POLITICS

"Armless man: I want a lover - not a nurse!" - Daily Sun

The front page and lead story of SA's largest daily newspaper, February 4 2014

Daily Sun (February 4 2014) - HE lost his arms in a tragic accident and he lost his wife when she died some years ago. Mbongeni does everything for himself. EXCEPT HE NEEDS A WOMAN TO WASH HIS HAIR . . . AND SHE MUST GIVE HIM TENDER LOVING CARE.

Mbongeni Ntuli (41) was the victim of an accident while working in an Umfolozi sugarcane field near Mtubatuba, in Zululand. He was loading cane on a moving tractor when a cable grabbed him and pulled him under the wheels in 1991.

Both his arms were amputated - and slowly but surely Mbongeni taught himself to live without arms. But then his wife Silindile Zikhali died in 1998, and learning to live without the loving touch of a woman was more difficult.

Now Mbongeni, who lives in Inanda, Durban, KZN, is looking for a lover. He insists that he is not looking for a nursemaid.

The simple act of unlocking a door is a tough task for the man without arms. He has to use his mouth to turn the key in the lock, then hold the lock between his teeth and push the door open with his stumps that he holds together like a claw.

"I take care of myself. I am no burden to anybody. I can cook, I do ironing and make my bed myself," he smiles proudly.

He said he gets R3 100 every month from his employer and he also receives a R1 250 per month disability grant. It seems obvious that Mbongeni would want to get prosthetic limbs to make life a little easier but that is not what he wants.

"I want to find the woman of my dreams," he said.

"All I need is tender care. That's what's missing in my life. Before my wife died, life was not bad because she loved me."

Mbongeni has lived alone in his one-room shack in Inanda since his wife died.

"I need a woman to live with. I won't be a burden to her because I can do my own housework, " said Ntuli. "My only challenge is I can't wash my head because my arms can't reach the top. I am forced to have hair cuts often."

His neighbour, Vincent Ngidi, described Ntuli as a people's person.

"It's good to have him around. He is happy and friendly and he is not ashamed of his situation. We do sometimes tease him about his arms."

See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....

 

The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 291,132 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 3rd Quarter 2013) and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.

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