‘He deserved dignity’ 72-year-old man found covered in faeces on KZN roadside rushed to hospital

Volunteers found a 72-year-old man in a wheelchair, covered in faeces and with wounds, near Kingsburgh Mall in KwaZulu-Natal. The Elders Voice KZN said the man had been brought from Durban and was allegedly being used to beg on the streets. Volunteers cleaned and clothed him on the roadside and arranged ambulance transport to Prince Mshiyeni Hospital so he could receive medical care.

Immediate rescue by local women

Members of The Elders Voice KZN responded after receiving messages about a couple sleeping outside Kingsburgh Mall. On arrival they discovered the man in an “absolutely heartbreaking condition” and acted to restore his dignity before he reached hospital.

The Elders Voice KZN said:

“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.”

On-road care and a decision to act

The volunteers returned with blankets, a pillow, clothing, nappies, soap, face cloths, sanitiser, a bucket, water and linen savers. On the roadside, Luyande Meyer and Alta from Heart of Toti worked together to bathe and clean the man, tended to his wounds and dressed him in clean clothes.

The Elders Voice KZN emphasised the motivation behind their actions:

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

Ambulance arranged and hospital transfer

Volunteers initially waited for a state ambulance, but as darkness fell and temperatures dropped they decided not to wait indefinitely. Konrad from Faithmed arranged an ambulance and a donor paid for the private transport.

The organisation said:

“Within no time, an ambulance arrived, Uncle was safely loaded and he was taken to Prince Mshiyeni Hospital, where we pray he will now receive the medical care he so desperately needs.”

Compassion, not judgement

The Elders Voice KZN praised the people who helped make the rescue possible and thanked the donor who paid for the ambulance:

“You didn’t just pay for transport. You helped get a vulnerable elderly man off the side of a road and into a place where he could receive medical care. Thank you for seeing his worth.”

The group reflected on the wider issue of homelessness, noting that the causes of people’s situations are often complex. They said the immediate priority was the man’s welfare:

“But tonight, one thing matters most: an elderly man who was found on the side of the road covered in his own waste is now in hospital.”

What the volunteers said about their role

The Elders Voice KZN framed the intervention as an act of recognising humanity rather than solving every problem related to homelessness:

“We might not always be able to fix the circumstances. We might not always be able to save everyone. But when an elderly person is in front of us and needs help, we will always try to give them dignity. Sometimes it takes a village.”