Mayor and first lady donate wheelchairs
Mayor of Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM), Maripe Mangena, donated two wheelchairs to two elderly men last week.
In Mavele village, 72-year-old Thompson Ngwenya said that he lost his ability to walk and now relies on his grandson for basic things.
He thanked the mayor for the wheelchair and aslo asked for a new ventilated pit latrine which is user-friendly for people living with disabilities.
In Ramotshinyadi village, Gilbert Machete (also in his seventies) was relieved to finally get his wheelchair.
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Machete says that he used to crawl to the pit latrine almost 100 meters from the main house. He said Mangena’s intervention will make things a lot easier.
Meanwhile, the mayor’s wife, Precious Mangena, handed over two wheelchairs at Mopye village in Bolobedu South.
The two wheelchairs were part of eight that were donated. In the Mopye case, the first lady was approached for assistance.
“I was approached by a social worker about a disabled child who doesn’t have a wheelchair. I asked her to send me pictures and after I saw the pictures my heart broke,” she said.
Jonas Mathebula, a key lobbyist for the disabled who serves in local, district and provincial disability forums, said he is pleased that GTM takes people living with disabilities serious.
