Prayer helped me survive ­ blind man

SURVIVOR: Majomo Matiso, 75, of Mount Coke, shows how he
survived the cold nights by seeking shelter under bushes.

Picture by DENVER DONIAN

KING WILLIAM'S TOWN -- A blind Mount Coke man who spent three freezing nights and four days stranded alongside a secondary road near Mount Coke, believes he survived the ordeal by continuously praying to God.

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch from his hospital bed in Bisho yesterday, Majomo Matiso, 75, said he continually prayed out aloud: "Oh God, help me, I am yours, save me, I do not want to die alone."

Matiso, who is completely blind following a motor accident about six years ago, said his ordeal began on Saturday afternoon.

"I wanted to fetch clothing that I had left at a nearby village and asked a young man to accompany me," Matiso said.

"Along the way the youth abandoned me -- and not being able to see, I was stranded and helpless to find my way home."

Two woman, whom
Matiso identified by their voices, gave him directions and then also walked off.

"I was left alone and all I could do was sit down on the side of the road and wait for assistance," Matiso said.

"I kept shouting for someone to help me, but no-one came and when I could feel night coming, I used my stick to seek out bushes on the side of the road.

"I put my jacket over my head and used the bushes to conceal my body and keep me warm. Luckily it did not rain and I was warmly dressed."

During the day, he sat huddled up, hungry, and prayed that someone would find him before "it was too late".

"I had no food, no water, just fresh air. It was so terrible and I was helpless to do anything about it because of my blindness."

On Wednesday his prayers were answered.

He was found by Inspector Pierre Marx of the East London search and rescue team, suffering hypothermia and dehydration, about three metres from the roadside.

The search was called after concerned family members reported Matiso missing at the Punzana police station.

"When I heard someone speaking and realised it was a policeman who had come to rescue me, I was so excited and grateful," Matiso said.

"All I could think of was my stomach. I think my first words to the police officer were 'take me home, I need food'."

Matiso was taken to a clinic in the area for treatment and later admitted to hospital, where his condition is stable.

His final thought? "God saved me from a terrible ordeal. I will never forget that."