'He deserved dignity' - Man, 71 found covered in faeces on KZN roadside rushed to hospital

A 72-year-old wheelchair-bound man found covered in faeces and suffering from wounds near Kingsburgh Mall has been taken to hospital after a group of KZN women stepped in to clean, clothe and care for him.

A 72-year-old man found in a wheelchair, covered in faeces and with wounds while allegedly being used to beg on the streets near Kingsburgh Mall, has been taken to hospital after a group of women stepped in to help restore his dignity.

The Elders Voice KZN received messages last week asking the organisation to assist a couple who were sleeping outside the mall.

When members went to assess the situation, they found the elderly man in an “absolutely heartbreaking condition”.

According to the organisation, the man had been brought from Durban and was allegedly being used to beg on the streets.

The circumstances that had brought the man to the roadside were less important to the women who found him than the immediate need to care for him.

“And regardless of how he had ended up there, regardless of who had brought him there, regardless of the circumstances surrounding him here, he deserved dignity,” The Elders Voice KZN said.

They returned with clean blankets, a pillow, clothing, nappies, soap, face cloths, sanitiser, a bucket, water and linen savers.

On the side of the road, Luyande Meyer and Alta from Heart of Toti worked together to bathe and clean the elderly man, tend to his wounds and dress him in clean clothes.

“Not because it was easy. Not because it was glamorous. But because he is somebody's uncle, somebody's father, somebody's human being.”

For the women, the aim was simple: they wanted the man to reach hospital having been cared for, rather than arriving as another neglected elderly person from the streets.

“We wanted him to arrive at hospital clean, cared for and with his dignity restored, rather than simply being another neglected elderly man arriving from the streets.”

They initially waited for a state ambulance, but as darkness fell and temperatures dropped, the women decided they could not continue waiting indefinitely.

Eventually, Konrad from Faithmed stepped in and arranged an ambulance.