the same visits.
Online Reporter