“All I need is enough space to move around. In this shack, I can’t move anywhere. I have to sit on the bed the whole day. I can’t even go out and move around,” this is how Lindiwe Dyalivane summed up her life.
Dyalivane, who suffers from lymphedema (a swelling due to build-up of lymph fluid in the body), is worried that she could be soon trapped inside her in Nkanini if she does not get help. She appeals to anyone who can assist to come forward.
She is currently unable to move as her legs are getting bigger daily.
In an interview with City Vision, the 55-year-old woman said: “This disease started in 2003. I had blisters on both legs but I used to treat them.
“At that time, I was able to work as I had a sewing business and I was going door to door selling my stuff. But I started to be permanently immobile around 2019. Since then, I have been indoors”.
A visibly distressed Dyalivane said all she needs is a “proper place” to stay. She is uncomfortable with her current location.
“If I can’t get a house. I wish I could get a fully serviced plot or a temporary house,” she said.
At the moment she uses crutches to walk and her biggest worry is the possibility of a shack fire.
Dyalivane praised the Ward 95 councillor Ayanda Tetani for building her a better structure and installing a flushing toilet inside her shack.
She previously used a bucket to answer the call of nature and labelled the toilet as a massive improvement.
“I used to use a bucket to relieve myself and my niece took it out to dump in the temporary toilets. Sometimes I feel her pain. I feel as though I am a burden to her,” she stated.
Dyalivane said going to the clinic is a mission as it takes her a lot of time to get out of her shack. She stated that she only gets out once when she has a doctor’s appointment.
“Walking out from my shack to the transport is another struggle because there is no proper road and I have to walk a bit and take a break.
“My legs are getting bigger every day and are numb. I don’t feel anything when I touch them,” she said.
Dyalivane, who is a guardian to two of her late sister’s children, stated that she does not have children and cannot earn any income.
She survives through disability grant and making ends meet for the entire family is a real struggle.
“The transport charges me R300 to and from Michael Mapongwana Community Health Clinic. I have to buy groceries, toiletry items and other stuff. It is not enough,” she explained.
When City Vision asked her what the doctors diagnosed, she said they diagnosed high blood pressure and arthritis only.