Another side to the story…
SANDTON - A MAN has been accused of using his disfigured face to con people into donating money towards his facial reconstruction surgery.
This following an article posted on the Sandton Chronicle website about William Mavhava (28) who said he had been approaching businesses in Parkmore to help him pay for plastic surgery to his face so that he could get a job.
Mavhava, whose real first name is Zachariah, was initially helped by philanthropist Angie Segal who said she found him begging for donations in the East Rand. Segal decided to help him raise funds and she managed to raise up to R100 000 towards Mavhava’s surgery. However, she claimed that she found out that even after more than enough money was raised, Mavhava continued to beg for donations.
Mavhava claimed he did not receive the full benefit of the donations. “After I figured out that she was using me and making money for herself from my donations, I stopped interacting with her and decided to continue getting donations my way,” alleged Mavhava.
Segal denied that she used any of the money to enrich herself.
Mavhava also claimed he had opened a criminal case against Segal, however, the case number he supplied to the Sandton Chronicle related to a different case belonging to another complainant.
Also, when Mavhava initially came forward with his story, he did not notify the Sandton Chronicle that Segal had already helped him pay for corrective surgery conducted on his teeth, and had assisted him with rent and groceries. “The last time I saw him was when he asked me for R2 000 to start a tuck shop business,” said Segal.
“After I gave him that money he disappeared.”
The doctor who performed the dental surgery, Craig Pearl, said he fixed Mavhava’s jaw and inserted a new set of teeth for him. He explained, “I performed the surgery for free but Angie organised that the Dischem Foundation pay R50 000 towards Zachariah’s hospital funds.”
Segal said she ended up donating the rest of Mavhava’s donation money to the Smile Foundation after he did not pitch for the final surgery.
“He obviously wanted to carry on with the begging,” she added.
Moira Gerszt, the chief operating officer at the foundation confirmed that they had received about R38 000 from Segal.
