A Kirkwood man whose eye was dislodged from its socket in a taxi accident a decade ago, is so desperate for medical help he has turned to doctors in Cape Town in the hope of saving his eye and alleviating the excruciating pain he endures daily.
Though he has an appointment to see a specialist at Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital in April, Cebo Majoka said he could not wait that long as the pain was unbearable and he was progressively losing his eyesight.
He has travelled by bus to Cape Town in search of immediate assistance and is scheduled to consult with a professor at Groote Schuur Hospital on Monday.
Majoka’s plight came to light when community activist Petros Majola, of Khula EC, posted a video on social media in January, pleading for financial assistance to pay for Majoka’s transport to Cape Town
“I came to Cape Town to seek help because in the Eastern Cape they provided me with distant dates for assistance.
“I cannot endure the pain any longer, and it is affecting me in various ways,” the 27-year-old Majoka said.
“My greatest fear is sustaining further damage to the eye, as it is progressively worsening.”
He said he relied on painkillers to alleviate the pain.
Majoka sustained multiple injuries after a taxi he was travelling in veered out of control and overturned in 2014.
After the accident, his right eye started to grow bigger, he said.
“It was growing at a slow pace and it was very sore and it turned red,” he said.
“I was treating it with eyedrops because I didn’t have the money to see a doctor.”
The father of two said the pain had become so bad that in 2021 he finally consulted a specialist.
“I went to a public hospital to see an eye specialist as the pain was unbearable and my eye was getting bigger and bigger,” he said.
“They sent me to Uitenhage [Provincial] Hospital in February 2022 and did several CAT scans and found that something was growing behind my eye.
“They didn’t say what it was, but that they would remove it and put my eye back into the socket.
“They then transferred me to Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital that same year and said it was not a solution to remove my eye as I can still see, though I can’t see 100%.”
Majoka said the hospital had booked an appointment for him with an ear, nose and throat specialist to do the surgery.
“But that’s only in April and that is too long,” he said.
“I want it fixed soon.”
He received generous donations to facilitate his trip to Cape Town.
Eastern Cape health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said Majoka had initially been examined at Uitenhage Provincial Hospital.
“The patient [Majoka] was referred to Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital, where he underwent a CT scan and was subsequently evaluated by neurology and neurosurgery,” Kupelo said.
“It was recommended that he follow up at Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital due to the availability of necessary consultants.
“Consequently, the medical officer at Uitenhage Provincial Hospital referred him to Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital, making him a patient of that hospital and not Uitenhage Provincial.”
Majoka’s sister, Cebokazi, 22, said she was heartbroken to see her brother struggling.
“I hate knowing he is in pain and there’s nothing we can do to assist him,” Cebokazi said.
Majoka’s grandmother, Thembeka, 75, said her dying wish was for Majoka to get the help he needed.
“Nothing would make me more happy than seeing my grandson get the right treatment,” she said.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.