Chair changes gogo’s life

The life of misery of the 96-year-old granny Johanna Sidimela of Rabali outside Makhado in Nzhelele, who had to crawl to the outside toilet pit and around her house for five years, changed for the better last Wednesday when a Good Samaritan donated a brand new wheelchair to her.

The wheelchair came after an observant member of the community who passed via her place observed the hardship she was going through as a result of her not having a wheelchair. He notified the portfolio head (Budget and Treasury) at the Vhembe Municipality, Rudzani Ludere, who responded swiftly and, with the help of his doctor friend, Doctor Konanani Khohomela of Mveledzo Medical Centre in Sibasa, bought the granny a brand new wheelchair.

The official handover was done at the granny’s house in the presence of the local ward 34 Makhado councillor, Cllr Khakhathi Ramavhoya, local traditional leader Chief Daniel Mulaudzi and family members.

The granny could not hide her joy and kept on saying that God knew how to take the poor out of poverty. “Life has been good for me and I used to be a very active person who was also a hard worker. But things changed about five years ago when I fell ill and could not use my legs anymore. I could not stand up and I had to crawl in the house and to the toilet that is outside. My life was mixed up as I lost touch with my friends and places. I used to sit under that shade all by myself, but this wheelchair has brought me much joy and revived my life. I strongly believe that this man was sent by God and may God bless him more,” she said.

Handing over the wheelchair, Ludere said he was deeply touched after visiting the granny and seeing the condition she was in. “I have done so many things for my community, but maintaining what the Bible says that the left hand should not know what the right is doing. This time around I decided to come out into the open to encourage those who are blessed to think about the poor who are near them.”

Local traditional leader Chief Daniel Mulaudzi hailed the donation and praised Ludere and his friend for having thought of the poor granny. “There are many well-off people around here, but they pretend not to see the misery poor people are in and are not prepared to help.

"To the two sponsors, our prayers are that God bless them in whatever they do,” he said.

Date:02 December 2016

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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