Zimpapers Logo

• 89-year-old cares for pal, 24 years his senior

Mr Samson Ngwenyama (left) and Mr Thompson Mthombeni

Freedom Mupanedemo Features Correspondent
As I switched off the engine of my car at Samson Ngwenyama’s homestead in Njobo Village in Mberengwa, a sombre atmosphere greeted me.

The homestead resembled a deserted croft. It was all silence.

Not even a dog barked to alert the inhabitants of my presence. There were no chickens running around or pecking the ground in search of food.

No toddlers screaming or squabbling among themselves. The place was dead quiet that you would hardly think there was any life in the compound.

For a homestead comprising three huts, a single-roomed house with a flat asbestos roof and a Blair toilet farther to the west, the quietness was rather eerie.

While still asking myself questions and answering at the same time, an elderly man walking slowly and dimly with the aid of a stick emerged from the back of one hut, his other hand firmly on the walls to help maintain the balance.

“Makadini, meso haachaona vayenzi here? Tiripano svikai zvenyu! (Greetings! My eyes are betraying me, are you visitors?

I am here, you a welcome),” he said.

Pitifully, I quickly walked towards the old man and greeted him before rendering assistance – guiding him to a seat on a wooden stool under the shade of the same hut.

His wrinkled face, spindly legs, wiry hands and frail body tell a story of his age. But his booming voice was in total contrast with his ageing body.

“I am Thampson Mthombeni, unfortunately I cannot see you, I am now blind and my caretaker, Samson, has gone to the river to fetch some water so that I can bath. I am expecting him very soon,” said the elderly man in a more lively voice than one would expect from such an elderly man of his nature.

He continued: “You are driving? I heard a vehicle sound. If you are not in hurry wait for some minutes Samson will be coming in a couple of minutes.”

Before I could respond again, a frail looking old man approached, holding two five-litre plastic containers full of water. I quickly concluded that he was Sam- son.

Walking sprightly and expectantly, he quickly but carefully placed the two water containers on the ground before he extended his shaky right palm for a warm greeting. The joy gleaming from the faces of the two old men manifested the feelings of a pair who, for a long time, has not welcomed a visitor at their homestead.

Their broad smiles tell a story. The two have been staying together for the past three years with Samson Ngwenyama, who is 89 years old, playing the caretaker of his counterpart, Mthombeni, who is 113 years old. Mthombeni turned blind about two years ago and Ngwenyama has been his warden since then. The two sleep in separate bedroom huts.

Every morning, Ngwenyama wakes up to visit Mthombnei to find out if he is well.

He takes him to the toilet, prepares food and fetches water for him to bath.

He does the laundry too and makes sure that Mthombeni gets everything he wants before he ventures into other chores.

It’s a tale of two old men!

“It’s only the two of us here my nephew. Mr Mthombeni is now 113 years old and for the past two years, I have been taking care of him. I cook for him, I fetch water for him to bath, and I lead him everywhere he wants to go. I take him to the toilet. I take him to bed I do everything for him,” said Ngwenyama.

He said during farming seasons when the village is teeming with green crops, he wakes up early to prepare food for Mthombeni before leaving to herd cattle.

To make matters worse, both Ngwenyama and Mthombeni do not have gainfully employed children to take care of their welfare.

The only breadwinner who occasionally helps them with groceries is a nephew working in Gweru.

“This nephew of mine is our saviour, he is doing a good job to support us in terms of food. We feel what he is doing is enough for us. We can’t then burden him to the point of demanding that he finds a domestic worker for us. I have to do all other chores myself. In fact, I am now used to it,” said Ngwenyama.

Mthombeni thanked Ngwenyama for the good job he is doing – providing him with the much-needed care. While he confessed that life was somewhat boring now, he prays that his caretaker could be granted the grace to live longer on earth.

“Samson has been patient with me for some years now. I want to thank him for that.

I pray that God may bless him with many more years until he sees out my life,” said Mthombeni.

 ◆ Feedback: [email protected]