LIMPOPO – The 67-year-old madala, who lived in a one-roomed shack, is the beneficiary of a modest four-roomed house and a toilet which were officially handed over and painted as part of the 67 minutes activities to mark the centenary of the late statesman.
“I am very, very happy. Even in my wildest dreams, I never saw myself living in a brick house. I am also pleased because the mayor and his councillors took their time to clean my yard. There were bushes growing everywhere, now my yard is clean and safe,” he said.
Mokoena lives alone, has no known relatives in the village and is wheelchair-bound after both his legs were amputated above the knee. His left leg was amputated in 2000, while his right leg was surgically removed in 2014.
“My legs were amputated after both developed gaping wounds that didn’t respond to medical treatment. I endured amputation procedures four times. My left leg was first amputated below the knee, but when the wound continued to spread, doctors were forced to cut above the knee again. Fourteen years later, the same thing happened to my right leg. I was devastated,” he said.
Mokoena’s house was built after the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA), in partnership with Greater Tzaneen Municipality, secured a sponsorship to build a house for the double amputee.
“I have been waiting for an RDP house for many years and when I enquired from local politicians, I was told that I am on the waiting list. I eventually got tired of waiting and wrote a letter of complaint to the provincial government.
“Three months ago, I was surprised to see people who were driving big cars coming to my yard. They told me they have been sent by the MEC and they were coming to start building my house. I couldn’t believe my ears. After so many years of suffering, God has answered my prayers,” he said.
Born in Kroonstad in the Free State, Mokoena said he came to the Tzaneen area in the 1970s to look for his mother, who left him while he was still very young.
“I was raised by my father and step-mother, but after the death of my father in 1965, my step-mother started to ill-treat me. I started asking about my mother’s whereabouts and was told she lived here in Tzaneen. I am happy that I managed to locate her and spent a better part of my life with her before she died in 2009.
“I have one surviving child and he has a family of his own. I don’t want to be a burden to him, his wife and his children. I might be a double amputee, but I can still do things for myself. You can’t choose your fate, all you can do is keep on living and enjoy the little things in life,” said Mokoena, who is a staunch member of The New Apostolic Faith Assembly in Zion Church.
After many years of using his shoulders to propel the manual wheelchair, Mokoena wishes to get an electric version and is asking anyone who can help him to call 079 635 3794 or 071 957 7776.
