AN ailing 81-year-old Tsholotsho man who left the country 61 years ago to work in South Africa, is looking for his relatives after one of the cross-border transporters popularly known as omalayitsha who was supposed to take him to his rural home dumped him in Bulawayo.
Mr Philip Moyo who left the country in 1962 when he was 20 years old had contracted umalayitsha to take him back home as he was feeling unwell, but they left him in Bulawayo instead of Tsholotsho.
He said he only remembers that his father was Sibambosobunyonyo and his mother as MaDawu.
Mr Moyo who could barely walk then, was picked up by a Good Samaritan who called an ambulance and took him to Mpilo Central Hospital where he is recovering.
He has spent more than two weeks at the hospital and will not easily navigate the streets of Bulawayo or travel to Tsholotsho alone as he left the country a long time ago.
Mpilo public relations officer, Sister Norma Mabhena, said Mr Moyo has been admitted to the hospital since then and is yearning for his relatives.
“We are appealing to members of the public to come forward with information that will help us in locating Moyo’s family as he needs his family. The fact that he left South Africa heading home means he wanted to reunite with his family,” she said.
“His health has improved from the day he came here and we are positive that soon he will be discharged. We are also appealing to members of the public to let ubuntu reign because this is an elderly person who last saw his relatives years ago, but cannot remember their contact details that can help us reach them.”
Sr Mabhena said Mr Moyo had no belongings and only remembers being dropped off in the city centre.
“He left South Africa with the intention of going back home and so far we have gathered that his homestead is in Tsholotsho near Nemane Primary School in an area called Mandeya. He left home years ago and can’t recall, but he knows that a certain malayitsha was supposed to take him to Tsholotsho from South Africa,” she said.
“The transporter however, decided to go back to South Africa upon arrival and left him in town. Sadly, he can’t even remember where he was left because the moment he regained consciousness, he was at Mpilo under treatment.”
Sr Mabhena said anyone with information can contact the hospital at (0292) 214367.
“We would also like to remind members of the public that mental well-being is crucial for total healing and Mr Moyo needs his people to be around him so that he recovers. We have had several cases similar to Mr Moyo’s where residents deliberately let relatives stay longer in the hospital after discharge and only show up when they die,” she said.
“It’s wrong and not part of our culture as a people who believe in ubuntu. We should always love and take care of our own especially the old and vulnerable.”
According to studies, prolonged stay in acute hospitals increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections in older patients.
In June, this publication carried a story of a 24-year-old woman from Gwanda who was appealing for help with accommodation, diapers and upkeep after spending a month at Mpilo Central Hospital following a road accident that left her physically challenged.
Ms Annah Faith Mhazo was set to begin her accounting studies at Joshua Mqabuko College in January before the accident in December last year which left her bed ridden for months.
Although she managed to access healthcare and recovered, no one from her family came to pick her up from the hospital after she was discharged in May.
Source Zimsituation
