Spar houses abandoned man

Staff Writer | Thursday March 2, 2017 17:37

Sebonego came to the village a young boy in 1968 to work as a herdboy, but fell on hard times when his employer fired him after 46 years of service.

The 63-year-old was thrown out of the house he lived in on the farm and was forced to beg for food and accommodation from Good Samaritans.

Most of his time was spent living on the streets and his ordeal touched Kanye Spar who liaised with the district council on how he could be helped.

On Tuesday, the village was a chorus on song and dance as residents celebrated the handover of the house to Sebonego, ending his three year sojourn of desperation.

Kanye store manager Florence Ortell explained that Sebonego had been forced to occupy the house before it was completed due to the recent harsh weather.

“We raised funds through our netball and football tournaments as well as beauty pageants. We also sourced funds from some of our suppliers to buy building materials and the Spar staff has been hands-on in construction of the house,” she explained.

The house comes with utensils, as well as bedding. Sebonego, who cannot recall his village of origin or the whereabouts of his relatives, described the last three years as “hell on earth”. He said he suffered orphanhood and homelessness at the same time.

“I really suffered after being chased out of my house by my former employer. I spent my youthful days working for the family without even going to school and in my old age I was abandoned and chased away to sleep in a veranda under harsh weather conditions. Today marks a new day in my life, and I am grateful for the noble gesture,” he said.

Area councillor, Kabelo Lemme urged members of the public to help Sebonego going forward.

“It was not easy to pick someone in the community who needed assistance but Sebonego’s situation spoke volumes more than others.

I would like to urge the public and his neighbours to assist him in his new home and further be part of any charity movement to restore dignity of the poor,” he said.